Lazy Lions is a project bringing together the talents of four musicians whom, in their own words, “have been around the block enough” to have an extensive musical CV. Frontman Jim Allen has had a prior career as a singer/songwriter; bassist Anne Marie Stehn was previously a member of Antigone Rising; drummer Sean McMorris has recorded his own material in addition to being a seasoned session guy (most notably for Television’s Richard Lloyd), while guitarist Robert Sorkin previously held a place within the Monterey Symphony. Unsurprisingly, with his song writing skills and big vocal presence, it’s often Allen who appears to be firmly in the driving seat. The band’s preferred sound borrows heavily from 70s power pop and a few later Elvis Costello devotees, but essentially what we have with ‘When Dreaming Lets You Down’ is an adult pop/rock affair that almost seems timeless. There’s a loudness to some of the material that occasionally belies the Lions’ latter-day rechanneling of these older sounds as opposed to this being a 1984 recording, but in terms of songs, these could have been written by anyone at any time.
Monthly Archives: May 2015
Mastodon: Summer tour schedule
Mastodon are playing a huge run of dates from next month through the summer and into September, including appearances at the UK Reading and Leeds Festivals. All confirmed dates are listed below.
THE BIG GENESIS POLL: Part Two, The Pop/Rock Years 1978-97
When Steve Hackett left Genesis at the end of the ‘Wind & Wuthering’ tour in 1977, for some of the more dyed-in-the-wool prog fans, that signified too much of a potential change waiting in the wings. The fact that the three-man band of Phil Collins (drums/vocals), Mike Rutherford (guitars/bass) and Tony Banks sounded more commercial upon their return and even scored a genuine hit single with a pop ballad marked the end for some. For those, supper had gone cold. For the fans Genesis lost at this time, their new, more commercial sound gained new fans in droves and although the band became far less prolific – partly due to all three members embarking on extra-curricular recording – it marked the beginning of a very commercially successful decade.
The first Genesis poll results + video gallery
Genesis were an essential part of the 70s prog scene. Along with Pink Floyd and King Crimson, their early catalogue is a complex one that, decades after its original release, just keeps giving. Their albums released between 1969-76, covering their most progressive tendencies are albums whereby it’s almost possible to hear something new, some subtle touch lurking in the back of complex arrangements, whenever listening – the bits that really strike chord changing, dependent on mood and surroundings.
B.B. KING: September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015
Legendary blues musician BB King passed away on May 14th 2015 at the age of 89.
When it comes to the blues, fewer names are more famous. Across a career spanning over seven decades, Mr Riley B King became a legend, a key figure in reshaping the blues from its Delta roots into the full scale electric sound with which it has endured musical fashions.