Christmas album reviews: Little Big Town, The Weeklings

If you’re looking for some fresh Christmas music to soundtrack your holiday party, gift wrapping session or just to put you in the spirit while out and about, here are two new noteworthy releases.

Little Big Town
The Christmas Record
(Capitol Nashville)

The superstar vocal group, best known for such country music radio hits as “Pontoon,” “Girl Crush,” and “Better Man” has had a busy year marking its silver anniversary. First there was a Greatest Hits album. Now comes the engaging and charming The Christmas Record, produced by heavy hitter Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell). And this Monday, Little Big Town hosts the NBC/Peacock holiday televised special “Christmas at the Opry.”

The Christmas Record is almost evenly split between holiday classics and originals. Each of the musicians – Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman, and Phillip Sweet - take turns at lead vocals in various combinations (though Fairchild handles the lion’s share) and those trademark sumptuous four-part harmonies.

Among the well-known selections are lovely covers of Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” Alabama’s “Tennessee Christmas” the Stevie Wonder-popularized “Someday at Christmas,” and Vince Guaraldi & Lee Mendelson’s “Christmas Time Is Here” (from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”). The newly-penned highlights include the warm, upbeat “Glow,” and “Evergreen” (which details a memory of travelling with daddy to cut down a Christmas tree and musically bears traces of Mac Davis/Elvis Presley’s “In the Ghetto”). The closing track is an outlier: Little Big Town gets down on the dance floor with “Holiday,” a welcome addition to New Year’s Day-themed songs.

The Weeklings
Christmas
(Jem Records)

The Weeklings are a popular East Coast-based Beatles tribute band led by onetime Styx singer/guitarist Glen Burtnik. They released the solid Raspberry Park earlier this year and have received SiriusXM airplay on Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel. The fun 16-track Christmas album includes deftly rocking interpretations of the Mitch Miller-popularized “Must Be Santa” (a mashup with the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter”), the J.S. Bach classical composition “Joy” (a spirited Irish jig paired with a snippet of the Fab Four’s “All My Loving”), Chuck Berry’s “Run, Rudolph Run,” and “Christmas Time is Here Again” (the Beatles’ 1967 Fan Club holiday single with more nods to John, Paul, George and Ringo).

Elsewhere, “Gonna Be Christmas” boasts a winsome early Who power-pop vibe and group harmonies, “Revolution Wonderland” incorporates doo-wop, “Dreidel” gives Jewish listeners some attention and the horn-driven “Festivus” (remember that “Seinfeld” episode?) has a party atmosphere. Between the songs are several whimsical interludes.

Sting concert review: The Wiltern, Los Angeles, Night 1

Sometimes less is more.

When Sting embarked on the 2021-23 My Songs residencies at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, he was backed by a seven-piece ensemble.

Yet for the North American leg of his Sting 3.0 Tour, which started this past September and ended Nov. 17 in Los Angeles (a few more dates are scheduled in 2025), only the English pop/rock music superstar, his longtime guitarist/songwriting collaborator Dominic Miller and new drummer Chris Maas (Mumford & Sons) are onstage.

During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the artist said of the Sting 3.0 Tour: “I think this format suits the theater more than anything else. The intimacy, the sense that the audience is part of the conundrum – you can’t do that in a larger place…The theater is more refined.”

He continued: “I’ve enjoyed stripping the songs back down to the bare bones and enjoyed that they’re still sturdy enough to withstand that kind of stripping away. It makes them tougher and also clearer. There’s air between the instruments that allows the ear to relax a little bit. But you can turn on a dime.”

A glance at previous setlists before the show invited the question about how studio tracks originally adorned with full harmonies, keyboards and other instrumentation in the studio would fare without them live. The answer? Just fine.

The power trio configuration – which immediately brought to mind Sting’s heyday with The Police – worked wonders during a tight show filled with plenty of Police and solo hits on Nov. 12 (the first of five nights) at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.

Clad in a t-shirt, black leather pants and looking trim and fit as ever, Sting, 73, prompted instant excitement among fans by launching the 23-song, two-hour set with the rousing signature Police tune “Message in a Bottle” and easily got some crowd participation going.

Spontaneous cheers erupted as Sting sang the lyrics “You could say I lost my belief in our politicians/They all seemed like game show hosts to me” amid the streamlined “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” as he sheepishly shrugged. Miller’s plangent guitar work on “Englishman in New York” gave it a Police-styled sheen. A fun, racing “Every Little Thing She Does in Magic” benefitted from a more festive atmosphere.

