In this week’s Saturday Video Roundup, a Labor Day Weekend tribute to excellence and innovation in music. First up, courtesy of Founding Scrogue Mike Sheehan, is Klaus Nomi, a unique performer if there ever was one. Voice of a mad castrati, visage from a Dadaist nightmare. He was among the first entertainers to die as a result of AIDS, in
Read moreThe mid-1970s were a wonderful time for music lovers. For starters, exciting and innovative new music was popping up all over the place. And when it did, it actually got played on the radio. The UK was especially fertile ground during this period, as scores of punk and New Wave acts emerged (many from the “pub rock” scene) in the
Read moreYour favorite Internet radio station is probably dark today in observance of a nationwide day of silence. Day of silence protest hits Net radio – Stations battle royalty hike By Cade Metz in San Francisco Published Friday 22nd June 2007 23:16 GMTOn Tuesday, more than 10,000 U.S. web radio broadcasters will participate in a nationwide “day of silence”, canceling their
Read moreWe went to see Once yesterday, and I came to an annoying realization. First off, let’s get this out of the way: go see this movie right now. I guess it’s a musical, in that a huge portion of the film is conducted in song and that the music is essentially integrated into the narrative. The story is at once
Read moreEditor & Publisher reports that the Clinton campaign is soliciting input for its official campaign song. The official choices are: The Dixie Chicks: “Ready to Run” U2: “City of Blinding Lights” U2: “Beautiful Day” Smash Mouth: “I’m a Believer” The Temptations: “Get Ready” Shania Twain: “Rock This Country” As much as I love U2, Hil’s chances of landing my vote
Read moreOne of the reasons our mission here at S&R is as broad as it is – our writers address cultural forms like literature and popular music as well as the hardball political issues that directly shape our public lives – emerges in part from my own feeling that too much politics is tough on the soul. It’s necessary, of course,
Read moreGo. Watch. This. Now.
Read moreYou may have noticed stories about the Copyright Royalty Board’s recent decision to jack the fees it charges Internet radio outlets. The initial response was dire – this move could force most Net radio off the air. Broadcasters appealed, but to no avail. And if the ruling makes no sense to you, you’re not alone:
Read moreWelcome to the annual Lullaby Pit “Best of” list. Let’s dive right in, shall we? The Slammy: CD of the Year Jets Overhead – Bridges
Read moreWelcome to the annual Lullaby Pit “Best of” list. And damn, what a year. The Slammy: CD of the Year Jeffrey Dean Foster – Million Star Hotel
Read more2004: the year of Nu Wave. And an interesting year, for me, because I’ve always thought the New Wave explosion of 1978-79 was the greatest musical moment of my life, and the “New Wave of the ‘80s” stuff that trailed along in its wake was frequently pretty cool, too. So when I realized that there was a new generation of
Read moreThrough the years, Jamie Hoover has not only produced a string of fantastic records with his band, The Spongetones, he has also produced, engineered, played with, and hung with damned near everybody, or so it seems from reading a comprehensive credit list. Yet somehow he remains one of those incredibly talented people who never quite reap the acclaim they deserve
Read more2003 was The Year When Everybody Died. The music world alone lost Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Hank Ballard, Howie Epstein, Johnny Paycheck, Barry White, Elliott Smith, Herbie Mann, Robert Palmer, and Bobby Hatfield. But for some of us, the worst blow came when the great Warren Zevon finally lost his battle with cancer on September 7. Fortunately, Warren had
Read moreAs I seem to note every year about this time, my “Best of” lists tend to suggest their own themes, and 2k2, despite some truly outstanding efforts from the US, UK, and the Commonwealth of Canadia, was clearly the year of the Swedish Invasion. Three bands from the Kingdom of Sverige – The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Kent, and The
Read moreI finally decided to thoroughly investigate Avril Lavigne’s CD. I had heard “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi” (In fact, I had both tracks on network81, one of my MP3.com stations). While I liked the tuneage – hooky, catchy – and Lavigne herself was cute as a bug, I couldn’t help noticing the lingering scent of product. You know, the aroma of
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