// Category Archive for: Reviews

DVD Review: President Wolfman

By Brad Henderson

Ambitious. That is the word that constantly comes to mind when trying to describe President Wolfman.

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DVD Review: Misfire

By Brad Henderson

What do you say when a film doesn’t have any redeeming qualities at all? Ugh.

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Blu-Ray Review: Drive Hard

By Brad Henderson

I first discovered Brian Trenchard-Smith when I saw Night Of The Demons 2. I didn’t know it was him at that time but I later recognized his name when I saw a film called Turkey Shoot (a.k.a. Escape 2000) and since then his name has been imbedded into my mind.

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DVD Review: Autumn Blood

By Brad Henderson

Autumn Blood is another film that suffers from a silly looking cover and not enough publicity. I probably wouldn’t have heard of Autumn Blood if I didn’t receive a review copy and an email stating what it was. The plot sounded OK and it does have Peter Stormare who is great even in bad movies. I knew I would be entertained at least.

Holy crap.

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Music Review: Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, A New Orleans Creole Christmas

By Melissa Bratcher

On their first, and hopefully not last, Christmas album, New Orleans’ own Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse takes Christmas standards and lets them breathe. A New Orleans Creole Christmas rewards careful listening and attentiveness with unexpected grace notes, bent phrases, and excellent playing. While his name is prominently featured, Irvin Mayfield has surrounded himself with supremely talented musicians who complement his brilliance as a trumpet player.

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Knoxville Horror Film Fest 2014: Feature Reviews

By Jeffery X Martin

The Editor

Most of the movies screened at the Knoxville Horror Film Fest are now available for either VOD rental or disc purchase. They weren’t at the time, though; technology moves quickly, and so does consumable product. Here’s a quick rundown of what was shown, with a humbly presented opinion on each.

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TAD Film Fest Review: The ABCs Of Death 2

By Less Lee Moore

K is for Knell, by Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper

The ABCs of Death was a worthy, if not always satisfying, exercise in horror anthologies (review). In some ways, it’s more ambitious than the V/H/S series; trying to fit in 26 films by 26 directors is a challenge, especially when the only common theme is death. While I quite liked the first installment, I think The ABCs of Death 2 is in many ways a better film.

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Music Review Belle Ghoul, Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday

By Less Lee Moore

The delightfully named Belle Ghoul, featuring Christopher Tait (Electric Six) and Jesse Paris Smith (daughter of Patti and Fred), have a new EP called Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday that is a must-hear.

Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday opens with the spooky, retro psychedelia of “Lakes of Fire—complete with Hammond organ and a shouted chorus—which evokes the abandoned amusement park in Carnival of Souls. The Alice in Wonderland allusions in “Timepieces,” along with a moody, thoughtful melody, continue the gently somber tone of the EP. Tait and Smith’s harmonies are lovely, a combination of grit and gloss.

The instrumental “Momentum” sounds like an overture, with a piano motif and muted horns promising something around the corner. That something turns out to be “Winter’s Gone,” an anticipatory tune about the coming spring, complete with accordion and echoing vocals. “Around For The Weekend” is next, with two different, yet incredibly catchy melodies (one on piano and one on synth). It’s the kind of joyous song that was made for Thursday night plans. The last track, “Mystery To Me,” is solemn yet hopeful, with lonesome piano and gorgeous orchestral accompaniment. Tait’s gravelly voice reaches its lowest register and Smith provides ghostly harmonies as a counterpoint.

The six songs on Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday are the perfect accompaniment for the chilly fall weather, and should keep you warm throughout the winter.

Rabbit’s Moon & Doomsday will be released by Elefant Records on November 10. The “Around For The Weekend” single, released on October 27, includes a remix of “Lakes of Fire” and another wonderful instrumental track called “Devoir (Imaginary Theme).”

Concert Review: Electric Six at Musica

By Julie Finley

October 4, 2014
Akron, OH

Northeast Ohio has been devoid of some good shows for a while now, and Akron rarely has any concerts whatsoever. The venue Musica (located in downtown Akron) is a small one, but has been slowly gaining some momentum, and some have have taken notice. Thankfully, Electric Six did, and performed there in early October.

This show really couldn’t have come at a better time (for me at least), as I was having a really awful week, and I truly needed to get out and do something that was fun. I have seen Electric 6 at least four times in Cleveland, so I pretty much knew what to expect, but that’s just it: I know I am going to be entertained, no matter how shitty the week has been! Electric Six are consistently amusing, and this show was no exception (in fact, I probably had even more fun at this show than previous ones!)

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Music Review: Ronnie Fauss, Built To Break

By Melissa Bratcher

Ronnie Fauss’s Built To Break is the kind of album that musicians strive throughout their whole careers to make. Lyrically honest, with distinctive vocals and excellent musicianship, it’s the kind of lovely surprise that makes me love writing about music. It’s all the better to know that Ronnie Fauss isn’t the kind of musician who yearned to make records his whole life; in fact, he only began writing seriously after his first child was born, and even then it took years for him to share his songs, taking up singing once he realized he would need to to get his songs heard.

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