Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#948 in the Series) is Billy Joe Shaver, Long in the Tooth On the Mount Rushmore of 70’s Highwayman Icons, a zip code that includes Willie Nelson,Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristoffersons, Billy Joe Shaver could very well be considered the fifth Beatle, the under the radar cowboy that jump-started the movement with Honky Tonk Heroes in 1973, and in the process put the outlaw in Outlaw Country, reshaped the image of Waylon Jennings, changed the landscape of Country music forever, and just might have laid the foundation for Roots Rock and the Americana movement that is in full force today. Having already used up most of his nine lives, he...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#947 in the series) is Tom Petty,  Hypnotic Eye Every couple of years, starting in 1976, Tom Petty demands our attention. With his debut, self-titled release, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, a game-changing blend of straight ahead Rock, Ramones style Punk, and Byrds harmonies, a new contender for the title of future King of American Rock and Roll was Born. Stretching their influences instead of imitating them, this was about as strong a coming out party as you could possibly find, and “American Girl,” the first actual full-length song that Petty ever wrote, created the blue print for the straight ahead sound, and the lyrical purity that has served them well over...

Today’s Cool Album the Day (#945 in the Series) is Al Kooper, Stephen Stills, Mike Bloomfied, Super Session. Blues, Blues, Blues. Blues at its best. This album was a project put together by Al Kooper. Al had just left Blood, Sweat and Tears. It was 1968. He recruited Mike Bloomfield to play guitar for this project.  They had known each other since playing together on Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 revisited.  He also had Stephen Sills in on the project. Still was in the process of leaving The Buffalo Springfield at the time. Al Kooper played the VERY well-known keyboard part in ‘Like a Rolling Stone.’ In fact, he got the gig mostly by accident.  He was invited to the...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#944 in the Series) is Tribute To Steve Goodman. 30years. It’s hard for me to believe that Steve Goodman has been gone for almost 30 years. It’s seems like yesterday that I was seeing him at Harry Hopes or Braden Auditorium in Bloomington, Illinois. Steve passed away in September of 1984.  Shortly after his passing, many of his friends gathered at the Arie Crown Theater in Chicago.  They told stories, played some of his music and some of theirs as well. I was lucky enough to be there. For those who weren’t, we’re treated to this recording. One of Steve’s closest friends was John Prine. We get lots of John here!  He opens...

  Recently Phoenix’ Crescent Ballroom played host to three talented acts that I had initially not heard of: The Chain Gang of 1974, Zak Waters and Empires. The impetus for thinking I had to catch this show was from coming across it in a Twitter feed and reading an interview with Kamtin Mohager (The Chain Gang of 1974).  Mohager disclosed that he was first moved to create music after he heard Tears for Fears’ classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” on the Real Genius soundtrack. Since I am a huge fan of Songs from the Big Chair (Real Genius not so much, other than Deborah Foreman) having written about it for this site, I decided that anyone so moved by Tears for Fears was a must see....

(From the LA Times.Photo by Friedman. Report by Randy Lewis) In the truth is stranger than fiction department, Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes Griffith Park, told Pop & Hiss over the weekend that the pine tree planted in 2004 near Griffith Observatory in memory of George Harrison will be replanted shortly because the original tree died as the result of an insect infestation. Yes, the George Harrison Tree was killed by beetles. Except for the loss of tree life, Harrison likely would have been amused at the irony. He once said his biggest break in life was getting into the Beatles; his second biggest was getting out. The sapling went in, unobtrusively, near the observatory with...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#943 in the Series) is Angel City, Face to Face. When locating the epicenters of rock and roll, music fans instinctively fixate on New York, California, London, and (maybe) Manchester, England. Very few look down under to Australia. How could people overlook the home of AC/DC, Midnight Oil, The Saints, Triffids, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Hoodoo Gurus, The Church, and Birthday Party? For a nation of less that 23 million people, this is quite an impressive output of quality bands. For me, though, Angel City, also known as the Angels, ranks with any band from any place. Formed in 1974 in Adelaide, Angel City is a no frills kick you in...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#942 in the Series) is Rival Sons, Great Western Valkrie Great Western Valkyrie, the latest and certainly the greatest album from Los Angeles rockers Rival Sons just might be the best pure Rock record since Guns ‘n’ Roses scorched the Sunset Strip earth with Appetite for Destruction in 1984.  No need to adjust your ears, you heard correctly. This album is that damned good, and then some. The slow burn to album perfection started for Rival Sons in 2011 with the release of the consistent but not overly dramatic Pressure and Time, a record that did not quite reach the unwashed masses in large numbers, but did get the band on the...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#941 in the Series) is Les Dudek, Say No More Are you a guitar fan? Do you like great blues guitar? Do you like funky jazz guitar? I’m hoping you know who Les Dudek is. If not, you need to know about him, and quickly. Born in Rhode Island, and raised in Florida, Les made the rounds before ending up in California. Before he launched his solo career, he spent time playing with the likes of Boz Scaggs and Steve Miller. I recently learned an interesting story about the start of his solo career. In the early 70s he was living in the San Francisco area, well-known manager/producer “Herbie” Herbert was putting...

  In the words of great, noted philosopher, Joe Biden, “This was a big f-ing deal!” It was opening night of the North American tour of, arguably, one of the greatest rock groups of all time, now fronted by a singer young enough to be the grandson of its founding members. No pressure, right? Arriving early at Chicago’s United Center, we were dumbfounded to see a single line around the block. We overheard a guard mention an “issue,” but never heard any more. All the while, storm clouds were rolling in. An ominous start, perhaps? Maybe it was just me, but I felt a strong sense of electricity and anticipation, if not anxiousness, in the air. I hadn’t seen...