Concert Review: Postmodern Jukebox
Two years ago, I raved about Postmodern Jukebox after seeing them in concert for the first time. Afterwards, my wife said, "We have to see them again next time they're in town." They returned last night, and we were there to see them put on another fantastic show. PMJ...
Ten Questions For Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney has been on a publicity tear over the last month to promote his new album, "Egypt Station." Last night, he was on "60 Minutes" in what was billed as "a wide-ranging interview" by Sharyn Alfonsi, who opened with this: How is it that we enter the 51st...
Album Recommendation: Roy Zimmerman “RiZe Up”
I'm a big fan of Roy Zimmerman. As a song parodist, he's a cross between Tom Lehrer and Mark Russell, writing clever, biting lyrics about topical issues. My family and I saw Roy perform at James Randi's Amazing Meeting in Las Vegas in 2008, and I've subscribed to the...
How Is McCartney #1?
Paul McCartney's "Egypt Station" is the #1 album in the US -- without any substantial radio airplay. How? As Fred Jacobs explains, the album came with a brilliant content marketing campaign.
Concert Review: Ringo Starr
Thanks for coming out in the rain...as if that’s a big thing. I’m from England, where it always rains. -- Ringo Starr When Paul McCartney goes on tour, he has hundreds of titles in his catalog from six decades of songwriting (Beatles, Wings, solo) that he can choose...
Respect For Aretha
Aretha Franklin was once named the greatest singer ever by Rolling Stone magazine. Why then, at her funeral on Friday and the tribute concert in Detroit the night before, were other people singing songs she made famous? With the exception of "Think" (which she...
The Ticket Upgrade Promotion
I've been involved in many great radio promotions over the years. One of the best was The Ticket Upgrade. In the early 1980s, when I was the morning man at WHCN/Hartford, we had a deal with promoters Jim Koplik and Shelly Finkel for the concerts they brought to the...
Concert Review: Ann Wilson, Jeff Beck, Paul Rodgers
The concert at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre was billed as "Jeff Beck & Paul Rodgers and Ann Wilson." Based on that punctuation, I wasn't sure if Jeff Beck was performing with Paul Rodgers, or Paul Rodgers would be on stage with Ann Wilson or if they were going to...