Brian Ives

Opinion Pieces and Interviews

Country 102.5 •

Lainey Wilson: Her New Album, Her Cool Cover + 'Yellowstone'

Lainey Wilson is one of country music’s brightest stars, and today she releases her highly anticipated new album, Bell Bottom Country. Most fans have become very aware of her over the past year and a half since the release of her major label debut, 2021’s Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’. But by that point, she’d been working hard for about a decade, writing songs for other artists, putting out music independently, and just living life.
“I’ve been in Nashville for 11 years and this ain’t been no overnig...
93.3 WMMR •

Pearl Jam: Watch 10 People React To Hearing 'Black' For The First Time

Earlier this week, I saw Pearl Jam at New York’s Madison Square Garden. As always, they killed it. And when I say “As always,” I mean that I have been attending this band’s performances for a long time. My first Pearl Jam show was at a New York club called the Limelight on April 12, 1992. The cost: $12.00… plus a $2.75 service fee.


(Actually, this should have been my second Pearl Jam show: I had a ticket to see them as the opening act in November of 1991 on a bill that included the Red Hot Ch...
93.3 WMMR •

‘Pulp Fiction’ Was A Casting Masterpiece 

This week marks the 30th anniversary of Quentin Tarantino’s classic Pulp Fiction. It’s one of the most impactful and celebrated films of the ‘90s. It was a game-changer; I think of it as the Nevermind of cinema. Like Nirvana’s breakthrough album from three years earlier, it took elements of things the respective artist loved, shook them up in a strange and vital way, and made something different. (That’s also sort of the definition of rock and roll.) And as it turned out, both Nevermind and Pulp...
93.3 WMMR •

David Lynch: His G-Rated Film Is A Quiet Triumph

When you think of David Lynch, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s likely one of his classic films, most of which are weird, creepy, edgy, or all of the above. 1977’s Eraserhead is an underground classic. 1986’s Blue Velvet was a strange, dark, erotic film that was made for a cult audience that somehow became iconic. Today, it’s also recognized as a classic. His 1990-1991 TV show Twin Peaks set the bar for how strange and ambitious a TV series could be.


So when news came that he w...
93.3 WMMR •

Led Zeppelin: ‘Physical Graffiti’ Marked Their Creative Zenith 

By the mid-’70s, Led Zeppelin really had nothing to prove. The critics, of course, didn’t like them. The band, rightfully, didn’t care about the critics. While Rolling Stone was crapping on classic Zeppelin albums, they were gushing over (cough) timeless albums by the likes of, er, the Motors, Crabby Appleton, and Blue Jug. 


But the fans knew the deal: Led Zeppelin was one of the greatest bands of all time. It was apparent from their first album and the follow-up, both of which were released...
102.9 WMGK •

Sly & The Family Stone: 15 Essential Tracks (And Who Sampled Them) 

Sylvester Stewart, aka Sly Stone, the leader of the legendary band Sly & the Family Stone, is the subject of a new documentary, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden Of Black Genius). The film is directed by Questlove, the ubiquitous drummer of the Roots, who also directed the Oscar and Grammy-winning doc, 2021’s Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Sly Lives! drops on Hulu on February 13. 


Questlove also runs a publishing company called Auwa Books, which launched in 2023 wit...
93.3 WMMR •

David Bowie Embraced His Age On 'Hours...'

Twenty-five years ago, David Bowie released his 22nd solo album, Hours… He clearly felt that it was a transformational album, and he telegraphed that on the album’s cover. Bowie has always seemed to play different characters on each of his albums, going to back to Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke. On the cover of Hours…, we see a spiky-haired Bowie, looking very much as he did on the cover of 1997’s Earthling, laying motionless. His head is in the lap of another Bowie. This one is very muc...
93.3 WMMR •

Black Sabbath: The Tribute Album That Led To Their Comeback

I remember at some point in the ’90s, Gene Simmons was on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball; KISS was going to headline a big festival in (I believe) South America, and Black Sabbath was on the bill. The host asked, “Who’s singing for them these days?” Simmons, at a rare loss for words, didn’t seem to remember.


