Introducing Colemania

Where to start on this british-indian-american kid? No idea. Another good friend from college, Colemania is someone who stole my Robert Randolph - Live at the Wetlands cd one summer, and I never saw it since! Haha, but seriously, a good friend, and someone with whom I've gone to a Damian and Stephen Marley concert and we still contend it was one of our favorite shows of all-time. He loves great guitar riffs - random statement, I know, but it is true. His answers are in red, and I've decided to let his words stand without providing my own commentary.


- give me one or two bands/songs that you listened to this last week:

1. "Drowned" by The Chelsea Smiles

With all the pretentious, texture-heavy indie pop bands coming out now, it's refreshing to hear a band that goes back to rock 'n' roll basics: loud guitars, screeching solos, sing-along chorus and melody. You won't find any Phil Spector influences here.

2. "Nothing Can Change This Love (Unreleased Version)" by Sam Cooke

Sam Cooke had one of the greatest voices of all-time. This is an alternative version of one of his classics where the strings are removed and you hear more of the individual instruments. I highly recommend hunting down this version, along with the original if you don't have it already.

- first cd you bought for yourself:

Offspring - Smash (I'm not embarrassed to say that)


- last live musical performance you went to:

Jesse Malin @ Bowery Electric, NYC 3/4/2010

Another amazing show from this dynamic performer. It's criminal that an artist of this talent has not reached greater heights despite citing Bruce Springsteen as one of his biggest fans (check out their duet "Broken Radio" from Jesse's last studio album.) This show was a warm-up for his new album, which sees Jesse return to some of his earlier releases from D-Generation and Bellvue. If I could give everyone one unknown artist to check out, this would be it. His albums are great, but his live show is dynamite.

- one show you are really looking forward to seeing this year:

Gogol Bordello. The back-story behind these guys is enough to check out GB. On stage they are insane and you are unlikely to see a more eccentric frontman than Eugene.