When Dave Matthews Band released its major label debut in 1994, it created a previously unheard acoustic rock sound, with saxophone and violins wrapping melodies around unconventional percussion and guitar lines. Continuing that tradition, Mer's latest...

When popping in a disc accurately titled "Ultimate Fights From the Movies," (Flixmix, not rated) the first reaction for a critic is one of smug contempt. "Hah, I bet there's no New Wave homages in this drek," a critic would say in between "Citizen Kane"...

Finally, I'm laughing with a movie instead of laughing at it. "Big Trouble"(Touchstone, PG-13) is the perfect B-movie with an A-level cast. The film moves along at blinding speeds and wraps up in a short-but-sweet 82 minutes. This is a key factor of the...

Starbusters' patrons rode the wild Nightrain Saturday night. Elgin-based Guns N' Roses tribute band Nightrain packed Starbusters, 930 Pappas Drive, with a crowd thirsty for GN'R but willing to settle for the next best thing. After being pumped and primed...

New York City's finest, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, returns after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus and attempts to release the animal within. While taking cues from a number of genres (punk, R&B, blues and hip-hop), the task at hand for the Blues...

"She's my shelter from the storm/ She's a place to rest my head/ Late at night she keeps me safe and warm/ I call her red ..." There once was a time when this little ditty was all we knew about Jared Leto's musical abilities. As his character Jordan Catalano...

Heads that normally might not bop were bopping, most of them with big, silly grins on their faces. Maybe they were just excited to see the biggest Dogg of them all - the Snoop kind. Intensity filled the air for the long time before Snoop Dogg took the...

While stress, work and worry dominate life, it's vital to keep one's psyche balanced, calm and sound. Dealing with life's obstacles is what determines a person's stability, effectiveness and success. We all develop personal mental support systems to combat...

"Sesame Street" made it OK to love the green fuzz that resided in garbage cans. The famous children's program made it fun to gobble down cookies by the dozen. It brought America joy in the form of an eight-foot tall, blindingly yellow bird that had more...

The Michael Jay Washington Trio strives to quench artistic thirsts with its unique brand of liquid jazz. Strategically billed for Monday nights under the appropriate genre of "sooth jazz," this all-string trio eases away stress from the Monday Shock Syndrome...

Next time you say to yourself, "Man, I can't fathom how this movie was made," step back and ponder this: Even the most despicable, tacky, foul, groan-inducing, cliche and boring of movies allows us to have a bit of fun. These aren't the "so bad it's good"...