Before the quiet, shimmering beauty of “Fields of Gold,” Sting described how the song was influenced by looking outside his home in England near Stonehenge. The singer/bassist relayed that the captivating “Mad About You” - among a few more relaxed selections performed while seated on a stool - stemmed from a story in The Bible, despite him not being a religious person.

Sting also provided an anecdote about growing up in an English shipbuilding neighborhood prior to doing a pair of songs about his late father (the poignant “Why Should I Cry for You;” a spirited “All This Time”). Both were set highlights. Proving that instantly recognizable rock voice remains elastic, Sting effortlessly did sustained wails while nimbly playing bass.

With the current war in the Middle East, “Driven to Tears” packed a timely punch while Miller played with a fierce Jimi Hendrix-styled thrust; words such as “protest” and “react” were projected on a backdrop. A spare “Wrapped Around Your Finger” was one of the guitarist’s “wild card” picks (images of candles were a cool nod to the ‘80s music video).

A moving segment of the show came when Sting brought out a Ukrainian serviceman wearing fatigues to play the oud (a Middle Eastern lute-type instrument) for the gorgeous ballad “Shape of My Heart” with lyrics that compare spades and clubs on playing cards to the “swords of a soldier” and “weapons of war.” It received a standing ovation.

The band revved up the intensity level on brawny new rocker “I Wrote Your Name (Upon My Heart),” a frantic “So Lonely” and the Arabic-tinged “Desert Rose,” where Sting figuratively put the audience into a trance.

Everyone in the venue was up on their feet and singing along loudly to a strong take on “Every Breath You Take” and first encore selection “Roxanne.” The latter downshifted in tempo to include a snippet of “Be Still My Beating Heart” off 1987’s Nothing Like the Sun. Finally, Sting played his delicate, traditional concert closer “Fragile,” yet another song revolving around the detrimental effects of war.

North American Tour Dates:

Jan. 24, Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix, AZ

Jan. 26, Hard Rock Live Sacramento, Wheatland, CA

Feb. 8, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (With Billy Joel)

April 11, JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY (With Billy Joel)

April 26, American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI (With Billy Joel)

May 10, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC (With Billy Joel)

May 19-20 Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver, CO

May 23, Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT (With Billy Joel)

May 25-26 Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Bend, OR

My review originally appeared in Rock Cellar Magazine.

Photo by Debi Del Grande, courtesy of Live Nation, Bufferd PR, Cherrytree/Interscope/A&M Records 

Coachella 2025 Lineup, Onsale Details Revealed

Coachella returns to the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA for two weekends set for April 11 – 13 and April 18 – 20, 2025 with Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone performing a career retrospective set, and Travis Scott + many more.

Register now for access to passes at coachella.com. Presale begins Friday, November 22 at 11am PT. 2023/2024 attendees and purchasers get early access starting Thursday, November 21 at 11am PT. For your best chance at passes, look to Weekend 2. This is a presale and does not guarantee pass type, packages or camping.

New for 2025: VIP areas adjacent to the Outdoor Theater and Sahara offer specialty drinks, added bars, shaded lounges, flushable restrooms and more amenities to be announced later. Plus, additional camping options include Ready-Set and La Campana tent camping for fans looking for more comfort during their desert stay.

YouTube returns in 2025 as the exclusive livestream partner for both Coachella weekends on our official YouTube channel; bringing the legendary performances and so much more to millions of music fans across the globe.

Official Hotel Packages that bundle festival passes with local lodging and transportation are available for Weekend 1 and Weekend 2, sold exclusively through Valley Music Travel.

For more festival information and updates, please visit coachella.com.

Out now: 40th Anniversary vinyl and digital editions of Don Henley's 'Building the Perfect Beast'

I bought this classic album - containing two Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 - soon after it came out in November 1984 on cassette (I still have it) via the Columbia House Records & Tapes Club. It was a massive success for a couple reasons.

First among them: Indelible pop/rock songs co-written by the artist in conjunction and various combinations with members of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers (Mike Campbell, Stan Lynch, Benmont Tench), Henley's frequent Eagles collaborator JD Souther, and the album co-producer Danny Kotchmar. "The Boys of Summer," in particular, has been covered by many musicians. California pop/punk band The Ataris had a major hit with its cover in 2003.   