That’s kind of how it was with Black Sabbath in the mid-’80s and early ’90s, and you can’t blame Gene. It’s not hyperbole to say that Black Sabbath changed popular music in 1970 with the releas...
93.3 WMMR •

How 'Natural Born Killers' Kicked Off Trent Renzor's Other Career

Thirty summers ago, Trent Renzor was reaching new levels of fame after Nine Inch Nails’ legendary mud-covered set at Woodstock ‘94. But that summer also saw his first major foray into music for movies, something that would take his career to some surprising places, including the stages of the Oscars and the Emmys. 


Just as Nine Inch Nails’ classic The Downward Spiral dominated MTV and the radio, another Reznor project was hitting record stores. In 1994, Reznor put together a soundtrack for Ol...
93.3 WMMR •

‘American Idiot’: A Punk Guide on How to Grow Up

I remember interviewing a new-ish band back in 2004 who were dunking on Green Day before the interview started. Their then-imminent album, American Idiot, was clearly a new direction for the band: the title track and first single had already made a big impact and was the talk of the rock world. “They used to sing about getting high and hanging out,” one of the members scoffed. “And now they’re political geniuses?” 


At the time, I worked for VH1, and it would not have been appropriate to comme...
93.3 WMMR •

20 Summers Later, I'm Still Haunted By Scary Shark Movie, 'Open Water'

I’ll get this out of the way right here: the 1975 film Jaws is a very scary shark movie. It’s certainly one of the best and probably the most impactful. Jaws is often credited with creating the “summer blockbuster.” But to me, it’s not the scariest.


And don’t get me wrong: Jaws had decent special effects for the time and obviously was really scary to millions who saw it in theaters at the time. I saw it again recently: it’s still scary! But it was essentially a monster movie that was slightl...
93.3 WMMR •

Great Movies Don’t Always Need Movie Stars

Do good movies require movie stars? I was thinking about this over the weekend after seeing Alien: Romulus, which topped the box office, earning $108 million globally in its opening weekend. I was also thinking about an article that I wrote a while back, “Quentin Tarantino: Was He Right? And Do We Really Need Movie Stars?” 


Of course, Tarantino is probably more movie star-obsessed than most, recently complaining that George Clooney isn’t a “movie star” anymore. And this annoyed Clooney. We’ll...
93.3 WMMR •

Paul McCartney: When He Fought Grief With Rock and Roll

I remember being in the press room for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1999; Paul McCartney was being honored that night as a solo act, and some of us were surprised that he came back to talk to the press. Often, the bigger artists decline to hit the press room; after all, it was their big night to celebrate their entire career. They may have had a few, and most artists know that that may not be the best time to face a room full of people with cameras and recorders.


The cer...
93.3 WMMR •

The Kinks: Their Best Songs, Ranked

October of 2024 marks sixty years since the Kinks released their self-titled album. Led by one of England’s greatest singer/songwriters, Ray Davies, the band also featured his younger brother (and frequent nemesis) Dave Davies on lead guitar, along with bass player Pete Quaife and drummer Mick Avory. They were part of the Britsh skiffle/R&B/blues scene that also yielded the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Animals, the Zombies, and the Hollies, among others. 


They debuted in early 19...
93.3 WMMR •

Phil Collins: His Surprising Influence On Country Music

Phil Collins is one of the most successful artists, in any genre, of all time. The singer/songwriter/producer/drummer has had a pretty incredible career, and his influence is now being felt, somewhat surprisingly, in country music.


We say “surprisingly” because he started out playing drums in a progressive rock band in the early 1970s. And if you told the guy playing drums in this 1974 performance that, in fifty years, country artists would be singing his songs, he’d probably be surprised, to...
93.3 WMMR •

Geddy Lee: Do Not Skip Chapter 3 of His Book

Back in April 2023, when Geddy Lee of Rush announced the release of his memoirs, My Effin’ Life, the timing made sense. Rush’s career ended with their 40th-anniversary tour in 2015. Five years later, in 2020, drummer/lyricist Neil Peart succumbed to brain cancer, seemingly ending any hopes of a reunion. (Although, Lee and Alex Lifeson seem to have become open to the possibility of working together again.)


