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The Police (Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, Sting) were the biggest success of bands managed by Mlles Copeland.

Miles Copeland Remembers the Police, Go-Go's, Bangles, and Timbuk 3 in New Memoir

By Bob Ruggiero

Jun 11, 2021

Miles Copeland II was a longtime CIA operative in the Middle East and involved in all sorts of secretive spy missions from the 1940s through the ‘60s. And his son—Miles A. Copeland III—often had to use similarly delicate skills and negotiating tactics, only in the world of rock and roll...

If only every bigot could be shut up with a kiss.

AstroWorld Fan Shuts Down Homophobe in Awesome Way

By Jef Rouner

Jun 3, 2021

Happy Pride Month. Would you like to see a ridiculous homophobe get absolutely owned by a woman in an AstroWorld hoodie? Me too! The person screaming in this Tik Tok uploaded by boilyourbottoms is known as Sister Cindy Smock. She and her husband, Brother Jed, travel around to various college campuses...

Only a few years after the real-life assassination attempts or successes against John Lennon, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II, Eddie Murphy's "SNL" sketches on the murder of his Buckwheat character got big laughs.

How Soon is "Too Soon" for TV Comedy to Address Tragedy and Trauma?

By Bob Ruggiero

May 17, 2021

Tragedy Plus Time: National Trauma and Television Comedy By Philip Scepanski 280 pp. $50 University of Texas Press On September 29, 2001, just a little over two weeks after the terrorist attack on 9/11, the New York Friars Club and Comedy Central went ahead with a planned “roast” of Hugh...

Former Grand Funker Mark Farner Offers Up His Chile Recipe

By Bob Ruggiero

Apr 2, 2021

As the former lead singer/guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner’s voice and playing have been classic rock staples on stereo systems and radio for more than 50 years. Tracks he wrote or covered include “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Bad Time,” “The Loco-Motion,” “Rock and Roll Soul,” “Footstompin’ Music” and...

Dende releases short film In Case You Forgot I'm Black featuring his original songs.

Music And A Message: Dende Releases Film In Case You Forgot I'm Black

By Gladys Fuentes

Mar 23, 2021

With jury selection in the trial against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd in the news, it can almost feel unreal that it hasn’t even been a year since Floyd died. With all that has happened since that tragic day in May of 2020...

Long-Lost "Happening" 1965 Music Special Resurfaces on PBS

By Bob Ruggiero

Mar 2, 2021

Though he was a child of the ‘80s, TJ Lubinsky has old ears. He grew up loving the music of the 1950s and 60s, be it of the doo wop, Motown, R&B, British Invasion, pop, or rock variety. At the age of 14, he came across a grainy clip on...

"Woldgate Vista" by David Hockney, 2005, oil on canvas.

Nature Boys Hockney and Van Gogh Star in Centuries-Spanning Dual Exhibit

By Bob Ruggiero

Feb 16, 2021

Though he was born nearly a half century after Vincent Van Gogh died, and has achieved a level of fame and acclaim in his lifetime that The Starry Night painter only did posthumously, multimedia artist David Hockney (b. 1937) has always had an affinity for the works of Van Gogh...

Loverboy today: Paul Dean, Matt Frenette, Mike Reno, Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve, and Doug Johnson.

Loverboy Remembers Their First Kiss with Debut Reissue

By Bob Ruggiero

Dec 22, 2020

When Loverboy’s self-titled debut came in in October 1980, the prevailing media format for music was the vinyl LP. But given what he saw shortly thereafter, guitarist Paul Dean probably didn’t expect that the Canadian rockers would be releasing Loverboy in a 40th anniversary edition on vinyl as well! The...

Todd Rundgren: A relentless musical seeker and multimedia proponent plots a perfect-for-pandemic virtual tour.

Todd Rundgren Plots Nationwide Clearly Human Tour...Virtually!

By Bob Ruggiero

Dec 18, 2020

During the Age of Coronavirus, musicians have struggled to find the best way to get live music to fans across the world. Audiences have seen everything from blurry solo iPhone videos in living rooms to professional, multi-camera shot, full band concerts in empty theaters. But leave it to multimedia genius...

