Mike Mettler

ALBUM RELEASE NEWSNew Wax Wednesday
Dawn Drake & ZapOte Cross-Pollinate a Heady Multi-Cultural Sonic Brew on Stunning New LP, Nightshade
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 30, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 30, 2025  |  comments

To borrow a line from the late great Oscar Peterson, “We get requests.” What I mean by that is, we here at AP are constantly inundated with album review requests on a daily basis — and while we can’t cover them all (as much as we’d like to!), sometimes, that certain special LP makes it through to our tables and ears, reminding us why we do what we do. Case in point is NYC-based multi-instrumentalist Dawn Drake, who reached out to us via email to see if we would review Nightshade, a self-released LP credited to her full band, Dawn Drake & ZapOte. Read on to see why the worldbeat-meets-funk grooves of Nightshade are worth getting on your turntable ASAP. . .

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Phono Preamp Reviews
Grimm Audio PW1 Phono Preamp
Ken Micallef,  |  Jul 28, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 28, 2025  |  comments

Nestled in the lowlands of the Netherlands, Grimm Audio has carved out quite a nice niche for itself, one that resonates with precision engineering and well-reviewed sound quality. With that in mind, we were quite eager to get our respective hands on the Grimm Audio PW1 phono preamp. Read Ken Micallef and Mike Mettler’s combo review to see if the PW1 is able to deliver robust and precise handling of instruments and vocals as well as potent bass, and if it can also maintain a balanced tonal and frequency profile. . .

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FeaturesVinyl Reports
Under Dark Cover: Remembering Ozzy Osbourne Through 15 Choice Cover Versions on Vinyl
Mike Mettler,  |  Jul 27, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 27, 2025  |  comments

It’s been a mere 5 days since Ozzy Osbourne passed away at age 76 on July 22, 2025. On that day, we posted an abbreviated tribute to the man and his music on AP, with the added kicker that we’d be posting more about him a little bit later. After AP editor Mike Mettler conferred with main LP reviewer Mark Smotroff, we decided to take a different approach with our tribute. Read on to see our collective choices of 15 great tracks on wax that best honor the legacy of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. . .

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New Wax WednesdayVinyl Reports
Holy Grail 180g 1LP Reissue of Buckingham Nicks Is Set for September 19
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 23, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 23, 2025  |  comments

Direct from the WWNC files (as in, “Will Wonders Never Cease”) comes an LP reissue that so many of us have been hoping and praying to get back onto our turntables for literal decades — and now, it’s finally come unfrozen. I’m talking about September 1973’s Buckingham Nicks, perhaps one of the last true Holy Grails of coveted 1970s vinyl, and it is finally set to be reissued under the auspices of the oft-excellent Rhino High Fidelity series on September 19, 2025. Read on to see the source materials and how you can pre-order your copy (or copies!) of Buckingham Nicks today. . .

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FeaturesNews
RIP Ozzy Osbourne, Prince of Melodic Darkness
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 22, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 22, 2025  |  comments

Ozzy Osbourne passed away earlier today, July 22, 2025, at age 76, just a few scant weeks removed from the triumphant Back to the Beginning celebration of Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s storied and eternally influential respective legacies at the already legendary all-day event that took place at Villa Park on July 5, 2025, in their hometown of Birmingham, England. Read on to see our in-the-moment appreciation of his long and storied legacy on vinyl . . .

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Analog Gear News
Schiit Audio Stjarna Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 21, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 21, 2025  |  comments

It’s time to get into some really good. . . stuff. And what I mean by that is, it’s time to see what the mighty amp manufacturer Schiit Audio has been up to of late — and we’re happy to report that the 15-year-old company has a new phono preamp, the Stjarna, for us to, er, dig into. Read on to see all the features and specs of the newly dropped Schiit Audio Stjarna phono pre. . .

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Analog Gear News
Music First Audio LP 103 LCR Phono Preamp
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 17, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 17, 2025  |  comments

British manufacturer Music First Audio, long known for their stellar preamps and the transformers that are found within them, have announced their latest phono preamp, the LP 103 LCR. Read on to see all the specs and features of the sleek-looking LP 103 LCR. . .

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New Wax Wednesday
Robert Plant Sows the Seeds for New Saving Grace LP to Sprout Forth on September 26
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 16, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 16, 2025  |  comments

Well, he can’t sit still, and you know that he’s moving again. I’m speaking about, of course, the perpetual wanderer known as Robert Plant, who earlier today just announced the release of his latest solo LP, Saving Grace, which will arrive on vinyl via Nonesuch on September 26, 2025. Read on to see who comprises this new Saving Grace collective, and what the vinyl offerings for Plant’s tall cool new LP shall be. . .

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Interviews
Howard Jones on Live Aid at 40, Plus Creating New Songs and Melodic Compositions for His Latest Limited Edition 180g LP, Piano Composed Ivory
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 13, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 13, 2025  |  comments

To say Live Aid altered the course of many an artist’s career exactly 40 years ago today on July 13, 1985, would be an understatement of epic proportions. One such artist got to do so with one single solitary solo performance — keyboardist/vocalist Howard Jones. Forty years on, Jones continues to create new and vital work, in addition to touring his long-loved hits. To cover all of the then and now bases, Jones and AP editor Mike Mettler got on the horn together across the Pond to discuss his compositional thought processes behind what appears on the vinyl version of his new limited-edition 180g LP Piano Composed Ivory, his most vivid recollections of performing at Live Aid, and which two British uber-superstars got a truly private performance backstage of a song Jones didn’t get to perform for the gathered Live Aid masses. . .

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New Wax Wednesday
David Bowie’s Massive Late-Period I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 – 2016) 180g 18LP Box Set Is Destined for Release on September 12
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 09, 2025  |  First Published: Jul 09, 2025  |  comments

Let’s face the music and dance, shall we? And what I mean by that is a new, and quite big, David Bowie box set is a-coming. It’s titled (number included!) 6. I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 – 2016), and it will be released in a massive 180g 18LP collection via Parlophone on September 12, 2025. Read on to see which key twilight-era Bowie albums are on it, in addition to what comprises its formidable amount of previously unreleased-on-vinyl contents. . .

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