Does anybody remember Rock Star: Supernova?  It was the TV show that introduced the “super band” Supernova, featuring Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, and a lead singer who would be chosen from a group of hopefuls in an American Idol-type show where the winner would be based on a mix of audience voting and band member selection.  As it turns out, Canadian Lukas Rossi won the contest, and Supernova released one kinda okay album that nobody really cared about, and broke up like everyone expected.

One of my favorite talents to come 0ut of the show was Ryan Star, a native New Yorker with a scratchy voice that caught my attention with some great soulful singing and original songwriting.  The lead singer of the 90′s band Stage, Ryan Star released an acoustic (mostly piano-based) album, Songs from the Eye of an Elephant in 2005, before competing on the show. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a huge Linkin Park fan.  Since the release of Hybrid Theory, I’ve followed their releases with huge anticipation, whether they be new studio albums, remix albums, live albums, DVDs, etc.  They’re a great multimedia band, and they are always willing to try new things…even if it means alienating some of their core fan base.  I know many fans of their original album who haven’t cared for their albums since (especially the most recent, Minutes to Midnight).

I’m not sure how I feel about their new single, “The Catalyst,” off of their forthcoming album A Thousand Suns.  Originally announced as a concept album, I’m not entirely sure if it’s still intended to be.  Listening to “The Catalyst,” it does feel like it could be a small part of a larger whole.  First time I heard the song, I wasn’t sure what to make of it – after repeated listenings, though, the song has definitely grown on me.  I look forward to seeing how it fits into the larger album, which I hope is more consistent than Minutes to Midnight, which just seemed to alternate between hard songs and soft songs for the entire CD, with very little flow to it.

Remember Stabbing Westward?  If you were a teen in the 90′s who owned a lot of black t-shirts, then their songs were the anthem to your depression (well, them and NIN).  With songs like “What Do I Have To Do?” and “Shame,” Stabbing Westward put themselves on the map as a kickass rock band with a lot of pent up anger.  Their first album, Ungod, wasn’t the hugest hit, but the follow-up, Wither, Blister, Burn and Peel put them on a lot of goth kids radars.

Their third album, Darkest Days, is just about the most depressing album I’ve ever listened to, and just about one of my favorite CD’s ever.  And, just when I thought the band could do no wrong…along came their self-titled fourth album, Stabbing Westward.  Replacing the depressing anger and industrial beats of their previous albums with a more upbeat sound (but still relatively depressing lyrics) was an odd mix that, while not bad, just didn’t sit well with a lot of fans.  It took me years to finally appreciate the album and, by then, Stabbing Westward was no more.  Read the rest of this entry »

Man, I love me some music.  Since The Justice Files is currently on hiatus, I’m feeling a bit of a void on this site.  After all, if we geek about it, we speak about it!  I try to pick up some new music every week – I absolutely love all kinds of music, and can’t get enough of it. I’ve been a music fiend since the mid-90′s (the Grunge era, of course), so that should kind of inform what my favorite kind of music is.

So welcome to Super Nova Goes Pop, my new regular column where I’m going to chat about whatever music topic pops up in my head that week.  I’ll talk about my favorite bands and albums, get your feedback and opinions on your favorite bands, and review some of the latest music!

This week, the 16-year old Paul inside of me was very happy.  It was like 1995 all over again, with the release of new music from 90′s superbands Filter and SoundGarden.  Do these bands still have the magic that made them popular in the first place?  Or have they lost that lovin’ feeling? Read the rest of this entry »