Jason DeBord's Rock Subculture Journal

Robbie Grey, Modern English: “Rock Talk” Podcast Audio Interview

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This article features the second in an ongoing series of “Rock Talk” podcast audio interviews for the Rock Subculture Journal. Today’s guest is Robbie Grey, founding member of Modern English. Tomorrow night Modern English will be playing Harlow’s in Sacramento as part of their special West Coast U.S. tour.  Mr. Grey, lead vocalist for Modern English, took time away from his schedule today to talk to me about the reformation of the original line-up of the band, their current U.S. tour, the UK tour this September, their upcoming new album, the history of the band and their work, and a bit of a discussion about one of the songs that defined the music scene in the early 80s, “I Melt With You”.

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Information Society at King King | Hollywood, California | 7/3/2012 (Concert Review)

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Late last night and into this morning at King King in Hollywood, Information Society played a special one off gig in the U.S.; the only scheduled show here for 2012 and their first live performance since 2009.  The band leaves for Brazil this morning to play a number of concerts there this month, and those who make those shows will likely be as thrilled to see the band as the fans here in the Los Angeles area.  It was a fantastic show and the group sounded as great as they ever have, and it was a thrill to see them perform.  It was a great crowd of dedicated music fans and the band obviously had a ton of fun playing in this intimate venue.  Epic night. [Read more…]

Paul Robb, Information Society: “Rock Talk” Podcast Audio Interview

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This article features the first in an ongoing series of “Rock Talk” podcast audio interviews for the Rock Subculture Journal.  Today’s guest is Paul Robb, founding member of Information Society.  Tomorrow night Information Society will be playing a special concert at King King in Hollywood – their only U.S. date scheduled for this year – and Mr. Robb was kind enough to take some time today to talk with me about their upcoming tour of Brazil this month, his experiences with the band, and some thoughts on the music industry and popular culture as it stands today. [Read more…]

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Hotel/Resort Review: Megaro Hotel at St. Pancras & King’s Cross – London, England [REVISIT]

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This is part of my hotel and resort reviews made to share my impressions and experiences while traveling for concerts. This review is for Megaro Hotel in London, England during a recent visit to London, England.  This is the second review of this property, having stayed at the same hotel in December 2011 (see first review). [Read more…]

Hotel/Resort Review: base2stay Kensington – London, England [REVISIT]

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This is part of my ongoing series of hotel and resort reviews made while traveling for concerts around the world.  This review is for base2stay Kensington in London, England during a recent visit to London, England.  This is the second review of this property, having stayed at the same hotel in December 2011 (see first review). [Read more…]

Visit & Tour of Hard Rock Cafe London (Memorabilia Pictorial)

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During a visit to England this month, I had a chance to drop in and visit the Hard Rock Cafe London, and took photos of some of the stage and studio used instruments, wardrobe, and other rock and roll memorabilia on display in the restaurant, gift shop, and underground vault.

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Jay-Z & Kanye West (Watch the Throne) at The Motorpoint Arena | Sheffield, England | 6/21/2012 (Concert Review)

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While contemporary rap music is not a subgenre at the forefront of my attention and music collection, generally speaking, I’ve always had a lot of respect and admiration for Jay-Z as an incredible artist and really intelligent business man.  I loved “old school” (to me) rap in the 80s (Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, etc.) but to me, it was much more pop-oriented and hooky (and, well happy) compared to a lot of what is produced today.  But I would definitely put Jay-Z in a class of his own, and he’s really innovated his own personal brand and genre of music, and it was awesome to finally see it and hear it live, and with this opportunity, the added bonus of this special tour with Kanye West born of their collaboration on the studio album Watch The Throne, naming this tour the same.  I missed the U.S. swing through the east coast late last year as I was in England at the time, and funny enough, caught it now here in England at the second to the last show.  Stellar. [Read more…]

Ash at The Relentless Garage | London, England | 6/17/2012 (Concert Review)

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Last night was a really historic and wonderful event by a little band called Ash.  And I mean “little” in the most complimentary sense… a band that has stayed true to its roots and its fans.  The group from Ireland celebrated their 20th anniversary in style, by really creating an event that celebrated their fans as much as themselves.  This was most appropriately illustrated by their second of three (yes three!) sets, which transformed from an acoustic concert in a very small setting (which made the typical MTV Unplugged show look like a stadium gig by comparison) to a session of “Asheokie” (i.e. karoke, but with fans fronting for the band themselves).  It was really unlike any show I’ve ever been to, and demonstrated a lot of class and, well, tremendous fan service. [Read more…]

Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Auction to be Held in London on July 3rd, Catalog Available Online

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Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia” sale event in London on July 3rd (in addition to their Los Angeles-based sale the week earlier). This sale includes a mix of film/television as well as music related memorabilia, as well as some animation. [Read more…]

Hotel/Resort Review: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino – Chandler, Arizona

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This is part of a continuing series of my impressions and experiences staying at various hotels and resorts while traveling to attend concerts worldwide. This review is for the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona for a stay in June 2012. [Read more…]