2 Pin Up Went Down

After leaving Ukiah, CA, and moving south to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Band (named for their father) in the late '60s with harmonica player Gary Smith, brothers Pat (drums) and Robben (guitar) were enlisted by Charlie Musselwhite and were pivotal members of one of the best aggregations the harpist ever led. Leaving Musselwhite after recording Arhoolie's Takin' My Time, they recruited bassist Stan Poplin and younger brother Mark, then age 17, on harmonica and played under the name the Real Charles Ford Band. Heavily influenced by the original Butterfield Blues Band and the Chess catalog, the quartet was famous for their live jazz explorations…

The cast in this performance, recorded live on November 18, 2004, is as excellent as the names would indicate: Patrizia Ciofi, Roberto Saccà and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
Hvorostovsky, who has been singing Germont since 2002, continues to surpass himself in this role every time one hears him. Though difficult to imagine Hvorostovsky as an elder man, he nonetheless gives credence to the role of Germont through his straightforward, yet elegant style of singing and acting. Hvorostvsky’s subtle coloring of his voice, his innate sense of drama and musicianship give him the edge over any other baritone available–be he younger or older. In Act II, when Germont confronts Violetta, Hvorostovsky is vocally stern without being offensive to his son’s mistress, and later in the scene when Germont lets his guard down, the singer is able to project a comforting fatherly image to the woman who is “the ruin” of Alfredo and his family… Daniel Pardo

Theatrics in heavy metal seem to roll in and out with the tide. In the '80s, it was almost an expectation for bands to give listeners an over the top experience that mashes together both their music and their stage show for an over the top experience. As time went on, bands began to pay less attention to the appearance side of things, and show up onstage looking little different than the people in the audience. It’s a good gesture generally, with all people in the room being equal, but many still want a heightened sense of reality that metal can bring. It’s the mission statement of Avatar to do so.

David Crosby announced that his fourth solo album in five years, Here If You Listen, will be released on Oct. 26. The follow-up to 2017’s Sky Trails was created in collaboration with his Lighthouse band – Becca Stevens, Michael League and Michelle Willis – that first appeared with him on the 2016 LP Lighthouse.