In the popular poker game Texas Hold ‘Em, the concept of going all in is when you put all your cards on the table and offer up your life—win or lose—to the fates. This is exactly what super-duper guitarist Ned Evett did with the Adrian Belew-produced Treehouse. He left his wife, he left his life, he watched Boise, Idaho, disappear in his rear-view window. He went on the road opening for Joe Satriani on a six-month tour. While in Milan, Italy, he met King Crimson guitarist and singer Adrian Belew.

“My marriage of 20 years was dissolving anyway,” he explains. “It’s funny. I’m actually from Nashville, Tennessee, originally, but I was living in Boise. So I came back home, basically. Treehouse is a lot about coming back home artistically and literally. Adrian and I hit it off so well he invited me to come to Nashville to start this project. It was basically all cards on the table. I’m all in with this record.”

Treehouse­ has Malcom Bruce on bass (son of Cream’s Jack…

The media in the New York City area tends to blow things out of proportion more often than they should in the sports world. It seems like every time a team loses a game or two, the coach gets heavily scrutinized, talks emerge about whether he’s actually the right man for the job, etc. The fans are somewhat the same way in that they are so dedicated to their teams that they won’t put up with losing. But ever since the New York Jets failed to make the playoffs, both the media and the fans are well within their rights to be in an uproar after stories keep emerging about how much the organization is crumbling.

The problems started three weeks ago during the final game of the season, when star wide receiver Santonio Holmes got into a heated argument with offensive tackle Wayne Hunter. Holmes, who agreed to a five-year, $45 million contract before the season began, was benched for the remainder of the must-win game. His leadership was seriously questioned and it resulted…

Joyful Noise

Warner Brothers

Rated PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference.

Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton Co-Star in Gospel-Driven Musical Drama

When choir director Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) passes away unexpectedly, Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) finds himself on the horns of a dilemma. Should he promote the dearly departed deacon’s deserving assistant, Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah), or award the position to his grieving widow, G.G. (Dolly Parton)?

After agonizing over the decision, the good reverend settles on the former, potentially risking the survival of Sacred Divinity, since the well-to-do Sparrow family is the cash-strapped Church’s major benefactor. By comparison, life’s a struggle for Vi Rose and most of the other citizens of Pacashau, Georgia.

The economic recession has turned the once-thriving town into a decaying metropolis marked by foreclosure signs, a soup kitchen packed with the homeless, and a business district dotted with vacant storefronts.

G.G.’s grudgingly ratifying the appointment of Vi Rose is the answer to the prayers of Pastor Dale who is desperate to avoid creating a rift in…

1960s folkie Phil Ochs tried, and failed, to change the world with song

American Masters

Monday, 7:30 p.m., (PBS)

   Phil Ochs was a singer and guitarist at the heart of the 1960s protest-folk movement. “Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune” on American Masters explores his passionate commitment to peace and justice, as he strummed his way through endless anti-segregation and anti-war demonstrations.

The documentary is persuasive when arguing for Ochs’ unerring moral compass, less so when arguing for his artistry. He desperately wanted to be considered Bob Dylan’s equal as a songwriter but lacked genius—indeed, often lacked taste. Ochs wrote the same folk tune over and over, with corny rhymes based on the day’s headlines. After atrocious experiments with orchestral arrangements, his popularity waned in the early ‘70s. He became disillusioned by his movement’s lack of progress and killed himself at 35 in the midst of depression and alcoholism.

As badly as Ochs’ music has aged, the documentary makes a case for him as a historical footnote. It’s not Dylan-level stature, but it’s…

There are few metal bands these days that aren’t looking up at Lamb Of God. The Richmond, VA-based band that long branded their style as “Pure American Metal” hasn’t lost a step in an increasingly competitive scene; they remain on top thanks to a stream of great albums and relentless live performances.

Their latest studio effort, Resolution, is due out on Jan. 24, and it’s as searing a pile of metal as you’re likely to crash into in 2012. From the lumbering sludge of opener “Straight For The Sun,” to the single, “Ghost Walking,” to the hardcore-affected “The Number Six” and insidious closer “King Me,” the new album is stock Lamb Of God, and that’s not something that can be taken lightly.

John Campbell, Lamb Of God bassist, humorist and all-around good guy, was busy preparing for a lengthy album cycle when he joined The Aquarian via phone for the following interview. The results—nay, the resolution follows.

What’s your headspace as far as the new album goes?

   We’re very excited. It’s like two…