I finally got the new Okkervil River, The Stage Names. It’s everything they do sublimely: tortured confessions, despair verging on exuberance, evocative lyrics. It’s even got a sorta cover of one of my favorite Beach Boys songs, “Sloop John B.” Okkervil River – Our Life is Not a Movie or…
Common is one of my favourite artists of all time. I remember being 17, hearing that last line to I Used to Love H.E.R. and being so hungry to go to America and hear hip hop up close. I Used to Love H.E.R. (MP3) I finally tracked down a copy…
It seems I’ve succumbed to the marketing machinery that is Swedish music. I remember reading a New York Times article last year about musicians getting government subsidies and support in an effort to market the country, raise its visibility, and spread its cultural exports. Sweden is one of these countries….
Last night I went to see the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Six members of this crazy marching band with hip-hop spirit are all sons of Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Kelan Phil Cochran. The seventh is the drummer. I know nothing about jazz, barely more about hip-hop, but the exuberance and charm…
I run into a certain type of small band from time to time. They’ve been around for ages, but for some reason or another they’ve never crossed my radar. Not subject to the blog storm or hype fury, they quietly do their thing until I read about them by chance….
Last week I picked up Ola Podrida’s self-titled album at my trusty neighborhood record store, Etherea. Yes folks, I still buy CDs. When I first read about Ola Podrida, which is David Wingo’s outfit, the reverse career direction is what first made me go seek it out. David Wingo is…
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