London in the late 1970s was trash. Literally. Every street was lined with bags of refuse. Flies buzzed around moldy garbage that often sat for weeks at a time. The haulers were on strike. Prime Minister James Callaghan ignored the trade unions’ demands for higher pay. When pressed by the media over the widespread strikes, […]
Solid Sound Festival returned to the Berkshires for the biennial festival which saw fans literally of all ages making a trek to MASS MoCA to see Jeff Tweedy and company celebrate the release of their latest release, Cruel Country. We enlisted a Berkshires resident to document the show and his back still hurts from standing for […]
Kenny Loggins may forever be associated with his era-defining contributions to the soundtracks for such ’80s classics as Caddyshack, Footloose and Top Gun, but they are just a few of the countless milestones in his eventful, 50-plus-year career in music. Already a folk-rock superstar by his early 20s as part of the duo Loggins & […]
I am sitting at the bar at the Tam O’Shanter, a Scottish steakhouse in the Atwater Village neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles, jotting down some notes for this article. Basic research stuff: the Whos, the Whats, the Whens. I already know quite a lot about my subjects, having been a fan for nearly 30 years. […]
Bullet-proof vests, helmets, tourniquets, burn kits, trauma kits, gas masks, knee pads, pain medication… I’m one of three people checking thirty suitcases full of tactical gear and medical aid onto a LOT flight from LAX to Warsaw, Poland. There the suitcases will be picked up by men who are unknown to me, men with vans who […]
“When I realized it made girls like me,” Conor Maynard jokes, about how he decided to commit his life to music. Whatever the motivation, his reputation for soul-searing, flawless vocals has earned the Brighton, UK-born pop star well-deserved global stardom. It’s been a full decade since Conor won MTV’s Brand New for 2012 Award, competing […]
With Hangout Fest fast approaching, we caught up with one of the festival’s major acts, Madeon, for an epic summertime playlist. We present Madeon’s Beach Essentials: Men I Trust – LaurenThat bassline is too infectious ! Perfect 2pm beach lounging music. Toro y Moi – MississippiI could put that entire album as this playlist, I’m such a […]
In SPIN‘s new festival-based video series, “Walk With Me,” we take a stroll through festival grounds, cities, venues and more with some of our favorite artists. For the first episode, we went for a quick walk around Coachella with Missy from Mannequin Pussy to chat about the band’s two-year wait to perform, discuss punk rock at […]
I don’t want to hear about your local comedy scene. Honestly, it just doesn’t compare. You don’t have people who scrape ice off of their cars and slide out in brown slush just to try out five minutes of new material. If you’re talking about Chicago, it’s expected. When you’re talking about Des Moines, Iowa, […]
(Editor’s note: SPIN contributor Marissa R. Moss’s book, Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed, is out today. Moss interviewed 70 sources for it, which traces how difficult it is to win when there are so many obstacles to clear. In this exclusive excerpt from Her Country, […]