Ladies and gentlemen, the amiable Josh Ritter. Photo by Laurie Scavo.
It’s difficult to say exactly where I was the first time I heard a song from the new Josh Ritter record, “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.” I could have been in a bus amid the Tuscan hills that tie together Florence and Siena, or I could have been in a northbound train flying past Lake Como toward the Swiss Alps.
No matter. All I remember is that it was all kinds of gorgeous, both the [...]

Kickin’ it Reid-style. Photo by Laurie Scavo.
It was a stunning night of blasted-out guitar tones, blaring reverb and sticky distortion, when the Jesus and Mary Chain took on the Gothic Theatre on Sunday night with Darker My Love opening…

Hey, you, nice shirt! Photo by Laurie Scavo.
One has to wonder if Interpol feels a bit cornered these days. The band continues to crank out respectable, darkly-melodic post-punk, but its lack of stylistic variance rivals its same-y NYC brethern the Strokes from album to album. The band’s new disc? May as well be “Antics” Part II. Interpol’s Sunday night show at the Fillmore Auditorium did little to dispel notions that the band is suffering from road weariness and boredom with its own catalog…

Live reviews: Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, Vampire Hands

No hair, no eye shadow, no problem.
– SMASHING PUMPKINS —
It’s been a long time, Billy Corgan, since your lanky frame darkened our doorways, your downcast, demonic face, random fashion choices and idiotic pronouncements subtly curling our lips with joy. What’s surprising is how welcome they were at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sunday when Smashing Pumpkins played a reunion tour show with the Painfully Glossy Haircuts… er, the Bravery. Fortunately, I missed the haircuts and got there just as the Pumpkins took the stage.