2012 Grammy Awards Live Blog

We'll be live-blogging the whole thing, from the reunited Beach Boys/Foster the People collaboration (if Brian Wilson plays "Pumped Up Kicks," we'll scream) to all the major awards. Check back here at 8 p.m. EST to follow along.  read more

Sennheiser/Paste Party in Austin Preview: Glen Hansard

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland Members: Glen Hansard (guitar, vocals) Album: The Swell Season, Strict Joy (2009) Sennheiser & Paste are teaming up for a three-day party during SXSW. Sennheiser & Paste Present the Stages on Sixth will feature 33 of our favorite bands in Austin, Texas, March 14 to 16. During the 33 days leading up to the event, we’re previewing a different band each day. We hope to see you in Austin—RSVP if you can make it. And don’t worry if you can’t; we’ll be posting video of each performance. Irish troubadour Glen Hansard has his hands and iconic beard...  read more

Hospitality: The Best of What's Next

Amber Papini just arrived home to her Brooklyn apartment, finally unwinding with a bottle of water and handful of vitamins—after a long day of teaching second graders. Her soft, almost mousey, voice is a tad strained, as if this school day might have been an eventful one.  read more

of Montreal: Pulling Off the Mask

The key track on Paralytic Stalks, the new of Montreal album, is “Ye, Renew the Plaintiff.” This nearly nine-minute epic moves through seven separate sections as if descending through the layers of singer/songwriter Kevin Barnes’ despair.  read more

Sharon Van Etten: Singing With Belief

Tramp is a fitting title for this latest effort—“tramp” meaning “vagabond” here and not “loose woman”—as Van Etten recorded it while she was without a permanent residence, instead alternating between touring and crashing with friends.  read more

Joe Strummer Interview

This two-part interview presents the polar extremes of Joe Strummer. The first part most likely takes place in late 1983, after Mick Jones left the band but before the new Clash line-up started touring together.  read more

Best of What's Next: Buxton

Buxton is finally garnering attention eight years and three records into its career. The slow build has allowed the band to develop into the evocative Americana-laced six-piece that it is today.  read more

Sundance Report: Three Darkly Funny Films

Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. Here are three films from Sundance 2012 that found humor in dark places....  read more

Catching Up With Bahamas' Afie Jurvanen

Paste caught up with Bahamas' Afie Jurvanen to talk about the new album, playing smaller venues and his upcoming tour.   read more

I Want To Break Free: The Story of Queen's The eYe

Logan K. Young examines how Queen's discography was turned into a game in The eYe, the most epic rock ‘n’ roll game ever played...in 1998.   read more

Sundance Report: Three Great Thrillers

The thriller is a genre whose films are so often done so poorly, it can be a real shock when we’re reminded just how effective they can be when they’re done well. Here are three of the best from Sundance 2012:...  read more

First Aid Kit: Swedish Americana

For many, the introduction the Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg of First Aid Kit came via their YouTube cover of the Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.”  read more

Cloud Nothings: Beyond The Bedroom

“We kind of took it to the extent that you can take it,” Baldi says. “You have to change something. I guess for this one we just made a little more intense.”  read more

The Beards of Comedy Grow Up, Move Out

Sitting at Corner Tavern’s bar, you see a lot of beards walk in. Big beards, shabby beards, Zach Galifianakis beards, show-off beards, beards on beards on beards on beards.  read more

Craig Finn: Can't Look Away

When you climb the stairs from the underground Bedford Avenue stop on New York’s L Train, you emerge into a world where everyone is 25, skinny and dressed in black. As you walk Bedford Avenue to the northeast, however, you cross McCarren Park and enter a world where people come in all ages, fashions and misshapen forms.  read more

Is Extremely Loud the Worst-Reviewed Oscar-Nominated Movie in History?

Forty-six. That’s what Best Picture-nominated Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close scored on Metacritic. Think about that number for a minute: have you ever recieved such a low score on a test, but were praised for it? Sure, it’s a decent number for a basketball player’s three-point field goal percentage and maybe even a high school quarterback. But this is the Oscars we’re talking about. How is a film rated 46 (out of 100 mind you) worthy of being one of nine films nominated for the best film of the year?  read more

Sundance Report: Three Great Documentaries

This year’s best Sundance documentaries so far feature everyone from wrongfully accused prisoners to passionate street organizers to American royalty. Here’s a rundown of our three early favorites....  read more

Catching Up With Company of Thieves

Since we named them a Best of What's Next band last May, Chicago's Company of Thieves have been on the road non-stop in support of Running From a Gamble and have played more shows than they can count. They recently returned to Chicago where they played a New Year's Eve bash with Cage the Elephant and have been enjoying their time off. But Genevieve Schatz and Marc Walloch are itching to get back on the road and the band announced new tour dates for late February through March.  read more

Catching Up With Jim Ward

Ward — who also fronts the alt-country outfit Sleepercar and was a founding member of At the Drive-In— caught up with Paste yesterday to reflect on Quiet In the Valley, On the Shores the End Begins; his bar, Hope and Anchor, and what he’s excited about in the future.   read more

Sundance Report: Three Great Comedies

Among the narrative films at Sundance 2012, the comedies seem to be getting the most buzz. Here’s an early report on three of the best:...  read more