Then there was the stellar crop of studio guests including most of the aforementioned, plus Go-Go Belinda Carlisle, The Motels' Martha Davis, Patty Smyth, Lindsey Buckingham, Sam Moore, Jim Keltner, Waddy Wachtel, Charlie Sexton and others. 

Check out more details from the press release:

As the Eagles continue their Sphere residency in Las Vegas, Nevada, UMe has released a 40th Anniversary vinyl edition of Don Henley's triple-platinum 'Building the Perfect Beast' album. It is available now as a 2LP set for the first time, remastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. 

The album features the hit singles "The Boys of Summer,” “All She Wants to Do Is Dance," “Sunset Grill,” and “Not Enough Love in the World." The new 2LP release features the vinyl debut of the album's complete track list, as “A Month Of Sundays” was only available previously on the CD, cassette, and digital versions.

Order Building The Perfect Beast HERE now.

A newly remastered digital version of the album is also available now for streaming and download.

In addition to featuring four hit singles, Building The Perfect Beast garnered five Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for "The Boys Of Summer." Don Henley was the biggest winner of the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home four Moonmen, including Video of the Year for “The Boys of Summer,” which was also the year's most nominated video.

Track listing: 

SIDE ONE

THE BOYS OF SUMMER
YOU CAN’T MAKE LOVE
MAN WITH A MISSION

SIDE TWO
YOU’RE NOT DRINKING ENOUGH
NOT ENOUGH LOVE IN THE WORLD
BUILDING THE PERFECT BEAST

SIDE THREE
ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE
A MONTH OF SUNDAYS

SIDE FOUR
SUNSET GRILL
DRIVIN' WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED
LAND OF THE LIVING

EAGLES – LIVE IN CONCERT AT SPHERE dates:

Friday, December 6
Saturday, December 7
Friday, December 13
Saturday, December 14
Friday, January 17
Saturday, January 18
Friday, January 24
Saturday, January 25
Friday, February 14
Saturday, February 15
Friday, February 21
Saturday, February 22
Friday, March 14
Saturday, March 15

The NAMM Show 2025 news: Marshall Amps to return after hiatus

Marshall, the company behind some of the most famous amps in rock history, announced its return to NAMM, the US trade show for the music industry, following a five-year absence.

Marshall Group CEO Jeremy de Maillard said the decision to attend next January’s show was an opportunity for the company to celebrate its much-loved amplifiers and to introduce them to a new generation of music lovers.

“Marshall amps have earned a special place in music history and we’re excited about connecting with our fans and customers at this globally important event,” de Maillard said. “We have some great plans for showcasing the best that Marshall has to offer in hand-built amps while introducing several new products to the Marshall portfolio.”

Marshall will be taking to the main floor to showcase and demo new products, host Q&A's and artist signings and, most importantly, have space for people to try the amps. Endorsers and ambassadors will be on hand to demonstrate what Marshall amps means to them while a specially constructed ‘Tone Sanctuary’, an invite only space, will allow artists to experience several new products that will be launched later in the year and beyond.

NAMM, which kicks off on Jan. 21 in Anaheim, California, holds a special place in Marshall folklore. It was at NAMM that Jim Marshall, who founded the company together with his son Terry, whose pioneering use of amplification technology earned him the nickname ‘the Father of Loud’, unveiled several of its iconic amplifiers including the JVM and The Studio series that have become industry shaping innovations.

“It’s wonderful to see us returning to NAMM to showcase our dedication to the amps business and for preserving the Marshall legacy for the next generation of musicians,” said Terry Marshall, Jim’s son and board member of Marshall Group.

Since it was founded in 1962, Marshall amps have shaped the sounds of icons and generations of guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Jeff Beck, Lemmy, Kerry King, Biffy Clyro, Jim Root, Yngwie Malmsteen, Willow Smith, Kiki Wong, Bruce Springsteen, Nita Strauss, Lzzy Hale and Polyphia.

Marshall Group, the audio, technology, and design powerhouse that is uniting musicians and music lovers through genre-breaking innovation, believes building on Jim Marshall’s legacy is crucial to its success going forward.

“We know how important our amps are to the Marshall brand,” de Maillard said. "We see ourselves as custodians of a unique slice of music heritage and we are determined to protect it for the next 60 years. This is why we want to show up at NAMM - to support the community of guitarists and musicians and do it in a typically loud Marshall way.”

Marshall Group has invested heavily in its amps business since the group was created in March 2023 and is committed to increasing the development and production of amps at its historic Milton Keynes factory.