Lee’s post-2015 career has included some Rush projects (reissues, a pinball machine, and...
93.3 WMMR •

Dave Matthews Band Earned Their Rock Hall Spot Whether You Like It Or Not

Next month, the Dave Matthews Band will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This probably annoys some people, as their music also annoys some people. That probably doesn’t bother the band though: Dave and the guys have been extraordinarily successful in their three-plus decades together. They’ve sold over thirty million CDs and DVDs. and have consistently sold out huge venues. They come from the cult world of jam bands, but they also write great songs.


Their commercial heyday began...
93.3 WMMR •

Chris Cornell: A Look Back At His Underrated Solo Career

Twenty-five years ago this weekend, Chris Cornell kicked off his solo career with Euphoria Morning. It’s understandable that his solo career wouldn’t be the first thing that you think of when you think of Chris Cornell.


Obviously, his biggest contribution to rock music was as a member of Soundgarden, a band that is somehow not yet in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, although they should have been years ago. In between Soundgarden’s classic albums Louder Than Love (1989) and Badmotorfinger (1991)...
93.3 WMMR •

Judas Priest: 'Rocka Rolla' Kicked Off A Half-Century Of Metal

This week marks the 50th anniversary of Judas Priest’s debut album, Rocka Rolla. Back then, the band looked and sounded quite a bit different than the “Metal Gods” that we know and love today. Today, when you think of heavy metal’s most important, most influential (and best) bands, Judas Priest is one of the first names that comes to mind.


And rightfully so: while most would agree that their fellow Brummies in Black Sabbath created heavy metal, Judas Priest was essential in heavy metal’s evo...
K 104.7 •

Charli XCX: This Was Her Biggest Move This Year

Charli XCX is having an amazing year. Her brat album was a huge hit the moment it was released. Per Metacritic, it’s the best-reviewed album of the year thus far. It got five stars in The Guardian, Paste gave it a 9 out of 10, and the very trendy Pitchfork gave it a 8.6 out of 10. Rolling Stone gave it a glowing review as well. Some feel that it’s a strong contender for Album of the Year at the Grammys. Keep in mind that this is a year that has seen huge album releases by Beyonce and Taylor Swif...
93.3 WMMR •

Neil Young: His Mournful Kurt Cobain Tribute 

What might it be like to be quoted in a suicide note? In Kurt Cobain’s final missive, he wrote that he didn’t have the passion for music anymore, saying, “Remember, it’s better to burn out than fade away.” This was, of course, a line in Neil Young’s classic “My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue).”


Millions were shaken by Cobain’s action, and Young was certainly among them. He seemed to work through his feelings on Sleeps With Angels, released on August 16, 1994, just four months after Cobain’s pa...
93.3 WMMR •

'Deadpool & Wolverine' Proves Superhero Fatigue Isn't Really A Thing

There have been a lot of thought pieces written over the past few years about “superhero fatigue,” the idea that after dominating the box office for years, people are getting tired of superhero movies. Forbes published “What Really Caused Superhero Fatigue in 2023 and How To Fix It.” The Week called 2023 “The Year Of Superhero Fatigue,” warning that “the year may represent the end of an era for Hollywood.” The New York Times, meanwhile, asked, “Is This The Endgame For The Age Of Heroes?” (Clever...
93.3 WMMR •

Deep Purple: Hard Rock's Longest Running Band

This week, Deep Purple will kick off their latest tour. And that got me thinking: they must be hard rock’s longest running band. Part of the first wave of British hard rock and heavy metal, they formed in 1968, the same year that both Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin got together.


Deep Purple released their debut, Shades Of Deep Purple, in 1968, which included the band’s first classic: “Hush,” written by an American named Joe South. That was followed by The Book of Taliesyn, released later that...
93.3 WMMR •

Why Woodstock '94 Was The Best Woodstock

Thirty years ago this week, concert promoters tried to recapture lightning in a bottle. Or maybe they were just trying to repackage and market that lightning. Woodstock ’94 was surely an attempt by Michael Lang, the promoter of the original 1969 Woodstock festival, to cash in on nostalgia and to give another generation a defining moment.


In 1994 in America, the term festivals generally referred to traveling package tours. Perry Farrell’s Lollapalooza in the summer of 1991 demonstrated that A...
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