Motown Studios - Detroit, Michigan (1971)
During its golden era (1959-1971), Motown’s recording studio produced not only a jaw-dropping string of hits... read more
St. Catherine's Court - Bath, England (1996)
Was there a ghost in the machine when Radiohead recorded its groundbreaking album, OK Computer, in 1996? Working on the follow-up to its critically acclaimed sophomore effort, The Bends... read more
Between Midnight and Day
Dick Waterman has led the mythic life most blues fans only conjure up in their wildest juke-joint dreams... read more
Standing By Words
Last issue (Paste #9), I expressed some reservations with The Middle Mind, in which Curtis White attacks American middlebrow-intellectual culture’s vapid consumerism... read more
Summer Festival Preview
With diverse lineups at events from Rhode Island to New Mexico, there’s literally something for every music lover. So grab a beer and dust off that camping gear. Here are the summer 2004 music-festival highlights... read more
Lyric
I can’t remember which philosopher observed that life is a series of back and forth movements, from positions of risk to positions of relative safety. This is true not only on an hour-to-hour level—driving a car, then sleeping in a cozy bed—but in a larger sense... read more
The Central Valley (Un)scene
The Central Valley movement isn't as talked about as Omaha's emo-rock or New York City's garage scenes but artists like Grandaddy and Earlimart—hailing from California's backyard—are well known in critical circles... read more
The Sublime Comedy of Patty Griffin
It’s been said that true comedy begins with a funeral and end with a wedding. Given that, most of Patty Griffin’s recording career has been a series of comedies... read more
Chuck D Talks Soul, Hip-Hop & Politics
Chuck D is a legend in his own right. As leader and co-founder of Public Enemy, he pioneered an intelligent, thoughtful brand of hip-hop that pulled no punches... read more
Yakuza Frenzy
Long before Tom Cruise and Uma Thurman picked up swords to make the samurai more palatable for Western audiences, the figure of the lone warrior was a staple of Japanese cinema. In such classic films as Akira Kurosawa’s Sanjuro and The Hidden Fortress, the popular Zatoichi series, and Hiroshi Inagaki’s Samurai trilogy, this outsider worked by a strict code of ethics that lifted him above the petty dealings of a typically corrupt, moronic society. These films were informed by the sense of honor and wisdom vital to the hero figure in Japanese culture, although the character of their protagonists was... read more
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
Bob Dylan used to prattle about three chords and the truth, back when it seemed possible to go that route and get your music heard. But that was a few short decades before the music industry he helped support became a shambolic demon interested only in consuming itself... read more
Tokyo Story
For a long time, Yasujiro Ozu’s movies were thought too Japanese to appeal to American moviegoers. The 50 movies he made between 1927 and 1962 have rarely been seen in the U.S. But recently, Ozu’s movies about everyday middle class life have begun trickling into your local video store. Despite the wisdom of past film distributors, it’s hard to think of a movie more relevant to contemporary American family life than Ozu’s wonderful Tokyo Story, recently released on DVD by the Criterion Collection. Tokyo Story is about an elderly couple who takes a trip from their small town in the... read more
M. Ward
M. Ward is an old soul. Old souls listen intently. They demonstrate patience for their own thoughts. And they have a gift for speaking about complex matters in an easily digestible, hypnotic, oratory style... read more
Beatles '64
The future seemed limitless. The day The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show was also my parents’ 10th wedding anniversary, and all was right with the world. I was eight-and-a- half-years-old and newly alive to the power of music, having just acquired my aqua transistor radio for Christmas... read more
The High Llamas
One week prior to the release of The High Llama’s new record, Beet, Maize & Corn, head Llama Sean O’Hagan has done the “not-so-eloquent British press” (his words) a favor: written their review for them... read more
Beck Contest Spoiled By Obscure Anti-Rabbit Law
Beck should've known better. I mean, come on. Giving away a rabbit is a serious offense in California. About as serious as Marijuana possession, apparently... read more
Cassandra Wilson
Complementing her entire career, the title of Cassandra Wilson’s 14th album defies assumptions. At first glance it seems Glamoured is a reference to the trappings of the tired diva stereotype. Instead, it has a more mystical derivation... read more
Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews is trying to get to the bathroom. When he stood up a few minutes ago, the door was only 20 paces away. Now it’s about 15, but with each step someone recognizes him and stops to shake his hand... read more
From the Cradle
Even if Ellis Hooks' music weren’t so utterly compelling and unusual, his story might warrant novelistic treatment by Walter Mosley or James Baldwin—or at least might personify some folk tale that traveled up north from the mysterious South via the underground railroad... read more
Howie Day
Bang her?” asks singer-songwriter Howie Day, accentuating his native Maine bark, “I just met her!” It’s a joke he’s heard thousands of times. Growing up in Bangor, he says, “There wasn’t much to do. We threw a lot of rocks off bridges."... read more
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