Ken Kurson

Friday, February 22, 2019

Singing Sopranos

July 31, 2018January 11, 2019 Ken Kurson 1 Comment "Nobody Loves Me But You, A3, Andrea Bocelli, Blue Djinn., David Chase, Defiler, Dori Hartley, Frank Sinatra, Greg Wattenberg, Joe Bosso, Kathy Dayak, Local H., Martin Bruestle, Massive Genius, Nick Fowler, RL Burnside, The Sopranos, Visiting Day, Woke Up This Morning

The music of television’s best show

Rock

International Pop Overthrow 2018 Strums Into the Caverns of Liverpool

May 22, 2018July 17, 2018 Ken Kurson 2 Comments Carry On Tale, Cavern Club, Darling Boy, Dave Rave, Green, International Pop Overthrow, John Packel, Liverpool, Mark Frith, Mooney Suzuki, Paul Weller, Rob Clarke and The Wooltones, The Lilacs, The Mayflowers, The Ronains, The Stanleys, The Troubadours, Thee Wylde Fuzz Show

Premiere powerpop festival occupies holy site for a week

Hip Hop Rock

Seven Great 80s Songs (and their music videos)

May 3, 2018June 11, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Green, Indigo Girls, Jeff Lescher, Journey, NWA, Steve Perry, Straight Outta Compton, The Cars, The Replacements

A Facebook meme that didn’t bug the shit out of me

Rock

The Lilacs Help Lead an International Pop Overthrow in Chicago

April 24, 2018December 28, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Adele, Chicago, Devonns, Green Pajamas, Heartland Cafe, International Pop Overthrow festival, Material Issue, Moby Grape, Offspring, Phil Ajjarapu, Rainy Day Crush., Rose Cora Perry & The Truth Untold, The Lilacs, The Stick Arounds

The Lilacs play International Pop Overthrow festival at the Heartland Cafe in Chicago. April 21, 2018 (Photo by Kevin Sanders) The International Pop Overthrow festival landed in Chicago this past weekend as David Bash — the Bill Graham of powerpop — brought a few dozen bands together for four-chord harmony-laden guitar pop. The festival is in its 18th year and has conquered over a dozen cities

Soul

Visiting Jimmy Cliff’s Birthplace After Thirty Years of Adoring His Music

February 14, 2018June 12, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Bad Manners, Barrington Levy, Bob Marley, Eddy Grant, Jamaica, Jimmy Cliff, Junior Murvin, Kanye), Madness, Paul Simonon, Sister Nancy, ska, The Clash, The English Beat, The Equals, The Harder They Come, The Specials, Toots and the Maytals

Jimmy Cliff in France, 2012 (Wiki) There’s no way to write about visiting Jamaica on a cruise ship without coming off like Michael Scott wearing a braid after his trip to Sandals. Nevertheless, my insistence, dreaded by my children, on venturing into the actual real life of these magical places we are occasionally fortunate to visit, is the most rewarding part of our trips together. While our

Remembrance Rock

Remembering Pat DiNizio

December 13, 2017July 17, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Clem Burke, Duckman, Jason Alexander, Jim Ellison, Kathy Valentine, Material Issue, Mike Zelenko, Pat DiNizio, Pete Zeremba, Smithereens, Telecommando Americano, The Wild Bunch, Wayne Kramer

Smithereens singer was 62

Punk Remembrance

Remembering Grant Hart

September 14, 2017July 17, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Bob Mould, Grant Hart, Husker Du

Husker Du drummer and Nova Mob singer was 54

Rock

International Pop Festival Electrifies Liverpool’s Legendary Cavern Club

May 22, 2017July 5, 2018 Ken Kurson 1 Comment Ariana Grande, B-Side, Bill Ward, Cavern Club, David Bash, Freddie Mercury, International Pop Overthrow, Jim Ellison, Joe Shanahan, Josh Caterer, JR Jones, Liverpool, Material Issue, Queen, Sean Macreavy, Slyboots, Smoking Popes, The Dream Factory, The Fast Camels, The Lilacs

Ken Kurson plays The Cavern Club in Liverpool, UK, May 21, 2017 (Alma Evert)
Yesterday, I played a few of my songs for the crowd at the Cavern Club. Let me write that again because I still can’t believe it occurred. On Sunday, May 21, this 48-year-old fading modernist took the stage at the very place on Mathew Street in Liverpool where The Beatles

