The glass bottom boat of the cultural press
Bad Religion celebrate their 30-year career the only way they know how: by releasing a killer new album and touring the country playing songs off of all 15 of their punk rock defining releases! Jen Cray was at the party without her hot pink wig.
EP (Sony). Review by Jen Cray.
All Day (Indication/ Red Eye). Review by Jen Cray.
Transitions (Hellcat). Review by Jen Cray.
Ska was pronounced dead over a decade ago, yet the tours go on and the crowds keep coming. For The English Beat’s current refusal to fade, Dave Wakeling and crew brought along a couple surprise UK ska legends- Lynval Golding of The Specials, and The Selecter’s Pauline Black. Jen Cray saturated herself in the ska sounds of yesterday’s England.
Cruel Tutelage (Asian Man). Review by Brian Heater.
Ska pioneers, The Toasters, are still inspiring kids to skank 24 years into their career. Jen Cray attends a ska triple bill in Orlando and tells us how they manage to do it.
Rocksteady (Telark Jazz). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Island). Review by Ian Koss.
The Ultimate Collection (Hip-O). Review by Vanessa Bormann.
Various Artists (Bongo Boy/Madacy). Review by Phillip Haire.
Among the upper echelons of ska and reggae masters, perhaps only the late Bob…
Event Review by Julio Diaz
A.J. Croce celebrates the 50th anniversary of his father, Jim Croce’s, three ground breaking albums, with a nationwide tour of Croce Plays Croce.
High Above Harlesden 1978 - 2023 from On-U Sound collects 60 dub and reggae tracks from Creation Rebel, an astounding set of musicians.
Gerta O. Egy’s beautifully drawn fungi almost eclipse their fairyland habitats in her Mushroom Daydream Coloring Book.
One of the last of the classic wuxia swordplay films stands as a fitting coda to the grand period of the genre. Phil Bailey reviews a new Blu-ray release of the 1975 film The Valiant Ones.
The Complete Friends of Old-Time Music Concert (Smithsonian Folkways Records). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
Smash Mouth takes us back to The Brady Bunch circa 1973, with “Sunshine Day,” featuring Barry Williams, the original Greg Brady.
Not everyone can be excited by blocks spinning on a screen, but if you are, Ian Koss recommends you pay attention to Best of Five.
The final two films in the bonkers Hong Kong action comedy series The Inspector Wears Skirts hit Blu-ray from 88 Films.
A pair of early “girls with guns” action films from superstars Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock have arrived from 88 Films.