To The Ramparts

Travel to the mystery, drama, and splendor of the Middle Ages—to the times of great royal dynasties, intrepid knights, religious passions, merchant empires, and towering art … Tucked away within the romantic landscapes of Europe, a remarkable range of beautifully preserved medieval cities and towns invites discovery—time capsules of history where you can stroll the cobbled streets of another time; savor the treasures of palaces, stately mansions, soaring cathedrals, and grand civic centers; and walk the mighty bastions and ramparts that once defended them.

Much of the power of the civil rights movement came with its speeches, but the movement lived just as actively through music. Whether it was blues, folk, gospel, jazz, or R&B, and whether the artist was part of the cause or simply feeling the same yearnings, the music of the civil rights movement provided focus, unity, strength, and power. Time Life's three-disc box set, Let Freedom Sing! Music of the Civil Rights Movement, not only appeared at an auspicious moment in civil rights history – early 2009, when the United States inaugurated its first black president – but it easily ranks as the most thorough look at the music that came to be identified with civil rights.

Back to Nowhere is Heavy Tin’s fifth record and comes eight years after their critically acclaimed fourth “Makeover” a JamBand heavy-rotation-chart-topping favorite on traditional radio. Back To Nowhere opens with a tune called Dem Keys a languid bop number with piano swinging over a slick walked bass with just enough synth to give it identity and flavor. One thing’s for sure Dem Keys is new and compelling. G Blues is a tune built like a metal fortress with bop jazz and rockabilly ramparts. The tune compounds uniquely in nondescript meters of both five and seven with basses so dense it’s like an army on the march. Seven Flights Down lands on a lighter tone keeping an easy flowing meter of seven throughout.