In the late 70s, Eddie Campbell wrote and drew a handful of short stories tracing the ins and outs of a group of Teddy Boys in Southend. He called them “In The Days Of The Ace Rock ‘n’ Roll Club”,…
Author: Patrick A. Reed
Single Reviews: Arctic Monkeys, Gorillaz/André 3000/James Murphy, Noel Gallagher and Amorphous Androgynous, Evitan, Mark Stewart vs. Primal Scream, Future Of The Left
Arctic Monkeys- R U Mine? This track just showed up out of nowhere last week, a stand-alone single that appeared on YouTube and iTunes and instantly lodged itself in my head on an endless loop. It’s full of the group’s…
Pop Music Comics: The 90s, part four. Cheap Trick, The Elvis Mandible
In 1990, powerpop band Cheap Trick released a new album entitled Busted, and they partnered with Marvel to release a comic as part of their publicity campaign. A promo-only item, it’s an eight-page black and white pamphlet that tells the…
BETTY: live at Joe’s Pub, 12/20/2011
With 25 years, a half-dozen albums, uncountable world tours, and a number of successful TV themes under their collective belts, BETTY are an institution of indie music. They’ve cultivated a devoted and passionate fanbase over the years, and their holiday…
Pop Music Comics: The 90s, part three. Roger Corman & The Melvins, and more KISS
The 1990s was a boom period for rock & roll music. The success of Nirvana was followed by a glut of records from ‘next big things’, and record companies were signing rock bands left and right. Indie acts that had…
The Jungle Brothers: Live at SOB’s, 2/7/2012
On the evening of February 7th, The Jungle Brothers took the stage at SOB’s in lower Manhattan. It was their first gig in six years, their first since 1997 with all three original members, and a historic evening for any…
Single Review: Dzian!- “Gong Xi, We Are Happy”
Sometimes, there’s a band that seems almost too good to be true. And Dzian! are exactly that, a group making music so thrilling and infectious that I want to play it for everyone I know. They’re an ensemble that exhume…
Old Weird Comics: Walt Disney’s Space Age
In the 1950s, Walt Disney’s empire grew hugely, expanding into records, live action films, nature documentaries, children’s magazines, theme parks, and (possibly most importantly) the emerging medium of television. The Disneyland TV show launched in 1954, and played a huge…
Pop Music Comics: The 90s, part two. Prince.
In 1989, DC Comics formed a new imprint for experimental and avant-garde titles. Piranha Press only lasted a few years, but their impact is still being felt today. They gave a home to creator-owned works, the edgy and unusual, and along the way…
Record Reviews: Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Surf-And-Roadster-Rock Trilogy
In the early 1960s, surf and hot-rod music was all the rage. The Beach Boys ruled the pop charts, with The Ventures, Jan & Dean, The Surfaris, and The Chantays close behind, notching up hit singles by the dozens. The…