If I had my choice, I’d always support an independent record store over a massive national chain. But every once in awhile one of those huge corporations puts on a sale too tempting to refuse, or in some cases, is the only retail outlet to carry a red hot project. Enter Best Buy on the famed/dreaded Black Friday, who besides offering a series of price cuts on electronics, is also rolling out the red carpet for three exclusive musical titles. (more…)

The other day, Hear/say Editor Diane Singer was playing some new Jackson Browne.  It sounded good–like the old Jackson Browne, when he was worried more about own psychological well-being than which presidential candidate was using his songs.  Although there were some accoutrements strewn about in the arrangements (strings, synthesizer, vocal modulations), it was the simple acoustic guitar approach–drenched in personal melodrama–reminiscent of For Everyman.

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"The Nature Boy" at PCW's "4Ever Flair" (Photos By Andy Argyrakis)

Though the national spotlight may shine the brightest on World Wrestling Entertainment or Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Chicago’s Pro Championship Wrestling (PCW) proved to be in that very same league over the weekend. Not only did the federation have a stacked card with several titles on the line, but the evening (dubbed “4Ever Flair”) also featured an appearance by thirty-five year squared circle veteran Ric Flair. Outside of winning an astounding sixteen World Heavyweight Titles, the superstar has also infiltrated every facet of pop culture, with recent projects including the DVD Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection (WWE) and the autobiography To Be the Man (WWE). (more…)

Concert photos By Andy Argyrakis/ Other photos by Stan Sherwood

For those who find the love of their life, popping the question can often be one of the trickiest tasks within the relationship’s history. I can vouch for this firsthand when it comes to my high school sweetheart/longtime girlfriend Katie Randall, who I knew I wanted to surprise, but wasn’t quite sure how. But it just so happened that the idea struck me when I was on the phone with Amy Grant during an interview, partially because she’s known for a lengthy list of love songs (“Baby, Baby,” “Every Heartbeat,” “House of Love,” “Good For Me,” “That’s What Love Is For,” etc.) but also due to the fact she’s my girlfriend’s all time favorite singer! (more…)

Actor and singer Will Smith came to Cleveland this morning on a promo tour for his new movie, Seven Pounds. Due out next month, it tells the story of a distraught man (played by Smith) who decides to take his life in a different direction and do some good for others. Posing as an IRS agent, he visits people in need and makes personal sacrifices so that their lives can become better. While the studio doesn’t want journalists to give away the ending, suffice it to say it will stir up some controversy as, depending on how you view it, you’ll see the film as either a romance or a tragedy. The gregarious Smith, who attended a showing of the movie and visited schools and food banks during his trip, fielded questions from a roundtable of reporters at a meeting room in the InterContinental Hotel.

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Singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur emerged in 2000 with Come to Where I’m From, an album that got so much acclaim, it ended up in many top ten lists for that year. Arthur hasn’t matched its grace and beauty on subsequent releases, but he’s kept at it, recording steadily and releasing a flurry of EPs and LPs this year alone. On the evening of Nov. 4, after Barack Obama was announced as the U.S. president elect, Arthur’s dad called him and asked him to write a song. He obliged, performing the Dylan-like tune, “Change Has Come” at a tour stop in Williamsburg and then taping a video at the Brooklyn Bridge that night (actually morning) at 5 a.m. It’s minimalist approach but accurately captures the feeling of hope and inspiration the Obama brings to the executive office. 

The end of 2008 has been a big for Cobra Verde.  Their version of Stones’ “Play With Fire” was included on a recent episode of the HBO hit, First Blood.  “World Can’t Have Her,” their first single from their latest CD, Haven’t Slept All Year, will be featured on November 23′s season finale of HBO’s Entourage. 

Arguably, “World Can’t Have Her”–with its Flaming Groovies guitar homage– is not the best track from Haven’t Slept All Year, a gregarious blend of 60s garage, 70s glam and 80s alternative with the Eno/Bowie influence injected generously throughout.  The drums in “I Could Go to Hell for You” come right from Iggy’s “Lust for Life,” while “Runaway” freely borrows the searing synthesizer riff from Bowie’s “Heroes.”  “Home in the High Rise” recalls the seemless modern rock of Midnight Oil; lead singer John Petkovic’s grey message of “I see graves in the sky/I see martyrs in your eyes/I’m standing still/but everything is fading” is betrayed by the song’s anthemic acoustic guitars and expansive background vocals.  With its warm horns, oh-ahs backing vocals and handclaps, “Wildwood” crosses the psychadelia of the Small Faces’ “Ichycoo Park” withthe art chic of Feist.

Their last CD of original material, Easy Listening, was one of 2003′s best albums. While not as consistent as that great release, Haven’t Slept All Year features some of the best music of 2008.  www.cobraverde.com.

Cleveland-based artist Derek Hess is most known for championing underground hardcore bands. But he was also a big Barack Obama supporter and to celebrate the president-elect’s recent victory, Hess has decided he’ll give away a free Obama poster with the purchase of his new book, Please God Save Us, a political treatise by Kent Smith (with illustrations courtesy of Hess) that covers everything from the Iraq War to censorship and global warming. You can buy the book through Hess’ web site, strhesspress.com.

Robert Plant performing solo (Photo By Andy Argyrakis)

Considering Led Zeppelin broke up before I was even born, no one’s longing for a reunion of surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones any more than me.

I’ve seen Robert solo at least six times (including his superb stint with Alison Krauss this summer), Page & Plant’s first comeback tour together during the 90s with my parents (but was too young to really remember it) and Jones playing bass in Mutual Admiration Society (with members of Nickel Creek and Toad the Wet Sprocket, who were lucky to be in the presence of such royalty).

I’ve even went so far as to see original drummer John Bonham’s son Jason slapping the skins for Foreigner and must say the band’s medley of “Juke Box Hero” with Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love” made me yearn even more for the slightly amended foursome to hit the road again. (more…)