Email Author Mark Keresman

2007 Stories by Mark Keresman

• Johnny Rawls

  published December 27, 2007

  There was a time when blues and R&B/black popular music were not so very far apart. Performers such as Etta James, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and Little... More >>

• The Heymakers

  published December 20, 2007

  Great gods of gravy, where would the hep world be without the subtle machinations of the Cramps and Stray Cats? Why, there wouldn't... More >>

• Nappy Brown

  published December 13, 2007

  In the 1950s, along with Ray Charles, singer Napoleon "Nappy" Brown was one of the transitional performers between blues and rhythm & blues... More >>

• Hacienda Brothers

  published December 6, 2007

  After his departure from the Byrds in the mid-'60s, late Americana icon Gram Parsons envisioned "Cosmic American Music," a savory stew of... More >>

• The Kim Philbys

  published November 29, 2007

  San Francisco trio The Kim Philbys has guts — don't they realize bands these days are supposed to be predictable, either melodious or... More >>

• Phoenix Symphony Orchestra

  published November 22, 2007

  Psychedelic music — sounds to evoke or accompany chemically enhanced/altered states of imagination/perception — existed long before... More >>

• Michelle Shocked

  published November 15, 2007

  Has our 'Shell gone all "born again" or something? Nope — eclectic folk-rocker Michelle Shocked has discovered the joys and power of the... More >>

• The Resonars

  published November 8, 2007

  Are the Resonars a "real band" or aren't they? Only Matt Rendon knows for sure, and he's not saying (yet). To paraphrase the immortal Bard, what's... More >>

• USSA

  published October 25, 2007

  With song titles such as "Dead Voices," "Cruel Beauty," and "Forget Yourself," it's a sure bet the USSA debut disc isn't going to be tagged... More >>

• Los Straitjackets

  published October 11, 2007

  Before those hand-holding mop-tops from Liverpool hit these shores, instrumental rock was extremely popular. The charts belonged to The Ventures,... More >>

• Mekons

  published October 4, 2007

  The Mekons are among the few bands surviving from the "glory days" of punk rock — 2007 marks their 30th anniversary. The reason for their... More >>

• Jorma Kaukonen

  published September 27, 2007

  For good or ill (usually the latter, alas), some associations haunt performers for their entire careers. Del Shannon became synonymous with his... More >>

• Dave Riley and Bob Corritore

  published September 20, 2007

  Who'd've thunk it? Along with windy Chicago and verdant Mississippi, Arizona is, in fact, a fertile environment for the blues. The proof's in... More >>

• Over the Rhine

  published September 20, 2007

  When many people use the "Americana" tag, they're usually referring to rock 'n' roll laced with elements of folk and country music, two of its... More >>

• Heavy Trash

  published September 13, 2007

  There are several ways to play rockabilly nowadays: the gentlemanly way (Robert Gordon, Sleepy LaBeef), the roots-conscious 1955 hepcat way (High... More >>

• John Jorgenson

  published September 13, 2007

  Hats off to any musician who ventures out of his/her comfort zone and doesn't stick (or bury) him/herself in a particular niche. But venturing... More >>

• Honeyboy Edwards

  published August 30, 2007

  Blues singer/guitarist David "Honeyboy" Edwards wasn't just influenced or inspired by icons Robert Johnson and Big Joe Williams, he actually... More >>

• Krall's Fair in Love and War

  published August 23, 2007

  Rich, hardcore jazz fans are different from you and me. They demand utter dedication to this art form from both artist and listener. Jazz is... More >>

• Jerry Lawson

  published August 23, 2007

  Ignore the cheesy cover art. Though it resembles a no-budget local LP pressing from 1970, Talk of the Town is one humdinger of a vocal... More >>

• Chris Duarte

  published August 9, 2007

  There's much musical lore about the Lone Star State, but what is it about San Antonio, Texas? There are many songs about Houston and Dallas, but... More >>

• Buckwheat Zydeco

  published July 26, 2007

  In the mid-'50s, while Sinatra swung and Elvis and Chuck Berry showed the world how to rock, black Louisianans of Cajun extraction — Clifton... More >>

• Cello Pop

  published July 19, 2007

  Rock music history is paved with the asphalt of failure and obscurity — in their respective eras, the now-venerated watersheds the Stooges,... More >>

• Dream Theater

  published July 19, 2007

  In movies, metal bands and their fans are often portrayed as anti-eggheads — note the knee-high nihilists and simpletons of Airheads,... More >>

• Dale Watson

  published July 19, 2007

  Country music is where rock 'n' roll was circa 1962 B.B. (before Beatles) and 1975-76 — lots 'n' lots of photogenic hat-hunks and... More >>

• Johnette Napolitano

  published June 14, 2007

  Near the conclusion of Austin Powers (the first one), Dr. Evil taunts our hero, "There is nothing worse than an aging hipster." Veteran... More >>