Dire Straits perform in Drammenshallen, Norway on Oct.. 22, 1985. Photo: Helge Øverås/Wikicommons. There’s still a war going on, and the plague is ongoing, and it’s 70 degrees out which means it’s gonna be like 115 during the summer. That means I don’t want to talk about current events.…

The flag of Ukraine. I’m gonna go out on a limb with a controversial opinion: War is bad. Russia has launched what seems like a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bombing cities across the country. It’s always risky to trust images and videos from social media in a crisis, but…

CANNONS, courtesy Ryan Rundle. SAN FRANCISCO — Los Angeles indie pop band Cannons is ready to get back out on the road in March, touring ahead of its upcoming album, Fever Dream. But it’s not the band’s first time on the road with the new material. CANNONS Madi Sipes &…

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of Team United States compete in the Ice Dancing Free Dance at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China on Feb. 14, 2022. Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images. I’m going to go ahead and assume that you didn’t watch…

Whitesnake performs at Reading Rock Festival in England in 1980. Photo: Andrew King/Wikicommons. Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday so it’s that time again. Time and time and time again I’ve written cynical, bitter columns about how stupid Valentine’s Day is and how much I hate it. I write an…

Elephant Stone, courtesy. This week we bring the past into the present with Elephant Stone and Niagara Moon taking on the ’60s, NHC and SCALPING bringing back the ’90s, Saxon teaching the ’20s how the ’70s rocked, and Mallrat showing them all how the current day does it. Elephant…

Dolly Parton performs at the UK Country Music Festival in an undated photo. Andrew Putler/Redferns. Our illustrious editor Roman Gokhman pointed out to me this week that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees. I of course didn’t know this, because Halls of Fame are kind…

Elton John, courtesy Gregg Kemp. My mom, knowing me as well as she does, was surprised to learn that I like Elton John’s recent song with Dua Lipa because it’s new and I, as a general rule, do not like new music. Ironically, despite being my mom, she does…

Jan & Dean circa 1970. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Several times in the last few years I’ve mentioned American music’s most baffling subgenre: Dead teenager songs. There are plenty of baffling trends in music in this country. The late ’90s swing revival, for example. Remember that? What…

Johnny Cash poses for a portrait in Memphis in 1957. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. This Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, so it’s worth taking some time to remember the man and his legacy rather than just treating it like whatever President’s Day is supposed to…