Counterbalance 18: Bruce Springsteen – ‘Born to Run’
The rock 'n' roll crossfire of Counterbalance returns with a look at Bruce Springsteen’s 1975 epic Born to Run. Strap your hands ’cross their engines!
heartland rock
Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad’ Calls Out to Us
Bruce Springsteen's 1995 album, The Ghost of Tom Joad, inherited and built upon some powerful 20th century American literary, political, and pop culture themes. Can we hear its haunting call in these times?
With Musical Range and Noisemaking, Bruce Hornsby Takes San Francisco
The uncle of melodious heartland rock, Bruce Hornsby gets his cues from San Francisco fans at a sold-out gig at the venerable Palace of Fine Arts.
Moody Little Sister Travel to “711 Lucky Street” (premiere)
Combining the sounds of prairie country and heartland rock, Moody Little Sister tease their upcoming album with "711 Lucky Street".
The Hold Steady Return to Form on ‘Thrashing Thru the Passion’
The classic rock-inspired Hold Steady sound revitalized on their latest, Thrashing Thru the Passion, with keyboardist Franz Nicolay back and a horn section in tow.
Mark Mulcahy’s ‘The Gus’ Is an Elusive and Mysterious Delight
Taking inspiration from the short fiction of George Saunders and featuring guest appearances from Rain Phoenix and J. Mascis, Mark Mulcahy condenses ten brilliant and baffling short stories into barely a half hour of music.
“Jack and Diane”: A Little Ditty about Gen X
John Cougar Mellencamp’s “Jack and Diane” provided the soundtrack to GenXers growing up in nowhere towns that were expected to adapt to a world that pretty much dismissed them.
Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Western Stars’ Grows More Satisfying with Repeated Exposure
Deeply moving, inventive and even a bit risky, Western Stars will take its place among Bruce Springsteen's solo gems.
Nils Lofgren Celebrates Love, Loss, Friendship Via ‘Blue With Lou’
Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young collaborator, Nils Lofgren's Blue With Lou is a career high that frequently recalls his early work with Grin, while rising to new, majestic heights.
On Warren Zevon, the “Kurt Vonnegut of Rock Music”
Author C. M. Kushins talks with PopMatters about the complicated legacy of Warren Zevon, from crack-up to recovery and back again, and his research for Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon.
With ‘Ain’t No Storm’, Tony Lucca Brings Nashville Influence to His Sound (album stream) (premiere)
Singer-songwriter Tony Lucca's first full-length album following a "self-imposed time-out" offers a refreshing look outward as he expands his musical boundaries.
Dan Hubbard’s “Run Towards the River” Represents a New Beginning (premiere)
Having written the song after a difficult discussion with his wife about living with abuse, Dan Hubbard's latest single is "a really earnest conversation about getting out".