Celebrating Community
After two very slow pieces for strings, organ and accordion – of which he was not a part – on a December night at Roulette in Downtown Brooklyn, Mick Barr walked onstage gripping his guitar by the neck and addressed the audience with a slight grin, saying simply, “Ear plugs?” He tested the amp with a quick strum, sounding more […]
I arrive out of the concrete cold into the warm foyer of the tabernacle. My pals Tom and Joe are deep in conversation. I catch the end of the back and forth and hear “the Blood of Christ.” I query what this is all about. I am let into the secret and told that they are thinking of an appropriate […]
The first time I saw Hugh Pool perform, I was deep in conversation with an old friend, Tom Vaught, at the enchanting but since departed Lakeside Lounge. Suddenly from the stage, a long-haired, National guitar-picking, slide-screaming, harmonica-through-amplifier, screeching force came soaring like a nip-soaked cat on fire in a bag filled with rabid dogs on acid. Our jaws became acquainted […]
In this giant international city where supposedly everything is available 24 hours a day, there is one thing that’s in short supply: live blues. Where to go to hear the blues? B.B. King’s Blues Club closed in April, 2018, and Hank’s Saloon is now interred in the cemetery. You can try to stroll by 55 Bar on Christopher Street and […]
In my wayward youth, before I accidentally found my true mission in life, I applied for a job at ASCAP – the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The position was Deputy Under Assistant to the Radio Associate or some such ridiculous title. The work required successful applicants to tune across the AM/FM dials and identify the music they […]
The recent death of Juice WRLD (pronounced “juice world”) is yet another famous causuality by drug abuse. Jarad Anthony Higgins, age 21, was a gifted and rising musician, praised critically and supported by devoted listeners. During his short career, Juice WRLD would release hit songs like “Lucid Dreams” (peaking at number 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart), complete an international […]
On November 21, Robyn Hitchcock performed two sets at Murmrr, a Brooklyn synagogue which periodically programs cutting-edge folk and rock. The show was originally meant to be a double bill with Tanya Donnelly (Throwing Muses, The Breeders, Belly) opening, but for reasons unclear, she was unable to appear. Though Donnelly was missed, fans of Hitchcock were able to enjoy even […]
Listening to music on the speaker of a cell phone is about as enjoyable as eating a burrito through a straw. You can get the taste but did you really experience the textures it had to offer? Ok, get yourself a damn high quality stereo already and listen to it often. Yes, vinyl is that good; it’s not just a […]
Like most people, my introduction to Jamaican music started with Bob Marley, whose aptly titled hits collection Legend set my standard for all other reggae music. Soon after I discovered Peter Tosh, Toots and The Maytals, Black Uhuru, and more. A family trip to Jamaica in the spring of ‘87 exposed me to the dancehall styles of Admiral Bailey and […]
For an artist of such enormous popularity for such a long period of time, Prince was never one to fall in line with expectations. He played sexuality and spirituality side by side, willfully crossed perceived lines of race, gender and musical genre and insisted on musical autonomy where most artists in his league happily cash the corporate checks. So an […]