Chris Bryers ‘Birds’ & ‘Hazel and The Black Rabbit’ (2008)

January 13, 2009

Listening to Chris Bryers makes me feel sad. And not simply the kind of sad that is a response to his signature brand of Midwestern melancholy. It’s mostly the realization that as such a prolific and distinctive song-writing talent, Chris has been mainly celebrated only by those who remember him from his long resumé of […]

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People – self-titled (1994)

January 12, 2009

This CD was 2008’s “most elusive” release – a vexing honor which Culture Of None holds in high regard. The story is a simple one: There were two bands in the Relapse roster during the mid-’90s that really captivated me with their zany and gonzo take on the mostly grim grindcore genre –Monastat 7 and […]

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Jazz at The Downstairs Club – THE REVELERS

January 7, 2009

I honestly haven’t even had a chance to spin this one yet, but I’m thrilled to have found it. The catalog no. is SA 60, it’s a product of “the Rondo Record Corporation; Union City, New Jersey”,and I’m guessing it to be late ’50s/early ’60s vinyl. Tracks include “Isn’t it Romantic”, “Almost Like Being in […]

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Camelot Music

January 5, 2009

Camelot Music was the single retail music store that completely transformed my vision of…well…retail music. The key ingredient to my love affair with this mall spot was that they had bins and bins and bins full of deleted and cut-out CD titles, with most at a $1.00 pricetag. I should also mention that in 1991, […]

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8 Track Mind

December 21, 2008

The mere mention of the 8-Track Tape usually induces laughter among those who remember the ’70s and early ’80s. Their bulky plastic shell made them one of the more obnoxious recorded audio formats, and although many Quadraphonic titles existed, they certainly were never an audiophile media. The “endless loop” design allowed for continuous playback (an […]

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Shudder To Think ‘50,000 B.C.’ (Japanese Bonus Tracks)

December 20, 2008

Shudder To Think is easily the most impacting and compelling rock act I’ve ever heard, right alongside Thought Industry (who I’d already outed as fans of Shudder To Think). At a Shudder To Think show in Detroit around ’94, I suggested to singer/guitarist Craig Wedren that Thought Industry’s ‘Mods Carve the Pig…’ was the only […]

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Shice ‘Quality Control Rap Vs. Hip-Hop’ (2005)

December 18, 2008

This was an intriguing recent thrift store find; a $1.99 still-sealed double CD release on the Elevation Suite label by hip hop act Shice. A google search yielded very little insight or commentary, with the surprising exception of cover artist Cojo’s blog, ArtSucks.com. Apparently, the Bronx-based MC had received praise from Source Magazine for his […]

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December 16, 2008

I just had an amazing night of vinyl shopping. It was actually a surprising roll of the dice, since my last few visits to that particular Salvation Army store were rather blah. What made this visit such an event was that it was quite apparent that someone had dumped their entire Jazz/Funk/Soul LP collection, AND […]

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Head Of Ear (WLBN AM 570)

December 14, 2008

I had a late night radio show for the few short months that I was a student at Albion College, in the fall of 1992. Looking back, it was a really humble affair (a tiny AM signal in the middle of farm country) but they had a surprisingly massive and varied CD library, so I […]

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Why I Don’t Go To Rock Concerts (Anymore)

December 10, 2008

I’m not a huge fan of live rock shows. I’ve only been to a couple arena concerts (Iron Maiden, Megadeth), so the 40-50 live performances I’ve seen have been in smaller venues like clubs or bars. To be fair, I like the idea of the live setting (the energy, all the dedicated fans) and I […]

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