Rock

Steve Perry Sings a Song Called ‘Crushing Disappointment’; Fails to Join Journey on RnR HOF Stage

April 10, 2017June 26, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Alicia Keys, Arnel Pineda, Aynsley Dunbar, Chris Squire, Chuck Berry, Electric Light Orchestra, Gary West, Geddy Lee, Gregg Rolie, Indigo Girls, Jackson Browne, Joan Baez, Jon Anderson, Journey, Lenny Kravitz, Medallion, Neal Schon, Nile Rodgers, Patrick Monahan, Pearl Jam, Pharrel Williams, Rick Wakeman, Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, Ross Valory, Shooting Star, Steve Perry, Train, Tupac, Van Mclain, Yes

Steve Perry gave the night’s standout speech at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction. Then he crushed the crowd by failing to appear on stage with Journey during their performance. (Ken Kurson) On Friday, April 7, 2017, I did the wrong thing. I attended the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Electric Light Orchestra, Tupac, Pearl Jam and Yes have all earned

Rock

Chuck Berry, 1926–2017

March 19, 2017June 12, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Bill Janovitz, Chuck Berry, Coach n Commando, Coldplay, Green, Jeff Lescher, Michael J Fox

The Punk Meets The Godfather. Buffalo Tom guitarist Bill Janovitz meets Chuck Berry at the JFK Library in Boston, February 2012. The look on both their faces tells you pretty much everything you need to know about rock n roll. Sometime in 1987, Green’s leader Jeff Lescher decided the band would cover “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.” Chuck Berry had fallen out of favor somewhat around then—a collection

Rock

Great Songwriter and Just Plain Great Writer Jim Vallance

January 11, 2017February 12, 2019 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Aerosmith, Berry Gordy, Bob Moses, Bryan Adams, Funk Brothers, Glass Tiger, Hrishikesh Hirway, Jim Vallance, Mutt Lange, Prism, Robert White, Smokey Robinson, The Cars, The Romantics

Master craftsman Jim Vallance. (Kaitlyn Flannagan) We have entered a political season in which just about everything seems to divide us from one another. Friends, here is a photo that depicts something upon which EVERYONE can agree. And that something is that Summer of ’69 is one of the greatest songs ever. And this guy’s the one who wrote it! Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Jim Vallance!

Rock Soul

Melissa Etheridge Takes on Holy Songs at a Holy Place

October 24, 2016June 25, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Apollo, Bettye Crutcher, Mavis Staples, Melissa Etheridge, Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Stax

Melissa Etheridge brought her tour to the Apollo in support of new record ‘Memphis Rock and Soul’ on October 23, 2016. (Ken Kurson) In late 2010, researchers from McGill University proved what everyone who ever heard Otis Redding sing “These Arms of Mine” already knew: a perfect song doesn’t just elevate the spirit, it actually triggers the release of about 9% more dopamine in the

Rock

Jim Peterik, founder of Survivor and Ides of March, reconsiders his catalog

August 24, 2016June 12, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments .38 Special, Cliff Johnson, Frankie Sullivan, Ides of March, Jim Peterik, Off Broadway, Survivor

If You Write ‘Eye of the Tiger,’ You Owe the World Nothing

Punk

Jon Fine Interviews Ira Kaplan on a Brooklyn Stage Regarding ‘Your Band Sucks’

June 21, 2016June 12, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Electric Banana, Ira Kaplan, Jon Fine, The Cynics, Yo La Tengo

Ira Kaplan (l) and Jon Fine discuss the realities of indie band economics at St. Vitus in Brooklyn, June 20, 2016. (Ken Kurson) Jon Fine wrote a terrific book called Your Band Sucks of almost eerie relevance to a certain suburban rocker misfit guy who came of age in the late 80s. Jon is my friend through media stuff rather than rock because our bands and

Uncategorized

Carlos PenaVega Is a Rock, a Fortress and a Deliverer

May 24, 2016June 12, 2018 Ken Kurson 0 Comments Big Time Rush, Carlos PenaVega, Dancing With the Stars

Hunky actor talks boy bands, Bible, Grease, and being robbed by Dancing With the Stars

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