Marshall’s skilled workforce has benefited from Marshall Group’s investment in the business, which has seen them provided with new tools and equipment so they can continue delivering the finest hand-built amps in the world.

Underscoring its commitment to valve amps, Marshall launched the Studio JTM last year and it continues to expand the popular range.

In addition to its amplifiers, headphones and portable speakers, Marshall Group also owns Natal drums, a recording studio and a record label enabling it to equip today’s musicians in every step of their journey.

About Marshall

Marshall Group is the audio, tech and design powerhouse uniting musicians and music lovers through genre-breaking innovation. Marshall, our flagship brand, is uniquely positioned with over 60 years of rock ‘n’ roll attitude on stage, at home and on the go. Our iconic products are brought to life by a dedicated team of 800 passionate employees and sold in over 90 markets worldwide.

Visit group.marshall.com for more information.

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Psychedelic Furs concert review: Riverside, Calif.

The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain – Influential Eighties post-punk bands whose lineups both sport pairs of brothers as the lone original members – delivered powerful performances on Nov. 6 at Riverside, California’s Fox Theater.

This weekend, their co-headlining North American tour winds down with concerts scheduled Friday in San Diego (Rady Shell at Jacobs Park) and Los Angeles (YouTube Theater).

Last spring, Scotland’s The JAMC – led by Jim Reid (lead vocals) and William Reid (guitar) - released the compelling Glasgow Eyes, their first new studio album since 2017. It was followed by the siblings’ biography “Never Understood” and the recent single “Pop Seeds.”

Meanwhile, England’s The Psychedelic Furs, with singer Richard Butler and bassist Tim Butler have 2020’s Made of Rain, their solid, underrated first studio album in 29 years (!) to freshen up setlists.

The Psychedelic Furs’ 15-song, 70-minute set kicked off in haunting fashion with “The Boy Who Invented Rock and Roll,” off the Rain release. Then the band, comprising guitarists Rich Good and Richard Fortus, keyboardist Amanda Kramer, ace drummer Zack Alford, plus another guitarist, followed it with a dreamy, measured “The Ghost in You” to loud fan reaction.

Richard Butler gestured dramatically as he sang the U.S. hit with those trademark sandpaper vocals. Alford, a veteran of David Bowie and B-52’s tours, proved his mettle early with propulsive beats on “So Run Down” (from Talk Talk Talk). Longtime sax man Mars Williams, who died of cancer in 2023, was sorely missed here and elsewhere throughout the evening.

Both Butlers moved around the stage corners, with Richard often putting his arms around Tim and crouching down close to fans gathered in front. “All That Money Wants” (an alt-rock radio chart topper), emotionally resonant “Wrong Train” (a Rain winner where Richard finished a capella) and the billowy “Love My Way” were all highlights. The vaguely political Furs concert staple “President Gas” took on new meaning after a contentious American election surely divided fans.

Later, the denser original album version of “Pretty in Pink” was performed instead of the popular sax-infused remix found on the beloved movie soundtrack. The aggressive thrust of “Mr. Jones” proved exciting and “Heaven” closed things out on a stately note.

Initially shrouded in smoke and lit by green flashing lights, The Jesus and Mary Chain opened its 17-song, 70-minute performance with the sinister barrage of “Jamcod,” among three Glasgow Eyes tunes unveiled here. Jim Reid frequently doubled over while singing for dramatic effect.

William Reid, with his wild mane of white (or gray – hard to tell in dim lighting) hair was content to stay in the background on rhythm guitar and added the occasional shards of feedback noise. The touring band, anchored by drummer Justin Welch (Elastic, Lush, Suede) with backing vocals from guitarist Scott Von Ryper and bassist Mark Crozer sounded tight.

Longtime JAMC enthusiasts loudly roared with approval at the band’s popular cover of The Pixies’ “Head On,” its careening rock guitars as exciting as ever, the churning “Blues from a Gun” and Eighties era, reverb-drenched noise pop gems “Happy When it Rains,” “April Skies,” “Some Candy Talking” and “9 Million Rainy Days.”

Although both acts let their music do most of the taking, Jim Reid was unintentionally funny toward the end of the JAMC’s set when he said “this is how it is when we are enjoying ourselves.”

Opening act Frankie Rose, a former member of LA dream pop group Dum Dum Girls, joined the JAMC toward the end of its set on “Sometimes Always” and “Just Like Honey.”

