After shocking the world with their debut album, Up From Below, and blasting the airwaves with their hit single "Home" that brought hippies and folk music fans together in a rain dancing embrace, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are back with their second record, Here, and it shows great progress in the band's sound while collectively still being in its musical infancy. A great mix of psychedelia, 60's-style pop, acid-folk, gothic country and a vibe that makes you feel like these guys should have done the soundtrack for any one of the films associated with Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and The Ugly), Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have a unique sound that is so wide-ranging that even the biggest hipster music snob you know can appreciate it.

This orchestral mess of a band was started by vocalist, guitarist, percussionist and pianist Alex Ebert while he was the lead singer of another band called Ima Robot in Los Angeles. After a while of engaging in the party scene prevalent in "The City of Angels" and battling drug addiction, Ebert desired to make a change in his life. He started by breaking up with his girlfriend at the time, moving out of his house and admitting himself into a couple stints of rehab. He then decided to isolate himself from the world by living in an apartment that only had a inflatable mattress to sleep on and created his alter ego named Edward Sharpe. Sharpe is created as a messianic figure who is supposed to heal & save mankind but due to falling in love he always manages to get distracted. After meeting and engaging in a relationship with fellow singer Jade Castrinos, Ebert created Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and they've been gracing humanity with their beautiful music ever since.

"That's What's Up" is my favorite track off of the album, with Ebert and Castrinos singing about no matter what they'll be friends forever and they have their love to lean on along with having a few killer guitar solos. "Man on Fire" has an extraordinary Johnny Cash influence, a dark track that with Ebert on guitar and singing with everyone else joining in, making the song sound better and better with each progressing rhythm, chord and beat. "Fiya Wata" is completely epic, with Castrinos' beautiful voice resonating at the top of her lungs with the rest of the band playing some bluesy sounds that are soothing for the soul and easing for the mind. "One Love To Another" has a great latino rock feel to it, crossing through the styles of bands like Santana, Los Lobos while at the same time sounding like a long lost ballad written by Buddy Holly, definitely song that has roots. "I Don't Wanna Pray" sounds like a song you sing around a campfire, starting off with Ebert singing about God, how he makes everything thats good and bad and he doesn't want to pray to him because he feels like he'll be sacrificing his freedom. As I always state when I write this blog, don't take my opinion on a select few, get up off your ass after reading this, get the record and formulate your own thoughts.

Currently, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are in the middle of an epic tour that started at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on May 4th and will be ending at The Secret Garden Party in East Anglia, England on July 20th. Unfortunately for us fans in New England, these guys have already passed through Boston and made their presence felt at The Orpheum on May 12th so we'll just have to wait till next time. If you by chance are in Europe while reading this, go on to EdwardSharpeandTheMagneticZeros.com and check out the tour dates to see if they'll be hitting up your neighborhood anytime soon. Until they rock your local music venue to utter oblivion, grab a copy of the new album from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Here. It's a fantastic album for anyone who appreciates amazing music with a honest edge. 

Credited for the whole Grunge movement in the early 1990's, Kurt Cobain's shotgun suicide came as a shock to many. However, Cobain himself had admitted to an overpowering heroin addiction. We all have faults, but how many morally active souls do you know with a heroin problem. Cobain was incredibly talented in his music abilities, but not nearly enough for sainthood. Yet upon his death, the nation mourned, with candlelight vigils in his hometown  and across the land. If you still disagree, remember who he married, that should be all the evidence about his character and persona that you need. 

Tupac Shakur, a gangster thug, born to Black Panther parents in the late 1970s. His music was filled with violent anti-everything lyrics. He was imprisoned a few times, then shot multiple, causing his premature death. Tupac blatantly called out his biggest rival, boasting lyrics that claim he slept with his wife in one of his songs. A man, who's priorities included and were limited to money, hoes & clothes is hardly fit to be a  saint .

Entertaining?

Yes. Much like the other artists in this piece ,there is a reason why he was so popular. Saint or Martyr he was not. Time to put him and all the others to rest. However, just the opposite is transpiring. Tupac is the first in certainly a soon to be a long list of artist who are now being presented in hologram form. Concert goers can once again witness the gangster rap star rhyming on stage as if it was 1995.

