Rock

Anyone who has listened to Dylan’s songs has known that they are pure poetry.

From the sonic exuberance of “Dancin’ Fool” and “Tell Me You Love Me” to the funky dissonance of “You Are What You Is” and “Joe’s Garage” to the bathroom-humor excellence of “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow” and “Titties and Beer,” this album will give you just as much of a “taste” for Frank Zappa’s music as his son’s "Zappa Plays Zappa" did for me some eight years ago.

Bonamassa and his band fire on all cylinders on this live 2-CD or 2-DVD set. Recorded, amazingly, at a single sold-out Los Angeles concert in 2015, the selections pay tribute to the three "Kings" of the blues: Freddie King, Albert King, and Bonamassa's mentor B.B. King.

Back when the term "Americana" just meant pioneer-era antiques, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band was bringing American folk music into the pop-music mainstream. To celebrate half a century of making music, the group is releasing a live album of 18 favorite tunes recorded at Nashville's famous Ryman Auditorium, many featuring guest artists from the pantheon of folk, Americana, and country music.

For a less musically talented band, being able to reconceive the sounds within the songs physically and rhythmically could have turned this kind of release been a box set of cheap sonic “tricks” designed to fool the listener into thinking the extra money it costs to buy the “enhanced” version of an album was well worth it. For Chicago? It allowed them to see just what was possible with the sound.

Hundred Waters, Oh Wonder, and FKA Twigs headlined the closing day of Symbiosis Gathering at Woodward Reservoir Regional Park near Oakdale, California, on Sept. 25, 2016.

The slightly prepubescent vocals work well in giving the entire set an almost innocent and hopeful feel.

Folk-rock from accomplished veterans and hard rock from precocious teenagers.

Gramatik, Beats Antique, Santigold, RL Grime, and FKA Twigs headline Symbiosis Gathering 2016 at Woodward Reservoir Regional Park near Oakdale, California on September 22-25, 2016.

The band's ongoing fight with the U.S. Trademark Office over its name hasn't sapped the creativity of the Portland, Oregon-based Asian dance-rock group.