38 Special Co-Founders Don Barnes & Donnie Van Zant Continue Rockin’ Into the Night, Onstage and Off

BY MIKE METTLER — MAY 19, 2016

Rock is rock, no matter where it comes from and who’s playing it. Sure, certain sounds and styles will always get some kind of genre label attached to them, but it all really boils down to one thing: Does the music move you? “Obviously, we’re from the South […]

By |May 19th, 2016|The SoundBard Interview|Comments Off on 38 Special Co-Founders Don Barnes & Donnie Van Zant Continue Rockin’ Into the Night, Onstage and Off

The Domino Effect: Why Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs Continues to Impact Our Ears and Our Hearts

BY MIKE METTLER — JUNE 6, 2014

Born of pain and longing, their song had the power to break the unhappiness of the world. —from The Story of Layla and Majnum, by Ganjavi Nizami

“Laaaaaaaaay-la!” That instantly identifiable, gut-wrenching battle cry has rallied the bruised and battleworn hearts of countless listeners over the past 44 years […]

By |June 6th, 2014|The Soundtrack of Our Lives|Comments Off on The Domino Effect: Why Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs Continues to Impact Our Ears and Our Hearts

The Midnight Writer: Alan Paul on the Definitive Inside History of The Allman Brothers Band

BY MIKE METTLER

If knowledge is power, then Alan Paul is the chairman of The Allman Brothers board. His definitive inside history of The Allman Brothers Band, One Way Out (St. Martin’s Press), is one of the most thorough, in-depth, and best-researched rock biographies I’ve had the pleasure to read — and if you know […]

Slidin’ Onto Wax: Guitar Prodigy Derek Trucks Spins LPs Wherever He May Roam

BY MIKE METTLER

“That’s the cartridge you want — the one that’ll get you kicked out of the house!” And that’s Derek Trucks, empathizing over the price of high-end audiophile gear, both in terms of how it affects your wallet and your personal life. “I’ve had that conversation too,” he adds with a chuckle. The […]