Mike Mettler

Blu-ray Movie ReviewsUltra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews
Bohemian Rhapsody
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 22, 2019  |  0 comments
Picture
Sound
Extras
The indisputable success of Bohemian Rhapsody confirms what many of us have known for decades: Queen was one of the biggest rock bands in the world, and their late frontman Freddie Mercury was one of the singularly most polarizing and mesmerizing popular-music performers of the 20th century.
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The S&V Interview
Eric Schenkman Puts a New Spin on the Blues
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 13, 2019  |  0 comments
Guitar maestro Eric Schenkman (of Spin Doctors fame) called us from his homebase in Toronto to discuss the creative process behind his new blues-tastic solo album Who Shot John?, his inherent audiophile tendencies when it comes to vinyl playback, and where he currently fits in on the “totem pole” of visionary musicianship.
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Music Disc Reviews
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Ladyland Deluxe Edition
Mike Mettler  |  Feb 01, 2019  |  0 comments
Performance
Sound
The nomenclature of the key line that appears within the credits of the original October 1968 double-vinyl release of Electric Ladyland tells quite the prescient tale: “Produced And Directed By Jimi Hendrix.” The most crucial word in that phraseology, of course, is Directed, as the ace guitar slinger spent a good bit of his in-studio time in 1968 thinking in purely cinematic terms.
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The S&V Interview
Steve Hackett: At the Edge of Sonic Exploration
Mike Mettler  |  Jan 30, 2019  |  0 comments
We got on the line with iconoclast guitarist Steve Hackett to discuss the rudiments of the soundscapes that comprise his stunning new album At the Edge of Light, the importance of physical packaging in the digital age, and, of course, his plans for future solo-catalog-derived surround sound reissues.
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The S&V Interview
Crack The Sky Move Forward by Living in Reverse
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 27, 2018  |  0 comments
Crack The Sky guitarist/producer Rick Witkowski and vocalist/songwriter John Palumbo got on the line with us to discuss the collaborative symbiosis of their in-tandem sonic Crack attack on two concurrent new releases, Living in Reverse and Crackology, how important The Beatles remain in their respective creative DNA, and how embracing the past sets them up for a bright future.
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The S&V Interview
Richard Lloyd: The Countdown Will Be Televised
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 21, 2018  |  0 comments
We got on the line with iconoclast guitarist Richard Lloyd to discuss the vinyl-intended sonic template of his new laser-sharp solo album The Countdown, why Television’s seminal 1977 debut album Marquee Moon remains perpetually influential, and his take on creating sound in outer space.
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The S&V Interview
Scott Kirkland Reboots The Crystal Method
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 12, 2018  |  0 comments
Scott Kirkland of The Crystal Method got on the line with us to discuss getting back to his core electronic music values on The Trip Home after parting ways with his longtime collaborative partner Ken Jordan, his thoughts about remixing new and catalog material in Dolby Atmos, and refocusing his goals following brain surgery.
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The S&V Interview
Ted Nugent: The Music Made Me Do It
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 07, 2018  |  5 comments
The Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent, got on the line with us to discuss the sonic impetus for his new album The Music Made Me Do It, the never-ending importance of capturing the right guitar tone, and the connection we all have with where and how music itself ultimately originated.
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Music Disc Reviews
Remaster Class: Music From Big Pink
Mike Mettler  |  Dec 06, 2018  |  2 comments
2018 50th Anniversary Capitol CD

Right in the swirling midst and mists of psychedelia, hard rock, and acid rock, The Band’s July 1968 debut, Music From Big Pink, was a literal breath of rustic fresh air. In fact, Big Pink was seemingly dropped onto the music scene from out of nowhere—even though it was mostly born and bred in the basement of a cozy little rosy-hued house in upstate New York (one that frequently entertained a certain motorcycle-injury-recovering songbard by the name of B. Dylan as a regular creative contributor to the proceedings).

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Blu-ray Movie Reviews
John Lennon: Imagine - The Ultimate Edition
Mike Mettler  |  Nov 30, 2018  |  0 comments
Performance
Sound
“Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try.” That profound statement set the table for the visceral round of revelations John Lennon had in store for us on his second proper solo album following his departure from The Beatles, September 1971’s Imagine. Whereas “God,” the critical denouement on Lennon’s galvanizing December 1970 solo debut Plastic Ono Band, served as a gasp-inducing, barrier-breaking declarative manifesto, “Imagine” proffered more of a “what if” scenario that embodied an inclusively universal yet concurrently subversive scope.
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