Aquarium Drunkard

Recently, sitting in a dark booth of a non-descript bar in a non-descript portion of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, I was listening to the unashamed (and awesome) time-traveling selection of Los Angeles DJ Dr. Who (spins on Thursday nights at The Bar in Hollywood and deejays the soul-funk night at downtown’s La Cita on […]

Paul Westerberg’s post-Replacements career has been an interesting one and listeners have dithered back and forth on the merits of each solo release, no two coming to a consensus on any one of them. But it was as universal a thought as possible that he had stumbled onto something good when the twin Stereo/Mono […]

This post actually began as a Sevens piece reflecting on Chris Bell’s single “I Am The Cosmos” - that is until I realized we had never discussed the album proper on AD in the past. For shame. For the non Big Star fanatics in the house, Chris Bell was Alex Chilton’s right hand […]

Off The Record is a recurring feature, here on the Drunkard, that marries two of my greatest interests; music and travel. Having a locals perspective when visiting a new locale is the difference between experiencing it through the lens of a tourist and of that of a native.
Off The Record gathers some of my favorite […]

Alright, so 2006’s A Hundred Miles Off was…well, a bit off; and the follow-up Pussy Cats, a practically note for note rendition of Harry Nilsson’s rasp-fest was, while good, just that (more often than not making me want to throw on the original and be done with it). But forget all that, or […]

Letting go of the Wooden Wand handle (at least for now), James Jackson Toth’s solo debut, Waiting In Vain, steers clear of the psychedelic folk jams of his former outfit in favor of fairly straight-ahead, soul-infused, roots rock. The trick is that in doing so, Toth has crafted his best, most concise, work […]

Since 2004, (Fleet Foxes) J. Tillman has quietly been releasing records, some of limited quantity, some mostly available in Europe, but for the most part, unheard. The borderline-alienating starkness and well lived-in narratives of his first two records, “I Will Return” and “Long May You Run, J. Tillman” (released in limited runs of 150) endeared […]

I truly loved Liz Phair’s early stuff, and the recent ATO reissue of her Matador lo-fi debut - the still-excellent Exile In Guyville - only reinforced my appreciation. While I can’t necessarily speak to the quality of her last few albums (from the little I heard, they didn’t sound all too impressive) it’s telling […]

I am hesitant to refer to anyone in their field of study as “an unknown,” - no matter if it’s in reference to a painter, director, or guitarist. But in many circles, when the late Roy Buchanan’s name is dropped, he is reverently referred to as just such: one of the great “unknown” blues guitarists. […]

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS, channel 26 Left Of Center, can now be heard twice, every Friday - Noon EST and then an encore broadcast at Midnight EST. Below is this week’s playlist.
SIRIUS 57: The Kinks - Johnny Thunder ++ Scott Walker - 30 Century Man ++ Art Guy - Where You Gonna […]

After this Summer has come and gone I’ll think back to what I was listening to at the time and the reissue of Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue will most definitely be at the top of that list. The Legacy Edition, which came out last month, besides being chock full of photos and notes, presents […]

August 3rd: Touring behind their new (and excellent) LP Ghost Rock, Aquarium Drunkard presents Ann Arbor, Michigan’s NOMO at Spaceland. I was introduced to this band by chance in 2006 at SXSW when I, literally, stumbled into their set. While at a Jay Bennet show (that was beyond awful) I walked into the […]

Yes, the Dog have a new record out this week entitled Fate, and I’m here to report it has definitely grown on me since I first heard it. Dr. Dog’s last three projects (two LPs and an EP) really raised the bar for the band’s sound. Lemme know what you all think of the […]

This Spring, after devouring Volume 1 and 2 of the masterfully curated Dirty Laundry black country/soul compilations (do check those out if ’70s southern soul is your thang), I went poking around the label’s website searching for other similarly themed curios. And, not surprisingly, I found one. Cheatin’ Soul: The Southern Dream of […]