Sometimes the search for the next big rock band becomes a global thing.  New Zealand's own Like A Storm are ready to claim their spot at the top with the release of Catacombs , the third full-length release which features the rock radio hit single The Devil Inside.   I had the opportunity for a conversation with Chris Brooks, lead vocalist and master of the didgeridoo where we talked about the music scene in his native New Zealand, the darker feel on Catacombs , touring, being in a band with his 2 brothers, the late Vinnie Paul and, of course, the didgeridoo. On producing their own records - Doing it ourselves allowed us to see through our vision and have it sound exactly the way we wanted. 4:50 On the darker themes for this record - When we visited the catacombs in Paris that was such a powerful metaphor for what we were going through. 7:00 On a cohesive record rather than just singles - Artistically that's not very fulfilling, we wanted to reflect

Very few people have the resume of Glenn Hughes...Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion, California Breed, a thriving solo career and dozens of other collaborations.  He is known as the Voice of Rock and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Deep Purple in 2016.  When it's announced that a musician of that caliber is playing a room that holds roughly 250 people it becomes a must-see show, and Mr. Hughes did not disappoint. Deep Purple still exists and are currently on an extended farewell tour.  However, the Ian Gillan led version ignores a large chunk of the band's history and some of it's best music, the Mark III and Mark IV lineups which featured Glenn Hughes on bass & vocals, David Coverdale on vocals and, later, Tommy Bolin on guitar.  While the official band disregards these records ( Burn, Stormbringer, Come Taste the Band ), it's up to Coverdale and Hughes to carry on the legacy. Coverdale recently re

Talent finds talent. A simple phrase that can be used to sum up the career of keyboard extraordinaire Tom Brislin.  In addition to his band Spiraling, the New Jersey native has shared the stage and studio with the likes of Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry and Renaissance.  Tom also held the keyboard position for Rock & Roll Hall of Famers YES during their Symphonic tour. Currently, Tom is part of the all-star prog collective The Sea Within which also features Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings), Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats), Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation) and Casey McPherson (Flying Colors).   Misplaced Straws is proud to present the Feature Interview with Tom Brislin. photo - Esa Ahola MS - You grew up in a musical household, what was your family listening to? How did your parents and siblings influence your musical tastes?  TB -  The first thing I remember hearing in the house was the 70’s rock albums that belonged to my sisters.

10 out of 10 How do I begin to review a new Willie Nile record?  We'll start with full disclosure - I love Willie Nile.  The man, his band, his music.  I was wondering if I could write an objective review, but after hearing some of these songs live over the past few months, finally listening to the actual release, and reading what others have said about the record I realized there was nothing to worry about - this is a brilliant record and pretty much everyone that's heard it agrees! If you're not familiar with Willie, he has been on (and off) the scene for nearly 40 years.  A native of Buffalo, NY, Willie has since become a fixture in Greenwich Village.  Over the course of 12 studio albums (and 1 EP) Willie has invited us to experience a snapshot of his NYC.  That invitation has allowed us to see ourselves in his characters, find our world through his, and showed that no matter how dark it gets, if everyone believed in humanity the way Willie Nile does the wor