Blogs

Stevie Nicks is over here stealing hearts and making history once again. She will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a second time as a solo artist. She was first inducted to the Hall of Fame In 1998 with Fleetwood Mac. She is the first female to be...

Cat Power - Wanderer (2018) Genre: Folk, blues, indie rock Verdict: An album as personal as a whisper. In 2006, when Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Chan Marshall aka Cat Power released her album “The Greatest,” she wasn’t lying by calling herself that. I find it hard...

SXSW is several things rolled into one: music festival, large networking event, tech-forward conference and, as some might say, a “shit-show”. This year’s SXSW, held in Austin, TX from Mar. 8-17, featured new artists on...

When I was in elementary school I decided to do band along with chorus. This was a big step for a kid who only had started practicing karate for literally no reason other than to share some something with Sandy Cheeks from SpongeBob. Band was different though.  I...

Music scholars often describe "punk" as more of a feeling or attitude than a music genre, yet critics often have strict guidelines for what can be defined as “punk” and “not punk.” The Japanese band CHAI, technically speaking, is far outside these "punk" guidelines...

Genre is dead, and I say “good riddance!” Or at least that’s the popular opinion. In music journalism today, it’s regarded as an absolutely white-hot take to say that genre is a goner. Look at Medium, The Guardian, Pitchfork, even the New York Times, and you’ll find...

Last Tuesday night, legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac took the stage at the Capital One Arena for a sold-out show. Decent seats were selling for $200+ apiece, but that did nothing to deter people from coming out in droves, many of whom drove several hours into D.C. to...

The most cliché answer to the question “what kind of music do you like?” that a person can think of is probably, “anything except rap or country.” The former is ridiculous of a multitude of reasons, and may be rooted into some sort of implicit, unexamined racism while...

If you haven’t seen the numerous posts, shares, and likes from your Facebook friends just yet, let me be the first to tell you that your favorite teenage heartthrobs are getting back together. That’s right! After six long painful years, the Jonas Brothers are finally...

I would consider myself fairly well versed in jazz and rock, both as a listener and as a musician. Using my knowledge and experience I can analyze a performance from each of these styles and talk about the achievements and shortcomings of that performance. I’ve also...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsZjIKHdlW0 Sorry for the delay, but I’m back and here to pull some more in-depth thoughts out of music, and this week it’s none other than One Direction. You may be thinking, “there is no way you could pull some meaningful messages out...

I take melatonin because I have hard time sleeping. Sometimes there’s no need for me to “wake” as I might end up remaining conscious all through a given night anyway. I’m straight edge and a lousy cook, so “bake” isn’t applicable to me at all in any definition of the...

Recording artist Vince Staples has come a long way since his humble beginnings in Ramona Park, Long Beach, California. The standout rapper is a cynical, compelling figure who has achieved complete creative control over his craft, and whose tweets get as much press as...

William Daron Pulliam is known to diehard soul fans as Darondo--an elusive singer with a distinctly powerful voice. Graham Reid wrote a detailed and comprehensive history of the singer on Elsewhere, after his unfortunate passing in 2013. It seems Darondo has always...

Earlier this month Denzel Curry performed a cover of the Rage Against the Machine classic “Bulls on Parade.” It was amazing to say the least. Energetic, angry, and sweaty-all the things one would want in a rendition of a RATM tune. Performances like this one that...

You’d have to be living under a rock not to recognize the cover for Ariana Grande’s latest #1 album, thank u, next. It’s the eagerly anticipated, confident breakup album currently taking the world by storm. Following the release of the album, Grande quickly snagged...

Author’s note: I originally wrote this piece in sorta flaccid academic style last spring, when Saturation III was still a hot release and we didn’t yet know how hard Ameer Vann sucks. Nonetheless I stand by this song and my take on it (which might be rendered even...

“BLK Magic” by iLLism speaks to the intrinsic value of Black culture just in time for Black History Month.   Black culture, via an American lens, is rich. It can be argued that American Black culture: a blend of eurocentric standards, western religion, antebellum...

Content Warning: discussions of sexual assault, abuse, and substance use   Article contains spoilers for A Star is Born (2018)   Last week, the New York Times published an exposé of singer-songwriter, Ryan Adams, in which several women accused him of sexual...

Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming (2011, Daptone) Genre: R&B/Soul Verdict: The real deal, no time machine present. The late Charles Bradley was cut from the same cloth that made James Brown and Sam Cooke musical deities. However, despite his natural talents,...

Procrastination got the best of me. On January 24, 2019, Weezer came out with their twelfth studio album, and fifth self-titled album, also known as the Teal Album. Yet here we are, about three weeks later finally sitting down, ready to talk about it. I listened to...

Verdict: Pop and sound is everywhere! Money! One of the most notable bands to come out of the 2000s indie rock smorgasbord, Atlanta band Deerhunter have always jumped out different styles and genres throughout each release. The band can go funky on one release (Fading...

The topic for this article could make for a compelling 200-page memoir in and of itself but I’ve been tossing this concept around in my head for awhile and I suppose it’s time I spilled some guts before they spill themselves for me. If you haven’t already taken a hint...

It’s another day, and indie/folk songstress Phoebe Bridgers has created another side project, this time a collab with indie rock titan and Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst under the moniker Better Oblivion Community Center. Oberst and Bridgers have performed...

There really isn’t any way I can describe this song clearly. It is basically just one big groovy feel fest. I picked this song because the first line mentions Hermann Hesse who was a German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter who received the Nobel Prize in...

I’ve been a drummer for about half my life. My involvement in playing music has greatly influenced the artists I have listened to. Most, if not all, of the music on pop radio in my formative years was rhythmically monotonous. I’m not saying that songs that weren’t...

There’s a lot of perks to being short, especially at a concert. For example……  well, I can’t think of any right now. However, it didn’t matter that the tallest people in North America were standing in front of me for the first half of Young the Giant. Front man,...