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Opal Eskar – EP
Home is where the heart is. A cliché statement, but sometimes clichés exist because they are true. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for just shy of 2 decades. Wondering if I’d lay down roots but knowing deep down that I’d eventually return to the Philadelphia ‘burbs –...
Shadow of the Mountain – S/T
When I moved home to the Philadelphia region after spending 18 years in the Seattle region, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The past, as they say, is complicated. Mine especially so. That 3,000-mile distance was a nice comfort zone in some ways. Thankfully, most of my...
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A Secret History
Archive Index
Room to Dream by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna
I've long been a David Lynch fan - dating back to my early teens in the early 90's. His films entranced me - exploring the seedy side of life, love, sex, & violence. I was also drawn to the sometimes subtle humor in his films - quirky with small town vibes. Room...
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
A Gentleman in Moscow is the 2nd novel by Amor Towles and was published in late 2016. An unexpected delight, I stumbled into this novel accidentally and I've walked away with that feeling of enrichment that only great literature can provide. The main protagonist is...
Gruff Rhys – Babelsberg
In the late 90's I found myself outside of Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern desperately trying to listen to a sold out Super Furry Animals show. The Welsh band were about to release another masterpiece in the form of Guerilla and were playing a mix of hit songs and yet to...
Kanye West – ye
I used to love Kanye West - it's true. Through his 1st four albums he never failed to entertain me, make laugh, and with 808 & Heartbreak, make me feel real emotions. I wrote him off before most people (how's THAT for know it all hipster statement) and was...
Allan Feather 3/27/70 – 6/26/18 – a memory through music
Last Wednesday, June 27th, I found out that someone I grew up with had unexpectedly passed away. Suffice to say, my posts on "The Social Network" have been a bit emotional and delved into what happened, my sadness at his passing, and what he meant to me as a friend...
Harley Graves – s/t
It took me an embarrassingly long time to make the connections between punk and country music. Not so much in musical styles - in attitude. Once it sunk in (about 18 months after the last Johnny Cash show in my neck of the woods at the time), I was hooked. You...
Bury Community Choir, Encore (Bury Young Voices) – The Ultimate Manchester Mash-Up
Over the last 6 years or so - ever since I started this site - I've made many friends in Manchester, England. Some are connected with bands you've heard of and some are indie musicians - on the fringe of accessibility. So it comes as no surprise that my heart was...
DJ Jazzy Jeff – M3
It's hard not to think of DJ Jazzy Jeff as the partner of The Fresh Prince - aka Will Smith. The late 80's and early 90's featured a near constant stream of radio and MTV hits from the duo. Once Will Smith broke into television, he made sure DJ Jazzy Jeff - aka...
Gaz Coombes – World’s Strongest Man
Gaz Coombes is perhaps an unlikely solo star. At the height of Britpop in the mid 90's, he fronted Supergrass - a band lumped in with the scene but who were more punk inspired, more fun, and yet - had a deep sense of melancholy as their career progressed. My personal...
The Classic Hunt – The Lyrids EP
The Classic Hunt are a new – but not new to the scene – band based out of Philadelphia, PA. My hometown and where I spent my 1st 24 ½ years. The band describe themselves as “psychedelic-folk-jazz-punk-blues” and I can’t think of a more apt description. The confidence...
Eels – The Deconstruction
Eels have always presented a conundrum for me – for every heartbreaking song that touches my soul they’ve had a bland middle of the road mid-tempo rocker that did nothing for me. 1998’s Electro-Shock Blues was the rare album that hit me fully on just about every song....
Dinosaur Jr. – Hold Unknown
It's been 2 years since we last heard from Dinosaur Jr. in their highly successful and drama free reunion period. 2016's Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not was the perfect blend of noise, melody, and melancholy (and my favorite song was a Lou Barlow tune). In fact, it...
Ride – Tomorrow’s Shore
2017 saw the release of Weather Diaries - the 1st album released by Ride in over 20 years. It was also the last reunion shoegaze album to arrive, preceded by My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Swervedriver, and Slowdive. Strangely enough, unlike those other bands, Ride's...
AAA Battery – Corrosion of Buddha
AAA Battery is a cross-country collaboration between guitarist Fred A. Jeske (based in Chicago), bassist Joe A. Maydak (based in San Francisco), and singer Spookey A. Ruben (based in Los Angeles). The music doesn't suffer from its file swapping origins - the band dubs...
Dan Florio – A Day Wiser
The last time Dan Florio released a new album, Washington State was in the midst of a dreary rainy season. Darkness. Cold. Wet. 2014. Here we are in 2018 with Dan's latest EP and this rainy season has been eating at my soul in a season full of life changes. Changes...
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Pacific Northwest inspired, Philadelphia based music reviews, interviews, and articles.
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Email submissions to jason@jasons-jukebox.com. Tell me about your project - biographical details, random facts, and musical influences.