Since his 1997 debut album “May Day”, Matthew Ryan has been producing one gem after another, while flying just under the radar. Critics and fellow musicians love him, as does the devoted fan base lucky enough to be aware of one of our finest songwriters. From major label releases to self released albums to indie labels, he has seen all sides of the music business and continues to produce stellar full lengths. Just when you think he can’t top himself, […]
pop culture
The Viewfinder: Kele Okereke’s “What Did I Do?”
Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke is back with a new solo EP available at the end of October. Entitled The Hunter (Cue Mastodon mix-up’s now), it’ll feature 7 all new tracks including a cover of “Goodbye Horses” (The “Buffalo Bill” song in The Silence of the Lambs) by Q Lazzarus along with the first single, “What Did I Do?” featuring vocalist Lucy Taylor on lead vocals. I am definitely a fan of Bloc Party’s and Kele’s electronic direction. I loved Intimacy, and though uneven […]
Now Presenting…Your 2012 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees
Always a subject of intense discussion, the list of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees is almost more of a sore spot than the actual inductees end up being. I guess us music freaks are resigned to the fact that the eventual inductees will end up containing more than a couple of head-scratchers. I also think that many of us music fans have officially concluded that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is essentially Jann Wenner’s personal clubhouse […]
R.I.P. R.E.M.: A Fan Remembers
I’m sitting here very bitter, sad & frustrated as I try to bang out this REM obit. Bitter about the idiots who took the time to post on Facebook how happy they were that REM had called it a day, sad because I’ll never see them in concert again, frustrated because I really didn’t care for them for the most part for the past 10 years, and now they’re gone. I always explained my love affair with REM this way: […]
Popblerd Live Blogs the 2011 Prime Time Emmy Awards!
This started out as a test. Using a new chat client, pulling a couple of people together at the 11th hour, not totally sure if I (Blerd) was even gonna be able to watch the show…this particular live blog had the capacity for disaster. As it turned out, it worked pretty good. I was joined by Drew and Cristobal Tracy for a fun chat where we discussed the overwhelming amount of love shown the Brits at the Emmys, a bang-up […]
New Release Report 9/6/11: Strait To The Top
Country Music / music / New Release Report / New Releases / pop culture / Pop Music / Release Dates / rock music
I know I’ve mentioned my frustration with labels who release several superstar albums in the same week before, but I believe my point is valid enough to bear repeating. Last week, new albums by Lil Wayne and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were both released. The Chili Peppers’ label had to know that an album by that band had the capability to do really well in it’s first week, but that there was no way that it was going to […]
Comics Are Cool: Episode 1
I probably should’ve started this thing with the whole Spider-Man’s a black kid media whirlwind but we’ll hit that story when Ultimate Spider-Man #1 comes out in October. Plus, Marvel gets press all the time. They put their big stories in USA Today the day before fans can get a hold of the actual comics. It bites. But enough about them. What have they done this huge lately? Anyway, you may or may not have heard about this thing that DC is doing called […]
Aging Hip Replacement #11: The One About The VMAs
I decided that I was going to write about something light this week. I’ve gotten a little flak from friends and family who have said my last few columns were a little too dark, a little too heady all in a row. Of course, I’m writing about my feelings of being flung towards middle age and beyond, not the happiest of experiences in my book. I wasn’t sure where I was going, started a few ideas (which all seemed to […]
Blerd Radio Episode 9: Holy Crap! The Summer’s Over
And here’s the latest podcast from the lovable Mike and Jesse in which we discuss….what did we discuss again? There was a lot of Sesion Dark Lager consumed. Oh yeah! We talked (Ok, Mrs. Jesse talked about) about the UK’s Special Needs invading NYC on Labor Day as well as 8.24 new releases, a preview of the upcoming RHCP album, and some more debating on the always infuriating Big Box exclusives argument (We’re looking at you, Hov). We also gave […]
Blerd Appreciation: Remembering Aaliyah-10 Years Later
The day was Sunday, August 26th, 2001. Me and the person I was dating at the time were returning from a trip to the Cape. It was my first visit to the state that, in a few years, would become my home. We were fairly near New York, because I remember that we’d switched the radio dial to Z-100, NYC’s Top 40 station. They were playing “Back & Forth” or “One In A Million” or one of those Aaliyah songs […]
