Zub Records - Alert

Aug 15 2019

Mindhunter TV and Book Review

Mindhunter is one of my absolute favorite TV shows, right up there with Fleabag, Legion, Mr. Robot and The Crown. In a nutshell, the show begins in 1977 with two FBI agents setting up a behavioral science unit.…

Fishbone and George Clinton with the P-Funk All-Stars, Greensboto NC

This was a much-anticipated show. Adrienne and I had seen George Clinton and P-Funk at the Blind Tiger in Greensboro late last year, and it was an absolutely wonderful show. But the extra bonus tonight was FINALLY getting to see …Read more

Aug 4 2019

Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Blondie at The Anthem, Washington D.C.

Just to start off, I need to tell you about The Anthem. The venue, part of the same entertainment company as the 9:30 Club, opened last year and is right on The Wharf, just downstream from the Jefferson Memorial on …Read more

Jul 31 2019

July 2019 Roundup

Brian Heinbaugh lives in my neighborhood, and he is a lifetime Dad rocker. I even played in a band with him for a short while. He’s a guy that’s always played music, and he’s cool and can write a decent …Read more

Jul 25 2019

The Best Stuff: Buzzcocks Reissues

I have blogged at (tinyurl.com/zubrebuzz) and (tinyurl.com/zubrippete) about Buzzcocks, and Adrienne and I have podcasted at (tinyurl.com/spiralscratch) and (tinyurl.com/zublovespete). We named our podcast Singles Going Steady. I’ve covered this before, but Buzzcocks …Read more

Jul 21 2019

European Kings: The Stranglers Feline Limited Double LP

The Stranglers, from Guildford, in England, are a band that had a great impact on me. They were a bit older than the young ‘punk’ upstarts in England in 1977 and they already knew how to play. But age and …Read more

Jul 15 2019

FX's Legion: An Appreciation

I must confess: I am NOT a comic book geek. Back in the 80's, when naught but convenient stores were open for late night prowling, Steve and I did indulge in buying the occasional comic book out of boredom and …Read more

Jul 11 2019

Yesterday: The Movie

Imagine there’s no Beatles...see if you can. That is basically the conceit of Danny Boyle’s new film Yesterday. Boyle is an accomplished British film-maker, having such titles as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Slumdog Millionaire on …Read more

Jul 8 2019

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures 40th Anniversary

I bought Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures when it came out in 1979, from Horizon Records in Greenville, SC, back when they were above the Manor. I want to try to talk about why I love Joy Division so much, and …Read more

Jun 30 2019

Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Purse EP

In April, for Record Store Day, Elvis Costello and The Imposters (Steve Nieve - keyboards, Davey Farager - bass, and Pete Thomas - drums) released the four song EP Purse (“where the secrets are kept”). These are the last tracks …Read more

Jun 24 2019

Still Standing There: Steve Earle & The Dukes at Carolina Theatre Durham 6/19/19

Steve Earle has an X factor that I can’t explain, but that continually pulls me to him. It first caught me in the early years of the last decade when, on faith, I went to see him and an earlier…

The Specials live at The Fillmore, Silver Spring MD

So this was it. The culmination of a 40th anniversary (for The Specials) and forty years of me wanting to see the band. This is one of the longest trips Adrienne and I have taken to see a band, and …Read more

Jun 12 2019

Don Dixon and Secret Monkey Weekend at Imbibe, Chapel Hill NC

This was not a typical show for Don Dixon, the North Carolina rock legend, voice of Arrogance, and fine solo artist. Seated on stools coffeehouse style, were Don, guitar in hand, alongside novelist John Bare, who read from his book …Read more

Jun 4 2019

The Figgs live at The Cave, Chapel Hill NC and Heyday Guitars, Winston-Salem NC

(The Figgs at The Cave)

I was going to start this particular review by discussing how the Figgs should be playing much bigger venues, should be getting bigger crowds, etc. etc. But after seeing this astoundingly good band two nights …Read more

May 28 2019

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets - Love Starvation EP

I recently read an article that said Nick Lowe was in the ‘third act’ of his career. This EP, three original songs and a somewhat obscure cover, along with last year’s 4-track Tokyo Bay EP (www.tinyurl.com/tokyolowe), …Read more

May 17 2019

Moogfest Moments 2019 Part 2 or Clem Burke is not a Metronome

Part of the Moogfest manifesto is the celebration of inventiveness and ingenuity in electronic instruments. Thursday’s programming in the big hall of CTD celebrated a blending the earliest mechanized playback--the piano roll--and later innovation--the Moog-Buchla PianoBar in what Money Mark …Read more

May 13 2019

Tyler Ramsey Live at the Bohemian Cafe, Greenville SC

(Track used with express permission of Tyler Ramsey)

Asheville’s Tyler Ramsey is a local treasure. This was his third visit to The Bohemian, and not only is he an amazing, evocative guitarist and singer/songwriter, but he is also one of …Read more

May 2 2019

Babylon: The Movie

It's great to see a movie that fills in lots of holes in your musical knowledge. Babylon is a very British film from 1980 that was co-written by Martin Stellman, who wrote Quadrophenia, and directed by Italian-born Franco Rosso. …Read more

Apr 30 2019

Moments from Moogfest 2019: Part One

So this was my 4th year at the (now) Durham-based festival that bills itself as celebrating “Future Sound/Future Thought.” Each year the festival seems to suffer some whispered rumors about major management, planning, and booking upheavals, and reported glitches, whispers…

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