Monday, November 21 2011
When Indie Musicians “Go Country”
A lot of these indie musicians who wouldn’t call themselves "country" sound more country to me than Rascal Flatts or, for that matter, than Fleet Foxes, who are described as “alt-country”.
Wednesday, November 16 2011
All That We Learned About Livin’: John Mellencamp’s Legacy
At nearly every level of his career, John Mellencamp used his great music to send the message that quarry workers, farmers, single mothers, and everyday people are just as important as rock stars with supermodel wives.
Monday, November 14 2011
Symbolic Weight & the Def Jam Aesthetic
A coffee table book about rap does not sound too "hardcore" or "gangsta", does it? Well, that's because it's not. What it just might be is sincere.
Monday, November 7 2011
The Battle to Stay Relevant
Watching your favorite band become irrelevant is like watching Michael Jordan unable to elevate high enough to dunk in his final year in the NBA.
Friday, November 4 2011
The Quest to Understand Tribe
This is supposed to be a documentary, not a fan letter. So how about some balance? It's big picture time when it comes to telling the story of hip-hop.
Tuesday, November 1 2011
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or Shame?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced its 15 nominees for its 2012 induction class. Once again, that means the blogosphere is abuzz with complaints about the Hall's irrelevancy. Are they legitimate?
Friday, October 28 2011
Art Endures, Capitalism Degenerates: The Evolving Career of Amanda Palmer
The arts have always suffered and survived in times of economic depression. Amanda Palmer has forged a career that has not only weathered the recession, but rejects the received wisdom of the music industry. Is she an exception to the rule, or an example other artists should follow?
Thursday, October 20 2011
Geniuses Are People, Too
Creative geniuses don’t succeed despite their flaws, they succeed because they are flawed.
Monday, October 17 2011
Old Country Comfort: How the British Might Save American Music (Again)
The British saved rock 'n' roll, reignited the blues, and may just make country music more American.
Wednesday, October 12 2011
Mohawks and Korans: Taqwacores Punk Mash-up
The Taqwacore movement seizes space in the punk narrative and social fabric, which allows Muslim voices to take root and explore their own version of rebellion.
Monday, October 10 2011
The Survival of the Industrial Sonic in a Deindustrialized West
In the '90s, industrial music crossed over into the mainstream with heavy guitar and massive personalities, but blue collar labor itself was disappearing...
Thursday, October 6 2011
Country Music’s Me-First Jesus
These days, a country singer will bow down to Jesus at least once by the end of his album, even if he spent the rest of it cheatin’, mistreatin’ and fightin’. Jesus is that reliable way to feel good even if you’ve been acting bad.
Tuesday, October 4 2011
Was Grunge the Last American Musical Revolution?
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten. In revisiting the grunge genre which altered the musical landscape two decades ago, the question arises: was this our last musical revolution?
Monday, October 3 2011
What’s the Word? With Obscure Language Like Music Speak, It’s Hard not to Feel Like a n00b
Music writers and IT guys have a lot in common – at least when it comes to their cultivated, insular jargon.
Friday, September 30 2011
Chuck Eddy Will Piss You Off with ‘Rock and Roll Always Forgets’
Buy this infuriating and brilliant book. But get it in softcover. You'll be throwing it against your wall.
Thursday, September 29 2011
The Future of Music Looks Like a Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland
I can just imagine some kind of electromagnetic pulse taking out all of the world's computers, leaving us with little more than the Ferrante and Teicher albums that litter every thrift store in the country.
Thursday, September 22 2011
Watch the Discourse: Luxury Rap, Success and Self-Absorption
The value of a release as large as Watch the Throne is that it goes beyond the gargantuan personalities involved or even the monster show dates designed to promote it. Part of the value is the discussion it generates.
Monday, September 19 2011
A ‘Dear John’ Letter to Jazz: To Hell with Loving You
Jazz is unpopular, pretentious, sexist, a window-dressing for those seeking "class", and more. Why shouldn't I give up loving it?
Friday, September 16 2011
Epistolary Rex, The Sharp Hunger for Letters: Conversations with Peter Case
A poetic series of ruminations between a journalist and his subject, a folk-hero rebel rocker, who celebrate years of friendship by exploring the rocky, jolting, and quasi-spiritual experiences that shaped both of their lives.
Monday, September 12 2011
We Piss Anywhere: ‘Sympathy for Mick Jagger’
Mick Jagger is the devil; the avatar for the swaggering, fatally self-assured hedonist who will piss anywhere with a cocky smirk written all over his face that only confirms there is nothing you can do to stop him.
