For The Sweet Remains, voices and personalities are a nice fit

When solo singer/songwriters Rich Price and Greg Naughton would team up to play an occasional show, they often wondered how good their vocal harmony blend would be with a third singer.

During a cross-country tour in 2007 with acquaintance Brian Chartrand, Price felt he had found the right guy.

Continue reading "PERFECT HARMONY" »

Posted by Medleyville at 12:35 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Saving Abel tops hard rock package tour

My, they grow up so quickly these days.

Saving Abel only has one album under its belt, but after scoring a bunch of radio hits from its self-titled 2008 debut, the Mississippi hard rock band has already established somewhat of a veteran presence.

That explains why Saving Abel is the headliner of The Class of 2009 Tour, which also features fellow recent hitmakers Red and Pop Evil, as well as Taddy Porter, which has been dubbed the freshman act of the bunch.

Guitarist Jason Null, who co-founded Saving Abel, recently took some time between tour dates to talk about the band’s past, present and future.

Continue reading "HEAD OF THE CLASS" »

Posted by Medleyville at 03:52 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Singer/songwriter Chris Ayer continues working on his craft

Revising lyrics – it’s all part of being a songwriter. Throw a little philosophy into the process, and that can complicate things a little more.

While at Stanford University, Chris Ayer studied philosophy and music, so every now and then he might become lyrically trapped in "overly complicated, convoluted ways of describing something" when a song has been inspired by philosophical elements.

Continue reading "GRADUAL GROWTH" »

Posted by Medleyville at 11:40 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Latest album by The Almost brings band together

"Hey, we got a record over here, Dusty," Jay Vilardi shouts across the EMI rooftop to Dusty Redmon, his guitar counterpart in The Almost.

Redmon, who is standing a few feet away, cuts off the conversation he's having with someone else and looks over at Vilardi.

"What?" Redmon asks.

"We got a record," Vilardi responds with enthusiasm.

Redmon got the message the second time.

"Are the thank yous in it?" Redmon asks as he approaches Vilardi.

“Yeah -- thanks to him,” Vilardi answers, smiling.

Vilardi gestures to singer Aaron Gillespie, who's carefully looking over a copy of Monster Monster (Tooth & Nail/Virgin/EMI), the new Almost album. Bassist Alex Aponte joins the others in gazing at the CD's booklet and packaging, and their collective reaction makes it evident that this sunny late October afternoon in Manhattan has taken on some added meaning.

Continue reading "A MONSTER EFFORT" »

Posted by Medleyville at 11:15 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Band's best live album gets deluxe treatment

There's no disputing that 1969 was a year of major triumph and tragedy for The Rolling Stones.

Brian Jones left the group in June ’69 and was replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. Less than a month later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool, his mysterious death deemed by a coroner to be a drowning while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

On July 5, two days after Jones' body was found, Taylor made his concert debut with the Stones during a free concert before 250,000 at London's Hyde Park. The band’s subsequent attempt at a freebie on Dec. 6 at California's Altamont Speedway, though, was marred by chaos and violence, most notably the stabbing death of a black teenager in the crowd.

But between the Hyde Park and Altamont gigs, the Stones rocked New York during a two-night stand in late November '69 at what was then a relatively new fourth edition of Madison Square Garden, resulting in one of the best concert albums by any rock band ever. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, ABKCO has given the album the deluxe reissue treatment, and it's a must for any serious Stones fan.

Continue reading "THE ROLLING STONES -- GET YER YA-YA'S OUT! THE ROLLING STONES IN CONCERT" »

Posted by Medleyville at 10:32 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Livan rebounds from addiction to make solo debut

The list of rockers with unhealthy vices is a long one, and so is the tally of those who died as a result of their addictions.

London-based singer/songwriter Livan makes no bones about being a recovering drug addict, and he says it’s so much better "to be one of them and not six feet under."

Continue reading "STILL AROUND" »

Posted by Medleyville at 02:14 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)