The classic band Yes, currently consisting of Steve Howe, Alan White, Jay Schellen playing additional drums, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, and Billy Sherwood, have shouldered on despite personal changes and original members’ deaths. On their 26-date 26-date, “The Royal Affair Tour,” they happened to stop into Sin City, and this is where and when this new live record was recorded.

Be forewarned, as Maurice Evans “Dr. Zaius” warns Charlton Heston’s “Taylor,” at the end of the original (and best) Planet Of The Apes movie, “You may not like what you find,” after reading about these great men (especially Kennedy). But we are all frail naked apes, often pushed and pulled to some great blunders by the rush of blood and the itchy tingle of our pink parts, no matter who we are.

“clair” is a great mover, with a fun popping base and shimmery guitar effects. It’s written in a sly 60’s psychedelia style, with Thompson managing his best flights of warbly vocal. By far, this is my most favorite tune on the wall.

real perversity for me lies in the many couples I see playing power games through passive-aggressive behavior and pretty much holding grudges that they use as an excuse to emotionally torture and destroy their partner’s self-esteem, not in one person wanting their lover to follow them into the bathtub so they can be pissed on or another enjoying a night out where they might have to roll up the back of their school-girl skirt (man or woman wearing that skirt, by the way), expose their white cotton panties and take a good hand swatting in front of a group of onlookers.  

Mark Vickness presents a finger-picked guitar instrumental album pretty much unlike anything you have ever heard. On his latest Interconnected, he enlists Mads Tolling’s violin, Joseph Hebert’s cello, Dan Feiszli’s bass, and Ty Burhoe’s tabla across nine compositions that bring “acoustic fusion” to the fore.

Opening with the title track, we get Vickness’ strong picking style flowing into the string players, lifting us until the last third of the tune when Burhoe’s tabla really gets us going. As is evident throughout this album, Vickness lets his fellow players shine, speaking to his humbleness allowing others their due.

“I’ll See You In My Dreams” ends, a much better tribute to friends who’ve gone than the beginning tunes mining the same lyrical line. Springsteen tells us here, “Death is not the end.” Let’s just hope Letter to You is not the end of the albums he makes with the E Street Band.

The prodigious bribe referenced in the insanely long title of Sacha Baron Cohen’s brand-new mockumentary, which just dropped on Amazon Prime, mutates […]

Eric Anders and Mark O’Bitz present a gem-of-a-listen with American Bardo. One can certainly curl up and dive deep into these dozen.

The musicians other than Tuffy need to be highlighted here: Michael Turner, Matt Walker, Judith Renkema, Madelief van Vlijmen, Lucie Thorne, Steve Gilbert (as mentioned), Nick Larkins, and Zlaya Loud lend their talents to what is a rather spectacularly shining Letters of Gold.

Andy Blunda shows his obvious solid sense of pop song construction on his new EP, Pulling For You.