• Concert Review: Slint at the Bowery Ballroom [May 4, 2014]

    Nobody checked my ticket last night at the Bowery Ballroom. I held mine out at the front entrance, but the people there were just checking IDs and giving out 21+ wristbands. At the entrance to the bar, where the tickets were actually being scanned, I simply walked right in without anyone seeing me or telling me what to do. So even though I had a ticket, I could have easily snuck into the Bowery Ballroom last night to see Slint.

  • REVIEW: Usher new single 'Good Kisser' not quite a sloppy mess but it's no sensual R&B jam either [LISTEN]

    Usher's last album, 2012's Looking 4 Myself, found the music industry veteran mixing his signature brand of R&B with electronic house music, EDM and a more generalized version of pop. While the album received generally favorable reviews from critics, fans largely rejected the album and it sold a mere 128,000 copies in its first week. Today (May 5), Usher released the first new single from his upcoming eighth studio album "Good Kisser," and possibly in a response to the so-so performance of his last record, he's returning to some good ol' R&B roots.

  • Concert Review: Cat Circus in Bloomfield, NJ, 5/2/14

    Like a great number of "venues" in New Jersey, the Cat Circus is just the basement of a house rented out by college students, but it's definitely the cleanest, most organized college house I've ever set foot in. The original bill for this show/birthday party/vegan BBQ consisted of eight acts, which is three or four more than is usually recommended for a house show, but two of the acts ended up not playing, which I'm sure the neighbors were quite thankful for.

  • JJ Heller's "I Dream Of You" Awakens the Child in You

    JJ Heller's newest project, "I Dream of You," a companion to her and hubby David's children's book, "The Golden Feather" is low-key and soft, but don't think that means it's fluff. Quite the contrary, "I Dream of You" is as powerful as it is beautiful.

  • Concert Review: The Meatlocker in Montclair, New Jersey

    Shows at the Meatlocker in Montclair, NJ sit somewhere in between basement shows and legitimate venue shows. Technically it’s the basement to an apartment building, but I’m pretty sure nobody who lives in the apartment actually goes down into that cold, filthy space. Anyone can rent out the space for the night and put on a show, and while big acts such as Ted Leo, Wavves, and Screaming Females have played there, most nights it’s just a bunch of small, scrappy punk bands playing for a couple of people, like the show I went to last night.

  • 'American Idol' Season 13 recap: Jessica Meuse and C.J. Harris refuse to come alive for top 6 rock and country night [VIDEOS]

    American Idol got a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll and a little bit of Grumpy Cat last night for its top six performances. For the first time, each of the remaining contestants performed two songs a piece. The first half of the show? Marked by rock songs of all sorts, from Neon Trees to Heart. The second half was all country with two tracks by Idol alumna Carrie Underwood and a few comfy classics.

  • Junk Mail: E-mailing about Future's new album 'Honest'

    Music Times writers share an office area of roughly 45 sq. ft, which makes having face-to-face conversations totally impossible. Junk Mail is these millenials' attempt to discuss and review the week's hottest album releases... without needing to look at each other.

  • 'American Idol' Season 13 recap: top 7 choice songs predictable as Jena Irene, Alex Preston break out [WATCH]

    After two weeks in the top eight, American Idol is finally down to seven contestants this week and decided to let the remaining singers show their real stuff (yet again) with their own choice of song. Thus, the picks were pretty predictable and everyone performed thusly. It's pretty well established who the stars are on this season of Idol -- Jena Irene, Alex Preston and Caleb Johnson, and those three had the strongest showings. The mediocre singers were mediocre and the boring guys were boring.

  • Concert Review: Cloud Nothings at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 4/13/14

    What sets Music Hall of Williamsburg apart from all of the other major venues I’ve been to is the absence of a barricade between the audience and the stage. For the first time in my life, I was able to stand right next to the stage and rest my arms and my beer on it. I chose to hang around stage left, and it turned out to be the best spot in the house for taking photos of the bands.
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