Video: Liz Phair – “And He Slayed Her” Almost two years after she self-released the album, Funstyle, Liz Phair finally got around to making a video for its best song, a hateful attack on Andy Slater, the man who convinced her to turn her back on her fans and work with the Matrix to re-invent [...]
Strange Fruit: The Beatles’ Apple Records (Sexy Intellectuals) As record companies become less and less relevant in today’s digital age, the story of The Beatles’ own foray into the record business stands to risk its own extinction. While it is exciting to watch the industry transform back into a singles-based culture with the gap between [...]
I don’t remember exactly when it was, but sometime early in 2011, Karl Denson asked his Facebook fans a pressing question: What album should Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (KDTU) perform in its entirety on its next tour? I remember I submitted a suggestion. I think it was Bill Wither‘s Just As I Am, but don’t quote [...]
How do you go from playing a gig for the President of the United States on the South Lawn of the White House to nothing in three years? Because if I’m reading the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s bio correctly, these hillbillies from Georgia were an even bigger bust than Jimmy Carter, managing to squander a top ten album that went platinum in just six months in 1978 to have all but disappeared by the time Ronald Reagan took over in Washington.
Stream: Dawes – “Something Fine” Dawes has an obvious affection for Jackson Browne. Singer Taylor Goldsmith’s voice sounds so similar to Browne’s, it took me a long time to realize that Browne contributed vocals to “Fire Away” on last year’s Nothing Is Wrong. They even played a couple of songs together for Occupy Wall Street [...]
Like any good Gen-Xer I have been sharing my love for the Beastie Boys with my son. It’s become more focused and poignant with Adam Yauch’s passing and so when I see stuff like this I can’t help but smile and feel good knowing there are other cool-ass kids out there learning about the band. [...]
Saint Vitus – Lillie: F-65 (Season of Mist) The running joke with Saint Vitus’ 1986 record Born Too Late was that it confirmed what everyone already knew about the band. It’s like someone stumbled across a lost tribe of the Sons of Silence motorcycle club where downers was part of their food pyramid and the [...]
Video: The Hives – “Go Right Ahead” The Hives are back with a new single that won’t bring you down…Bruce! Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is in fine form, decked out in a top hat and cape, and mugging with his best Lux Interior faces. America needs more cape rock. The new album, Lex Hives, is due [...]
This is unlike any other music festival I’ve experienced, not because it takes place in myriad locations about the west-side neighborhood all at the same time, but because the performance spaces are people’s porches, backyards, stoops, and living rooms, usually belonging to the musicians themselves.
I knew this day was coming. When the Beastie Boys announced that Adam Yauch would be to unable attend the group’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame my first thought was, Oh shit. Three weeks later, my fears proved correct. I loved the Beastie Boys the first time I heard them. A [...]