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2020 You Probably Missed Part 5: 10 - 1

By Jef Rouner

Dec 18, 2020

And now for the 10 best music videos of indie and underground acts we saw in 2020. 10. Nobody’s Girl, “Rescued” Austin’s own Nobody’s Girl shows how you can take a very simple idea and turn it into something amazing. Rather than lamenting the fact we’re all trapped in our houses,...

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2020 You Probably Missed Part 4: 20 - 11

By Jef Rouner

Dec 17, 2020

Finding the best music videos of indie and underground acts is no easy task. We look at hundreds, and we only accept the ones that transcend the medium in some way. Let's look at what we have. 20. body / negative feat. Void of Course, “The Big Sleep” Directed by...

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2020 You Probably Missed Part 3: 30 - 21

By Jef Rouner

Dec 16, 2020

We are halfway through our dive into the deep cuts when it comes to 2020's music videos. Each one has been carefully selected from hundreds of submissions until we truly gathered the best of the best. Hold into your butts. 30. Agnes Obel, “Camera’s Rolling” I have no idea why...

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2020 You Probably Missed Part 2: 40 - 31

By Jef Rouner

Dec 15, 2020

Our quest to bring you the best music videos that fly under the average person's radar continues. These are the sort of music videos that don't get millions of views, but they shine on like crazy diamonds regardless. Let's get into the guts of it all. 40. The Unfit, “Caged...

The 50 Best Music Videos of 2020 You Probably Missed Part 1: 50 - 41

By Jef Rouner

Dec 14, 2020

Every year we take a look at the music videos that fall through the cracks. Indie and local artists put out some of the best videos around, and this year was no different. For one week, we'll hopefully introduce you to some artists you haven't heard of. Let's get cracking...

Jimi Hendrix on the isle of Maui, maybe thinking "What have I gotten myself into with this 'Rainbow Bridge' thing?"

Jimi Hendrix's Hawaiian "Adventure" Finally Explained

By Bob Ruggiero

Dec 9, 2020

The music of Jimi Hendrix is often described as “fiery.” And one of his biggest hits was “Fire.” But the singer/guitarist probably never imagined that on July 30, 1970 he—along with drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Billy Cox—would be standing on an outdoor stage, on a cattle ranch, near the...

Freddie Salem of the Outlaws in full flight on August 19, 1981 in Germany for the "Rockpalast" show.

The Outlaws Stage a German Showdown with Guitars Blazing

By Bob Ruggiero

Dec 4, 2020

It was June 2, 1979 at Carter-Finley Stadium on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Two young guitar slingers, Freddie (Salem, of the Outlaws) and Edward (Van Halen of, well, Van Halen) were having a beer backstage. Their respective groups were sharing a bill with Poco and...

A parade of lonely people happens in "Sea Change."

Exclusive Video Premiere: Easter Island’s “Sea Change”

By Jef Rouner

Oct 29, 2020

As one of the hardest and most bizarre years in a generation limps slowly to a close under a dreary, cold rain, Athens, Georgia band Easter Island finds its members scattered to the winds with no stage to bring their music to an audience. Keyboardist Asher Payne landed himself in...

Ray Benson, co-founder and head honcho of Asleep at the Wheel.

Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years of Asleep at the Wheel Live

By Bob Ruggiero

Oct 27, 2020

This year was supposed to be a busy one for Asleep at the Wheel. The western swing revivalists (who also skilled in several other genres) were set to embark on their 50th anniversary tour. A victory lap of sorts for singer/guitarist Ray Benson for reaching a milestone that few bands...

Free Radicals Keep The Fight Funky With White Power Outage

By Gladys Fuentes

Sep 29, 2020

No one could have predicted the mess that has become 2020 but when listening to the Free Radicals' latest album, White Power Outage Volume 1, people might think the band and all of its collaborators had a crystal ball. “We just really took our time,” says founding member Nick Cooper...

The inspiration for a collaboration during our present day pandemic.

Talk About Timing: An Opera Series Based on People Trying to Escape the Black Death

By Margaret Downing

Sep 16, 2020

The 14th Century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio wrote a series of novellas entitled The Decameron about seven women and three men trying to escape the Black Death by sheltering in a remote location. Turns out Opera in the Heights and eight other regional opera companies in a newly formed coalition found this...

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There's Harmony and Humor with the BROS Currie on Side Project

The Jenny Thing: Uniting an '80s Sound and '90s History

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