The JAMC finished with the intense Stooges vibe of “Reverence,” with an extended intro. Fittingly, it concluded in a maelstrom of feedback.

Psychedelic Furs photo courtesy of the artist. The JAMC photo by Mel Butler.

Frank Black’s 'Teenager Of The Year' to get a 30th Anniversary Edition in January

The 30th Anniversary Edition of Frank Black’s solo album, Teenager Of The Year will see a one-time vinyl pressing on Jan. 17 via 4AD Records accompanied by a tour of North America plus Paris and London, where Frank Black and the original band will be performing the album in its entirety.

This special vinyl tour edition of Teenager Of The Year, has been remastered for the first time from its original analogue studio tapes, cut at 45 rpm for optimum playback and pressed on double gold vinyl. The album also comes in a gatefold sleeve with liner notes by both Frank Black and producer Eric Drew Feldman. A 24-bit digital version is being released on the same day.

"Sometime in the early 80s, I'd have to look up the date, I matriculated high school. This school held an awards banquet for some of the departing students at the school. I received an award called the 'Teenager of the Year' award; my brother received the same award the following year," says Black Francis.

"Our award was a 50 dollar credit for textbooks, a 'Teenager of the Year' medallion (my mother still has this), and also the banquet hall dinner, soup to nuts. My brother and I had no complaint about the award (it was given for being all-around-good-guy as best as we could determine). But for such a grand title to be given as 'Teenager of the Year,' I felt the glory had not been amplified enough.

"In 1993, I was doing “solo recording” sessions with Eric Drew Feldman in Los Angeles. We had settled on a core band with Nick Vincent and Lyle Workman, occasionally augmented by Joey Santiago and Moris Tepper. Though we had to change studios numerous times for actual forest fires and earthquakes, the whole process was such an addictive musical buffet that Eric and I couldn't stop. We did some vocals at a studio rumored to be owned by Sergio Mendes; in the control room was a wall of television screens broadcasting the brush fire which crept toward us. We eventually evacuated to someplace else. We never met Sergio but we saw him perform a few weeks later when we vacated to Las Vegas after the Northridge earthquake, which had trapped the 'Teenager of the Year' tapes in a studio vault for some time. Our zeal plus empathy from our financiers, they safely observing our travails from London, was enough to keep the money flowing until Eric and I relented and declared 'Consummatum est'.

Adds Eric Drew Feldman, “Initially it was a 14-song album. It was mixed. Eric Idle was staying nearby. He kept telling me to change the songs around. Al (Clay) had to run off and go to his next project. We weren’t completely happy with what we had. The solution: record more songs. Eight more were born. Whole shebang was remixed by David Bianco. The day before we were to start the remix, the 1994 Northridge earthquake occurred. Charles (Black Francis/Frank Black), Jean (Charles’ first wife) and I escaped to Las Vegas, ate many shrimp cocktails, and we saw Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, and Sergio Mendes and Brazil ’99 perform. Sergio was especially good. After about five days we returned to the mixing studio and the deed was done.”

To pre-order the limited Teenager Of The Year 30th Anniversary Tour Edition go to: https://frankblack.ffm.to/teenageroftheyear30

December Acoustic Solo Shows:
3rd - Brattleboro, VT - The Stone Church
5th - Portsmouth, NH - 3S Artspace
7th - Newport, RI - Jane Pickens Theater

Tickets On Sale November 1st 12pm ET

Teenager Of The Year Tour Dates:

January

15th - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
16th - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
18th - LA, CA - The Orpheum
19th - El Cajon, CA - The Magnolia
22nd - Denver, CO - The Paramount
24th - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
25th - Chicago, IL - The Metro
26th - Chicago, IL - The Metro
28th - Detroit, MI - St Andrews Hall
29th - Toronto, ON - History
31st - Boston, MA - House Of Blues

February

1st - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Street
4th - Paris, France - Le Trianon
6th - London, UK - The Palladium

Track listing:

Whatever Happened to Pong?

Thalassocracy
(I Want to Live on An) Abstract Plain
Calistan
The Vanishing Spies
Speedy Marie
Headache
Sir Rockaby
Freedom Rock
Two Reelers
Fiddle Riddle
Olé Mulholland
Fazer Eyes
I Could Stay Here Forever
The Hostess With the Mostest
Superabound
Big Red
Space Is Gonna Do Me Good
White Noise Maker
Pure Denizen of the Citizens Band
Bad, Wicked World
Pie in the Sky