Song of the Day 3/30: Shades of Blue, “Oh How Happy”
The sweet soul music of the '60s was so intoxicating that lots of white groups tried their hands at it, giving rise to what became known as blue-eyed soul. Even…
Judge Clears Cabela’s in Straw Buyer Lawsuit
A Delaware judge dismissed a lawsuit against Cabela's, which sold a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol that was later used in a murder. The woman who bought it, Brilena Hardwick,…
Joe Biden Is a Hands-On Candidate
The case against Joe Biden for president is about to get stronger. This afternoon New York magazine's The Cut published an account by Lucy Flores, a 2014 Democratic candidate for…
Song of the Day 3/29: Matthew Sweet, “I’ve Been Waiting”
Let's cheer things up with a little '90s power pop, courtesy of one of its top practitioners. "I've Been Waiting" was the second single from Sweet's 1991 album "Girlfriend," declared…
Song of the Day 3/28: The (English) Beat, “Stand Down Margaret”
British pop lost another voice this week when Ranking Roger of the English Beat died of cancer at just 56 years old. The Beat was at the forefront of England's…
Biden Condemns ‘White Man’s Culture’
One of Joe Biden's quirks is that he thinks nobody notices when he changes. He's had two hair-plug operations and an eye job, but nobody ever talks about it so…
Song of the Day 3/27: The Walker Brothers, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”
UK music critics and fans are mourning the March 22 death of Scott Walker, pop idol-turned-avant garde composer. He's most widely known as lead singer of the Walker Brothers, a…
New Jersey Harshes the Legal Marijuana Mellow
The road to recreational marijuana legalization was closed for repairs in New Jersey yesterday, when a wide-ranging bill that would have both legalized weed and made it easier to expunge…
Song of the Day 3/26: Was (Not Was), “Somewhere in America There’s a Street Named After My Dad”
When Detroit natives David Weiss and Don Fagenson formed Was (Not Was), they both adopted the surname Was and combined to create music based on a simple philosophy. In the…
Song of the Day 3/25: Jay and the Techniques, “Keep the Ball Rollin’ “
Most soul music of the '60s came out of Detroit, or Memphis, or Chicago. But sometimes it came from the most unlikely places, like Allentown, Pa. That's where singer Jay…
We Couldn’t Keep It
"Well, Doctor, what have we got —- a Republic or a Monarchy?" "A Republic, if you can keep it."
Song of the Day 3/24: Brian May, “New Horizons”
As most rock fans know, Queen guitarist Brian May also holds a doctorate in astrophysics, a fact that earned him an invitation to join NASA's team for New Horizons, a…
Song of the Day 3/23: Linus of Hollywood, “Don’t Fuck It Up”
Musicians who record power pop must realize by now that it's almost impossible to make a living at it, so Kevin Dotson, better known as Linus of Hollywood, keeps lots…