The College Crowd Digs Me

Five Favorite Vinyl Community YouTube Channels Vinyl collecting is fun. Whether trying to flip through a couple of tightly packed boxes dropped off at a local Goodwill.  Or digging through a record stash hidden under a garage sale table...almost always with the name Laurie written on each one.  It's all good, 'cause sometimes you get lucky and find a few to take home.   The only thing that could make this addictive hobby any better...(aside from dropping the shipping charges on all online purchases)...is to meet some friends who share the same passion.   Well, the Vinyl Community Channel on YouTube has plenty of lovers of the record hunt.  Ordinary people displaying their recent finds and talking a bit about them.  They show the entire album.  Not just the front, but the back cover, as well.  And, if the album is a gatefold, the inside...which is almost never seen unless you're lucky enough to own it.   If you love albums or...

"I love the dead before they're cold." ~ Alice Cooper ~ The film "Carnival of Souls" doesn't want to take viewers on a non-stop death trip...rather it tries to slip a few tabs of Oxy into the beverage for a much...slower...ride. Quietly creeping on little dead feet. And in 1962, director Herk Harvey , along with a small cast of part-time dreamers with cash flow resembling an after-school special ...somehow pulled it off. And Larry Sneegas , actor and production manager for the film, played no small part in making sure Herk's vision succeeded.  Bearing a delightful resemblance to "...Vacation's" Cousin Eddie... Larry Sneegas was the "go-to" guy when things needed to be done. 53 years later, "Carnival Of Souls" is still reveling in cult status...being enjoyed by both critics and film-lovers alike. Larry Sneegas Interview - October 2015 "Carnival Of Souls"  (The Criterion Collection) Casey Chamb...

"...now we know just what the journey's for." ~ Zebra ~ If I were to put together a list of just a few of the most underrated bands (to emerge out of the eighties) that I've had the pleasure of cranking through my stereo speakers or melting my headphones...the oft-forgotten Long Island trio... Zebra ...would definitely be on it. Their self-titled debut was one of the fastest selling albums in Atlantic Record's history. And their studio albums, four at the present, have all received high praise.  Yet more often than not, while sitting in a pass-around circle discussing merits of really good bands,...Zebra seems to get low-balled. Never an easy band to quite pin down.   Zebra was heavy rock, for sure.  Soft metal-prog, perhaps.  Occasional flashes of Zep and glimmers of Rush can be heard, but comparisons are never fair.  Toss your label tags in the bag, they'll only get in your way.   Zebra were smart, fresh, and consistently on their game. ...

"The second time around is never the same." ~ Eric Bell ~ Directly responsible for the rise and popularity of Thin Lizzy , not to mention coining the name for the band, guitarist Eric Bell will forever be remembered. From his joyous barn-raising guitar crankage on  "The Rocker" ...to his definitive gentle and anthemic bar-bellowing "Whiskey In The Jar" ...the "vagabond rocker" who provided the guitar fuel was loved and admired by fans and peers alike. But after Thin Lizzy's fantastic 3rd album  "Vagabonds Of The Western World"  (1973)... Eric , who was struggling with personal demons I won't rehash, simply walked away. For the longest time I had simply lost track of Eric Bell , until stumbling upon a wonderful little gem... "Lonely Nights In London" that he had recorded in 2010.  Always a big fan, I was really fortunate to catch up with Eric and talk about the music. ERIC BELL INTERVIEW  -  JULY 2015...

"How country do you want this?"   ~ Byron Berline ~ So you pick up an instrument and there's just no telling where it might lead.  The sound of the fiddle can quickly fill your chest with joy from a thousand endless summers...and just as quickly break your heart with tears from a thousand goodbyes.  All from a single draw on the bow. Byron Berline is a homespun memory-sparker.  Sure, he can "Orange Blossom" the bejeezus out of your ears all day long.  That's a bluegrass given.  And if you want, he can saw off an elbow-bending solo that demands you either hang on or fall off.  He does it.  But even better are the beautiful fills Byron lends to a song...adding just the necessary shine without changing the intent.  Sounds easy...but it ain't.  From Bill Monroe to The Rolling Stones ... Byron Berline has padded his resume quite nicely.  He's a solid definition of a cool fiddler breeze.  And he has led a pretty extraordi...