Michael Jackson is, in my opinion the most obvious case of this ridiculous "death worshiping  phenomenon." MJ is the only man on the planet who could repeatedly walk away from multiple allegations of child molestation unscathed. I know, I know... go ahead and say it: "he was never convicted," but neither was OJ. For an innocent man he sure did spend plenty of money making these issues disappear. The man lived in an amusement park, with a monkey. Do I really need to continue explaining? I shouldn't. After "Wacko Jacko" died the world seemingly stopped. All of the talking heads, and everything on the web, texts, and in print was focussed on his death. In fact, Jackson 's estate continued to rake in profits long after his body was cold with his "This Is It" DVD. If his name was Bernard Smith and was a plumber from Sheboygan, he would be uncomfortably residing in a state penitentiary. Not immortalized in the hearts of ignorant housewives. 

People are prone to mistakes. Prone to becoming shitheads. Popularity is not the holy water used to absolve one's shortcomings. When cousin Eddy or Grandma Jones pass, we convene around the burial plot to discuss. Arguments over property, wealth or debt are common. Memories of the time the dearly departed upset life reign strong. Nevertheless, Donna Summer dies and her fans are in a frenzy to immortalize her soul.





- Pal

You might know him as the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of pioneering alt-country rockers The Old 97's or even the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of that band that was featured in one of the worst movies ever made, The Break Up. Believe it or not, Rhett Miller has had a solid solo career that has flown (no pun intended to my radio show that airs live Tuesdays at 7pm on 990WBOB, you can also catch replays of it on Indie Bob every night at 10pm) under the radar since his first record, Mythologies, back when he was a wee teenager in 1989. His brand new 5th studio album, The Dreamer, could very well be his best one yet.

Miller recorded the album with his current touring band, The Serial Lady Killers along with fellow musicians Rosanne Cash (music legend Johnny Cash's daughter) and Rachael Yamagata serving as backing and supporting vocalists on several tracks. The Dreamer is also Miller's first time producing an album by himself without the assistance of anyone else, but the quality of the album is pristine. A smooth and timeless sound exudes from every track, showing that it, of course, isn't Miller's first rodeo when it comes to producing and mixing tracks together to create a musical masterpiece. It shows a great merging of the country and Americana rock styles from his work with The Old 97's and the rock/pop styles from his past solo efforts, creating a versatile and rootsy record that promises to sooth the soul.






- Rob Duguay

"Out of Love" is the single off of the record that has Miller singing about being broken-hearted, self-destructive and how  "I'm only happy when I'm singing a sad, sad song". "As Close As I Came To Being Right" features Cash's robust voice going along with Miller's melodies about how your impression of someone can change in an instant, and not always for the better. "The Summer Lie" is a great song that anyone who has ever fallen in love when the weather gets hot can relate to, resonating rustic, electric guitar chords and mellow rhythms that are simply invigorating. "Marina" is a classic bare bones love song with Miller spilling his heart out about a girl that's far away while rocking his acoustic guitar to oblivion. "Complicated Man" is a ballad that has Miller singing about how nobody is truly simple, perfect and without any baggage, you carry whatever you take from the past and how that can make you feel even more alone in this world. With most of the songs being about heartbreak, loneliness, and how things don't always go the way you expect, it's safe to say that if you are going through a tough time, this is the record to listen to. As I always say in this blog, don't always take my opinion on a select few, grab a copy of the album when it comes out and listen in for yourself.

Next month, Rhett Miller & The Serial Lady Killers will be embarking on a little 15-date tour of The United States starting with a solo performance from Miller at Waterloo Records & Video in Austin, TX on June 1st and ending at The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, WA on June 22nd. For us live music fans in the New England area, Miller & The Serial Lady Killers will be the Brighton Music Hall in Boston on June 9th, so definitely grab your tickets because they're going fast. Now I got some bad news, since I'm an "esteemed" member of the media I already have an advanced copy of the record and you'll have to wait until June 5th when it is officially on record store shelves and internet music download websites worldwide. When that fateful date comes, grab a copy of Rhett Miller's The Dreamer, a great album for anyone with great musical taste.