Email Author Matt Weitz

1997 Stories by Matt Weitz

• Out Here

  published December 25, 1997

  Q and the Black Martin Q and the Black Martin Moondog Records Challenging and confounding the listener is a dangerous path: You... More >>

• Out There

  published December 25, 1997

  Finally in front Transplanting Elaine Summers Loosegroove Records Pete Droge and his band the Sinners offered up one of the... More >>

• Roadshows

  published December 25, 1997

  The original Motor City Madman Mitch Ryder--one of the best, if not the authentic, white-boy soul belter and architect of the high-energy... More >>

• Gathering steam

  published December 25, 1997

  Brian Houser has quite a view from his workplace; his job as a carpenter, responsible for maintaining the aptly named Texas Giant roller coaster... More >>

• Close to the bone

  published December 18, 1997

  The chorus is delivered with a sing-songy cadence that sounds almost like a nursery rhyme; the voice, accompanied by mandolin and acoustic guitar,... More >>

• Yuletide resuscitation

  published December 18, 1997

  Christmas is a time for gentle reflection on good times past--and perhaps even the wiping away of a nostalgic tear, so the cover of Honkey-Tonk... More >>

• Roadshows

  published December 11, 1997

  Let us now praise local bands It's been a veritable roller coaster of a year for the Old 97's: big-name attention, major-label foofaraw, and... More >>

• Blues plate special

  published December 11, 1997

  "Catfish and the blues were born together," declares L.R. "T.C." Deere, owner of the five-location Top Cat seafood restaurant chain. A bit... More >>

• Girl in the spotlight

  published December 4, 1997

  Imagine Rod Serling walking out of the soundstage and into the pool of light cast by a single spotlight. "Submitted for your approval," he says in... More >>

• Deck the malls

  published December 4, 1997

  It's been looking a lot like Christmas here in the office since about July, when the first "seasonal" albums began arriving, presaging a time when... More >>

• Interesting intersection

  published November 27, 1997

  There is restlessness about Keli Vaughan. It shows up in the way she uses her hands to accent her conversation, and it's scattered through her... More >>

• Too cool for us

  published November 27, 1997

  Spin magazine's just-released Underground USA (Vintage, $14) is subtitled "An insider's guide to live music, cheap eats, dive bars, thrift stores,... More >>

• Out Here

  published November 27, 1997

  Hank's back Hank Thompson and Friends Hank Thompson Curb Records It took over 30 years, but country music has caught up with... More >>

• Out Here

  published November 20, 1997

  9,000,000 beats per minute The Undulating Band Aaron Avenue Records It's the Catch-22 that lurks at the heart of every Local... More >>

• Out There

  published November 20, 1997

  Odds 'n' sods Songs of the Hawaiian Cowboy (Na Mele O Paniolo) Various artists Warner Brothers Western Most people think of... More >>

• Bewitched, bothered, bewildered

  published November 20, 1997

  There's no lack of props for hometown-girl-done-good Erykah Badu, who sang, danced, and rapped around town for years before heading to New York... More >>

• Out There

  published November 13, 1997

  Check the oil 24 Hours a Day The Bottle Rockets Atlantic Records Third albums are gateway albums, the point where you find... More >>

• Jerry's kids

  published November 13, 1997

  The repetitive patterns in rock and the blues are really not that far removed from the drumming that many "primitive" societies employ for social... More >>

• Out Here

  published November 13, 1997

  Unsealed indictment When the Revolution Comes Lord High Fixers Au-go-go Records The breaking down of the blues into its most... More >>

• Next step

  published November 13, 1997

  One of the big pitfalls lurking under the surface of most versions of romantic love is an implied masochism, an idea that suffering is somehow... More >>

• Out There

  published November 6, 1997

  Addressee unknown Our Tired, Our Poor, Our Huddled Masses The Residents Rykodisc You don't have to dip too deeply into the... More >>

• A tale of two venues

  published November 6, 1997

  The Rolling Stones--an atmospheric disturbance more predictable and (nowadays, at least) considerably less disruptive than El Nino--blew through... More >>

• Hassle class

  published October 30, 1997

  In the old days, rock and roll was an alternative to school, the spirit of rebellion and the defiance of convention. That's all well and good for... More >>

• Out Here

  published October 30, 1997

  Thanatos 'n' roll Are You Dead Yet? The Necro Tonz Last Beat Records Any time a band develops a personal style past the... More >>

• You invent the future

  published October 30, 1997

  Reputation and fame--how many people will show up for your show, or buy a souvenir--are two sides of the same coin in the world of rock and roll,... More >>