Zub Records - Alert

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…

Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets at The Orange Peel, Asheville NC

I Love The Sound Of Wrestling Masks It had been less than a year since I saw Nick and the Straitjackets at the much smaller Grey Eagle in Asheville. It was a great show and I was 20 feet away …Read more

Apr 26 2019

Peter Holsapple Combo Live at The Station, Carrboro NC

This was the fourth week of the Peter Holsapple Combo ‘residency’ at The Station; meaning that they were playing every Tuesday night in April, and featuring a special guest every week. I’ve seen the Combo about four times in the …Read more

Apr 3 2019

Secret Monkey Weekend At Magnolia Music Cafe,Wake Forest NC

Imagine a band, a family band, where the singer and guitarist is the dad, and the bassist/backup singer is his 16 year old daughter, and the drummer/ other lead singer is his 11 and a half year old daughter. This …Read more

Mar 28 2019

Whitey Morgan and The 78’s at The Blind Tiger, Greensboro NC

It’s always good to step into someone else’s scene. Whitey Morgan is an artist I wasn’t aware of until a few months ago. He is a real-deal honky-tonk king, carefully following in the footsteps of Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard, …Read more

Mar 23 2019

Adrian Belew Live at The Lincoln Theater, Raleigh NC

Adrian Belew Live at the Lincoln Theater, Raleigh NC 3/15/19 This is the third time I’ve seen Adrian Belew and his band in the past two years or so, and I think I’ve finally realized why I love him so …Read more

Mar 19 2019

Teenage Fanclub Live at Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC

Merge Records kicked off their 30th Anniversary celebration season with a special gift for the faithful: a rare visit from Scotland’s power pop paragons, Teenage Fanclub. The beautiful riverside setting had to struggle to keep up with the loveliness the …Read more

Mar 6 2019

ZUB ALERT