Blogs
New Stuff
The Jazz Fest issue is done, and my soundtrack for it was LCD Soundsystem’s 45:33, Dimitri from Paris’ new mix Return to the Playboy Mansion (particularly his treatment of “Someday […]
EMP Conference notebook dump, pt. 2
The EMP Pop Conference took place last weekend in Seattle, with critics, journalists and academics delivering papers on popular music and popular culture. I was there delivering a paper titled […]
EMP Pop Conference notebook dump pt. 1
The EMP Pop Conference just concluded in Seattle, where I presented a paper, “The First Rule of Hurricanes” – notes on post-Katrina songs. The conference is an odd union of […]
The Hang
When OffBeat did its tribute to Fats Domino, C.C. Adcock and Derek Huston served as musical directors, and we put together a horn line that included Domino alumni Herbert Hardesty, […]
The Way-Back Machine
I was looking through George Wein’s autobiography Myself Among Others to see if I remember correctly that when he produced Newport Jazz Festivals, that they leaned on older jazz guys […]
The Road Not Taken
If not for Madonna’s painful need for significance, she’d make a record of dance pop as much fun as Kylie Minogue’s X.
How to Get Ink 101
A quick tip to bands that want press – make sure your Web site has a professional, high-resolution (300 dpi) photo of the band clearly marked on it, complete with […]
A Perfect Length
I’m currently in strong like with Earth, Roots and Water’s imminently pleasant Innocent Youths (Light in the Attic). I don’t think I’d like this reggae album from Toronto’s Summer Records […]
What Are Words Worth?
I’ve become perversely fascinated with this season of Big Brother, particularly since half of the house has found the Lord. As they talk, though, it becomes clear that their notion […]
The Fleshtones Sunday night
I’ve seen my share of scary Fleshtones shows. In the 1990s, the garage rock band didn’t seem to deal very well with an audience that was getting real jobs having […]
