Thursday, August 11 2011
The Return of 120 Minutes
120 Minutes returns to guide us through the alternative/indie/hip-hop/whatever-else universe. But what's a show to do when nothing's as hard to find as it used to be?
Wednesday, August 10 2011
The Human Collision: A Conversation with Matt Nathanson About Modern Love
Songwriter Matt Nathanson has just made his finest statement with his new album, Modern Love, a diverse collection of songs about relationships, sexuality, and intimacy in a rapidly changing world.
Monday, August 8 2011
Steve Earle’s ‘I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive’
A been-there-lived-it-attitude and street-level redemption, all propelled by a songwriter's/storyteller's lyrical and narrative knack.
Tuesday, August 2 2011
Born Again, Again
Critically panned 28 years ago, Black Sabbath's bizarre 11th album, Born Again, has gone on to earn a cult following of its own.
Monday, August 1 2011
Knocking on History’s Door with Singer-Songwriter Tom Russell
Deep in the texture of Tom Russell's songs exists a well-examined stockpile of history told from the point-of-view of a sociologist with nimble literary prowess.
Wednesday, July 27 2011
Are These the New Faces of Classic Rock?
Pick an established classic rock band which celebrated its heyday in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. The group stubbornly refuses to hang it up. They just need a new frontman.
Wednesday, July 20 2011
Is Country Music Treading Water in 2011?
It's been a dead enough year in country music to make fans wonder what's going on. Is the genre taking a year off, or just jogging in place for a while?
Monday, July 18 2011
The Hate for Southern Hip-Hop: Why So Serious?
The way some of us disparage Southern rap, you'd think rappers like Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame had recorded a record dissing Kool G. Rap and Big Daddy Kane.
Thursday, July 14 2011
I Was Dreamin’ When I Wrote This: A Trip to Tribute Land
For some fans, legendary artists of the past offer a fun diversion from the present. But what happens when that turns into an obsession?
Wednesday, July 13 2011
Call Me Uncontrollable: Deaf Muslim Filmmaker Sabina England
A Conversation with Deaf Muslim Filmmaker Sabina England about punk attitudes, Deaf identities, and Muslim treatment in post 9-11 America.
Monday, July 11 2011
Does ‘Treme’ Hate Modern Jazz?
Watching Treme, one might get the impression that modern jazz is the soundtrack for the soulless, and therefore has no place in New Orleans, pre- or post Hurricane Katrina.
Techno’s Labor Force, Rock’s Betrayal, and the Birth of the Fascist Groove Thing
Electronic music has always maintained an ambivalent attitude towards labor, at once rejecting the notion of wage internment and creative inhibition while embracing the beauty of the cyborgian mechanics of the factory and the allure of discipline and dominance.
Thursday, July 7 2011
Hall and Oates: Still Relevant. Still Rocking.
Hall and Oates use the internet and collaboration with young bands and artists to infuse their classic songs with modern sensibilities. This is why their concerts are filled with fans that were barely born when those songs were written.
Tuesday, June 28 2011
On Losing Superman: Gil Scott-Heron’s Rise, Fall, and All-Too-Brief Second Act
We thought Gil Scott-Heron was bulletproof. He wasn’t. We thought he’d know better. He didn’t. He was human. And I‘m New Here, not his greatest work, is his most human work.
Monday, June 20 2011
Waxing Nostalgic: The Mantras of the Music Geek
Four music geeks reunite to reminisce over their college days in the late '80s. Bold mantras about what's wrong with today's music ensue.
Thursday, June 16 2011
Prince’s Parade: It’s Really All About the Music
A large part of what I love about Prince is his ability to take his influences and synthesize them into a whole that suits his fancy. So it's not so much that he brings a new dish to the table. It's more that he explores new ways to enjoy what's already there.
Monday, June 13 2011
To Hell and Back: An Interview With Andy Sneap of Hell
Obscure New Wave of British Heavy Metal band Hell has made the unlikeliest of comebacks thanks to its biggest fan, who just so happens to be one of the most famous metal producers in the world.
Thursday, June 9 2011
Sorry, Parents of All Those Little Prodigies Out There, Jazz Is Not for Amateurs
Don’t you think that a 14-year-old singing “My man don’t love me, treats me awful mean” is kind of screwy?
Tuesday, June 7 2011
Idle Chatter About Paul Lansky
With "Notjustmoreidlechatter", Paul Lansky attempted to make a piece that would withstand the monotony of archival recording, future-proofed against the technological developments in the field of digital sound manipulation.
Friday, June 3 2011
“Kill Yourself for Recognition”: The Odd Future of Young Celebrity
When anticipation of death combines with the cult of celebrity, stars are pressured to literally give up the ghost -- or at least produce the effect through artistic means.
