In 1959, University of Detroit staffers slipped three silent 45s into the student union jukebox, designed to allow the purchase of peace and quiet during Bobby Darin and Paul Anka barrages. The blanks soon became so popular that needle-burn replaced their hush with the sound of bacon cooking, leading Student Council President Mike McCann to […]
As one of rock’s most legendary guitarists, the creator of the ominous riff for the song “Black Sabbath” — not to mention the soundscape of the ubiquitous chant-along “Iron Man” and many dozens of other iconic Sabbath songs, Tony Iommi is one easygoing, unassuming bloke. His melodic sense has even led some to term Sabbath […]
When I was in 7th grade, Christine McVie was like a friend, probably because I had so few. It was one of those cruel middle school mysteries: I left 6th grade popular, the first girl in class to wear eyeliner, but when I returned from summer vacation, everything had changed. As I learned of loneliness, […]
I lived in London in the ‘80s, studying fashion while working with a clothing designer. On the weekends we’d hit the different markets, selling the original pieces we’d made. Portobello Market and Kensington were the main markets. Kensington was the famous underground market that featured independent fashion designers, and everything that came out of there was […]
Only Mississippian Jimbo Mathus and Chicagoan Andrew Bird could compose an album so different from their platinum-selling Squirrel Nut Zippers’ roots, yet with the same sense of tender nostalgia that will endure until the end of time. Co-written and performed exclusively by the two of them, their new record, These 13, is undoubtedly American folk, […]
In honor of Black History Month, poet Vievee Francis remembered Marvin Gaye with two poems. MARVIN GAYE: MERCY Take Marvin Gaye. His father had no mercy. Paranoia does that. Mercy is spat like spinach between the teeth. It slips out in a pee stream. Those without, never had it or lost it by adulthood. A […]
While it’s been a challenge for bands to collaborate in person over the last year, archival releases have been booming. And over the course of this first quarter, lots of goodies have dropped. Here are some of the most worthy entries in the reissue world. Black SabbathVol. 4 Deluxe Edition (Rhino)Heaven and Hell Deluxe Edition […]
This film will do much to educate those unaware of the immense talent that bubbled out of Nashville, and then Texas, in the ‘70s. The documentary, Without Getting Killed or Caught, tells the story of three immensely talented and interconnected artists: Guy Clark, his best friend Townes Van Zandt and Susanna Clark, who loved them […]
I told them it was in New Jersey. “Just a train ride away,” I said, which was a lie but, after spending an hour hitting “refresh” to get tickets, I couldn’t risk telling my friends where the concert really was. To be fair, Atlantic City is much farther from Manhattan than I thought. It wasn’t […]
Cleveland’s Coventry Village, a neighborhood lined with vintage shops, restaurants and bars was once the hippest area in the city. Located in leafy Cleveland Heights on the city’s east side, the once-bustling area has been quiet since the pandemic hit. Few more so than one of the area’s few constants: independent music venue The Grog Shop. Nestled […]