bands. He’s also been called one
of history’s worst bands so the
truth has to be somewhere in
between – right? I mean, the art-
ist who is now famous for dress-
ing up as a comical conquering
musical Viking has over three
dozen albums, re-releases and
EPs to his credit so somebody
is buying his music. On the lat-
est Beyond The Pain Barrier the
best song is “Tyrant” that might
be the perfect anthem for these
“Trumpian Times” depending
on which side of the pain barrier
you might find yourself. Produc-
tion is dark and dense which
might be good if you plan on
blaring this one at your Fall fes-
tivities. Thor is knocking – will
you answer “The Calling”?
Let’s take a look…
Dutch rock veterans Focus
could be considered a one-hit
wonder with ubiquitous airplay
for their instrumental classic
“Hocus Pocus” that dominated
radio during the classic rock era.
However, a new 2 CD collection
called “The Focus Family Album”
makes that notion disappear
fast. The 20 song set gives fans
new insight into the band and
includes 15 unreleased original
tracks, alternate versions from
the Focus X sessions, solo work
from each of the current mem-
bers and tunes from the begin-
ning of the Focus 11 sessions
with artwork by Roger Dean.
Jay Pounders achieved an im-
pressive level of notoriety in
the late 80’s with his punk and
EVEN MORE NOTABLE RE-
funk outfit Crossfire Choir. The
LEASES! Sifting through the dig- group got support along the way
ital postcards this month we’re
with connections to MTV, David
delighted to discover that music Geffen, Steve Lillywhite, Hilly
is alive and well the world over. Kristal all in their corner but they
NJ STAGE 2017 - Issue 40
INDEX
NEXT ARTICLE
58