What A Feeling!
By Ray McDonald There was no shortage of pop-rock topics to blog about this week: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame held its 2013 Induction Ceremony on April 18. The Canadian rock band Rush finally made...
View ArticleStart Them Up!
By Ray McDonald Let’s play a game, shall we? Let’s assume that the Rolling Stones’ 50th anniversary tour, which starts on May 3 in Los Angeles, will be their final outing. It could very well be: the...
View ArticleFarewell, Wichita Lineman
By Ray McDonald We know we’re going to die. The circumstances usually remain a mystery – and mercifully so, don’t you think? However, when we can see the end approaching, how do we face it? For Glen...
View ArticleActing Like Musicians
By Ray McDonald Hugh Laurie is one heck of an actor. Famed for his roles in the British TV series “Blackadder” and “Jeeves and Wooster,” he burst onto United States TV screens in 2004 as irascible M.D....
View ArticleA Lucky Star, Still Burning Brightly
By Ray McDonald Last week, I noticed that Huey Lewis and the News were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their album “Sports.” This got me thinking of all the other musical milestones from the...
View ArticleWithin Them Without Them
By Ray McDonald The Beatles released “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” on June 1, 1967 in the United Kingdom. It hit the United States the following day. I was seven years old that summer,...
View ArticleFiguring Out Kanye West
By Ray McDonald Kanye Omari West: who is he? Is he the challenging, creative rapper responsible for some of the best hip-hop releases of the past decade? Or is he a self-important irritant who, among...
View ArticleStormy Monday: Goodbye, Bobby “Blue” Bland
by Ray McDonald Robert Calvin “Bobby” Bland died on June 23 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 83. The Associated Press quoted his son as saying he died due to an ongoing illness. He was known as Bobby...
View ArticleN-I-R-V-A-N-A!
By Ray McDonald I want to tell you a little story. It’s about a band from Aberdeen, Washington called Nirvana. Active for only seven years, the trio released three studio albums. Kurt Cobain, Dave...
View ArticleYou Can Call Her Queen Bee
By Ray McDonald There’s something at once awe-inspiring and chilling about being present at the creation of a new star. Once upon a time, music fans relied on magazines, radio, records, and possibly...
View Article
