INTERVIEW: UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER, April 2022 By Shane Pinnegar Udo Dirkschneider is one of the elder statesmen of Heavy Metal, having fronted German pioneers Accept from their foundation in 1976 through to his departure in 1987. Through that time he helmed the band through seven mighty studio albums, including the seminal Restless & Wild, Balls To […]
CD REVIEW: ROGUE MALE – HARD CASE RM2K MUSIC 2021 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 85% It’s been a long time since Rogue Male burned brightly but all-too-briefly in the mid ‘80s and delivered two essential albums, First Visit and Animal Man. Frontman Jim Lyttle recruited Bernie Tormé, Robin Guy and John McCoy for a 2009 […]
BOOK REVIEW: BECOMING MR NICE – THE HOWARD MARKS ARCHIVE by Amber Marks No Exit Press Rrp $39.99 Hardcover, November 2021 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 90% Howard Marks’ story remains a riveting ride, six years after his death and more than thirty years after he was ‘banged up’ in the USA for his drug smuggling […]
SINGLE REVIEW: THE VOLCANICS – Why’d Ya Do That? Independent April 2022 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 95% Let’s not mince words: the sound of a top-notch rock n’ roll band taking flight into the stratosphere and doing what they do is a beautiful, transcendent thing, and there are few who do it as well as […]
COOKBOOK REVIEW: Savory Dinner Pies From Around The Globe by Ken Haedrich Allen & Unwin/Murdoch Books January 2022 Rrp $35.00 By Shane Pinnegar 60% I’ll wager ol’ mate Ken Haedrich has never had to cater for a gluten free guest, such is his fascination with big ol’ meat (and seafood, and veg) pies, all lovingly […]
COOKBOOK REVIEW: BIG BOARDS FOR BIG FAMILIES by Sandy Coughlin Allen & Unwin Rrp $35.00 By Shane Pinnegar 68% Sandy Coughlin’s Big Boards For Big Families is an undeniably colourful affair, lovingly photographing and describing huge grazing boards designed to be shared by families (or, presumably) groups of friends. All too often Coughlin’s ideas lean […]
BOOK REVIEW: OASIS SUPERSONIC – The Complete Authorised and Uncut Interviews curated by Simon Halfon Headline Publishing Group 2021 Hardback Biography By Shane Pinnegar 89% Simon Halfon relates how he received a call from Oasis’ Noel Gallagher sometime in 2014 asking if he was busy. An old friend of some twenty years standing, Noel wanted […]
Five Things You Didn’t Know about BAD MOON BORN By lead singer JORDAN VON GRAE with Shane Pinnegar 1. Our Debut Album Is In the Works After a couple of stand-alone releases and a 5-track singles collection, we decided it was about time we let fly with our debut full-length record. We’re currently in the […]
BOOK REVIEW: ERUPTION – The Eddie Van Halen Story by Paul Brannigan Faber Social through Allen & Unwin November 2021 Paperback, $34.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography/ Rock and Roll 90% Paul Brannigan’s name should be familiar to most fans of rock and roll journalism from his stints writing for Kerrang!, Mojo, Rolling Stone, Q, […]
BOOK REVIEW: HOT STUFF – The Story of The Rolling Stones Through the Ultimate Memorabilia Collection by Matt Lee Welbeck, through Allen & Unwin November 2021 Hardcover, $49.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography/ Memorabilia/ Rock and Roll 90% Matt Lee has somehow managed to assemble a collection of memorabilia celebrating the extraordinary career of the […]
CD REVIEW: THE DATE – PREMEDIDATED Independent 2019 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 85% I’ve lost count of how many albums The Date have released to… errr… date. Is it four? Five? It’s an impressive catalogue, that’s for sure, and a few things are always guaranteed with any new release from these West Aussie rockers. Vocalist […]
BOOK REVIEW: DOC by Jon Bradshaw and Anne Souter Allen & Unwin October 2021 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography/ Rock and roll 70% It was difficult to not approach this biography of the mighty Doc Neeson with some scepticism. Written partly by Neeson’s childhood friend Jon Bradshaw, and partly by his last partner, […]
BOOK REVIEW: ASTERIX & THE GRIFFIN by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad Sphere through Hachette November 2021 Hard cover, $29.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Comic book, Graphic novel 93% The thirty-ninth Asterix book is a beauty, featuring all the elements that we know and love from the series (which was created by René Goscinny and […]
BOOK REVIEW: BAD BOY BOOGIE – THE TRUE STORY OF AC/DC LEGEND BON SCOTT by JEFF APTER Allen & Unwin August 2021 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography 85% There have been countless books and articles published about AC/DC frontman Bon Scott –some hack jobs containing nothing new for fans and followers, some personal […]
BOOK REVIEW: THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS by SOSUKE NATSUKAWA Picador September 2021 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Magical Realism, Fiction 80% Sosuke Natsukawa, a Japanese physician, welcomes you into the lonely world of Rintaro Natsuki, with the help of translator Louise Heal Kawai. Rintaro is what the Japanese refer to as hikikomari – […]
BOOK REVIEW: Set The Night On Fire by Robby Krieger with Jeff Alulis Hachette Australia October 2021 Hardcover, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography/ Rock and Roll 92% Robby Krieger writes about seeking enlightenment in this illuminating autobiography, penned with the help of Jeff Alulis. Judging by Krieger’s calm tone throughout, and the lack of […]
VINYL REVIEW: RAYGUN MORTLOCK – SALT MINE EP Independent Recorded 2019, Released 2021 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 85% A slab of barely contained vitriol from the four-man anarcho-noise destructopunks Raygun Mortlock is always welcome on the turntable of the 100% ROCK Armageddon Shelter. This clear vinyl 10” EP is housed in a garishly illustrated cover […]
CD REVIEW: FABRIZZIO GROSSI & SOUL GARAGE EXPERIENCE – COUNTERFEITED SOULSTICE VOL 1 Soul Garage Experience Recordings September 2021 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 81% You may be cool, but you’ll never be Fab Grossi cool. It’s not enough for this Italian born Californian rocker to exude cool whilst draped in rock n’ roll garb in […]
U2 Upgrade Their Sound and Instruments By Joining TikTok U2 has been smashing records and topping the rock charts for decades. The band was formed in the late 80s, composed of Bono (singer), Edge (guitarist and keyboardist), Adam Clayton, (bassist), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drummer). They have released notable hits like With Or Without You, […]
THE FIVE RECORDS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT – OSCAR KEANEY, THE IVORY LIES By Shane Pinnegar Hailing from Perth, Western Australia with a sound that is equal parts grunge monolith and hair metal party, The Ivory Lies are celebrating the release of their self-titled debut album. Read our review HERE. Their latest in a series […]
