Robin Trower has always been sort of a sleeper guitar hero, virtually unknown in the mainstream through most of his long career, but always near the top of blues guitarists' best of lists. This latest CD/DVD release from Ruf Records shows why he's often mentioned in the same breath as Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn, proving that he has earned the title of living legend over and over again.

The release focuses on a live set recorded in Germany during the Rockpalast Crossroads Festival, in September of 2005. It's not a terribly long concert, spanning 13 tracks and clocking it at around
an hour and a half. Yet, this brevity and tightness keeps the music flowing quickly, never letting the show get stale. Trower rips immediately into the tunes and doesn't let up until it's done.

After a few decades in the music business, you'd think that Trower would be going through the motions by now, but thankfully that isn't the case. On the DVD, it is visually obvious that he enjoys what he's doing, and that he gets a lot out of playing his new material. He looks like a man having the time of his life. His playing sounds fresh, and he attacks each tune with the fervor of an artist half his age. If his chops are starting to rust, he doesn't show it at all. The songwriting is also better than expected, with Trower avoiding simple rehash of tired blues lines. The songs are tight and catchy with lots of creative guitar riffs from Trower, along with gutsy and soulful vocals from singer Davey Pattison.

Overall, the production quality is great both in sound and picture, with video techniques kept simple, wisely relying more on the musicianship to carry the show and not effects for effects sake. There are plenty of close-ups of Trower's guitar antics, sure to make any guitarist drool with envy.

Trower proves you can age gracefully without losing your fire, and that an old man can still teach the whippersnappers a few lessons on how to rock.

MISH MASH Mandate: Let The Music Do The Talking

Ruf Records Website

Paste Magazine

Paste Magazine is what Rolling Stone should be in 2006, but isn't: smart, edgy, and most of all, relevant. Rolling Stone reads like an old magazine trying hard to be hip, whereas, Paste just is, apparently without effort.. So how does a startup mag in its infancy show up the old guard?

First of all, its obvious by looking at the cover that Paste isn't plugging the flavor of the month. Digging a little deeper, you'll find that the magazine is intelligently written, and actually covers music and films, and not just the antics of celebrities who happen to make them.

It feels modern and up to date, and a godsend for those of us who lament that new music is too hard to find. For crying out loud, the "free" CD compilation is filled with music you'd actually want to track down and buy. How's that for a giant killer?

 MISH MASH Mandate: Tasty Pasty
Paste Magazine Website

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Harvey Danger

Cream and Bastards Rise

b/w Picture, Picture

Kill Rock Stars

7" Vinyl Record

The A-side of this single is a textbook example of perfectly pure power pop. It's got smart-aleck, sing-along lyrics and one heck of a catchy hook which is sure to stick in your head at the first listen.

Flip it over and with Picture, Picture, the band takes it into a slightly more aggressive direction. There's lots of big, loud guitars rolling around on this one, and the refrain is delivered with a snarling sucker punch that would make any punk proud.

This is old school rock-n-roll in its natural habitat, and definitely worth a few spins on the turntable. Rock on.

 MISH MASH Mandate: Danger On The Rise
Kill Rock Stars Website

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S.I.D.S.

Kandy Kane / Moira Mathematics

b/w Space Ranger In A Manger

Stickfigure Records

7" Vinyl Record

Techno garbage meets punk rock in this three song single by S.I.D.S. The songs revolve around choppy keyboard noise and driving beats, while the vocals are yelled out with distorted effects.

Kandy Kane would probably sound more like a traditional punk song if it were centered around guitars and not keyboards, while Moira Mathematics plugs along in a reckless and more mechanical fashion. Space Ranger seems to flail around a little bit more, starting off with an almost techno dance beat and devolving into a noisy and wild thrashing that decontructs until the end.

The approach takes the best of punk and techno and jumbles them up into a crazed and sometimes confusing package. Of course, this is a great thing if you like your music to be a little challenging.

MISH MASH Mandate: Peppermint Patty
Stickfigure Records Website