Vivian Girls and Fucked Up - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom - 10/15/08
Photos taken at Bowery Ballroom by Sarah Hajjar ... read more
Mavis Staples -- Live: Hope at the Hideout
A few years ago I picked up the phone and dialed Mavis Staples. I was writing an article about her for Paste, and she had graciously agreed to answer my questions.I'm not sure that I had any expectations. I knew her music, or some of it, at any rate. There were more than 50 years of it to take in. I knew her history. And I knew her new album. "Okay," I said to myself, "just sit down and have a nice, friendly chat with a member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame who used to hang out... read more
We'd Like to Buy a Vowel: The Seven Best Band Names Made Entirely of Consonants
Okay, the band names on this list don't have to be made entirely of consonants. We let a couple of numerals sneak in because the artists were just too good to ignore, but we punished the artists for their lack of semantic ingenuity. We drew a hard line and excluded bands like CSS, because they rely on acronyms to make their name. We also excluded bands like Styx, because they suck. ... read more
PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo, Day 4: Cello Centered gets my vote
So! It's election day! Kind of a big deal, right? Right! Thusly, I tackled the “C” section of NaBloPoMo's November blog roll expecting a barrage of political chatter: Last-minute advocating on the behalf of beloved candidates, fervent ranting, harried tales of voting booth kerfuffles, or at least a bit of griping about how SNL's Presidential Bash last night was kinda super lame. But not one of the blogs I clicked through this morning even so much as mentioned “election day” or “voting” or “democratic process” or “averting the course of American history” or anything. Not nothin'. ... read more
Of Montreal - Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club - 10/9/08
Photos taken at 9:30 Club by by Rob Inderrieden... read more
Five Bands That Will Get You Hooked On Irish Trad
In a musical context, the word "trad" is shorthand for "traditional," often used to describe ethnic folk music that's been vigorously preserved and passed down over many generations. Sadly, for a large segment of the music-listening population, the idea of "traditional music" is shorthand for an infinitely more sinister adjective—"boring." There's an underlying assumption that anything several hundred years old has long since reached its expiration date and should rightfully be tossed aside to make way for the next model, the newest installment (a feeling that's all too relatable for Apple fans such as myself). Well, I'm here to make... read more
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's All For The Hall - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre - 10/15/08
Photos taken at Nokia Theatre by Eric Ryan Anderson ... read more
CMJ 2008, Day 3: Juliana Hatfield @ Housing Works Bookstore
If you ever wondered where singer/songwriter Juliana Hatfield honed the inspiration to write the lyrics that compose her introspective, expansive discography, her new memoir, When I Grow Up, provides more than few intimate clues. Recently released along with her latest album, How to Walk Way, the book poignantly depicts the 90s alt-rock pioneer's battles with personal insecurity as she grew into her musical career.... read more
Voodoo Music Festival 2008 - Day 3
[Above: Blind Boys of Alabama]Photos taken at Voodoo Music Festival by Rob Inderrieden ... read more
Friends are Friends Forever: An Instant Messenger Analysis of Michael W. Smith's YouTube Community
MARK: ohmy god BWE i think this is the greatest thing ever posted on the internet KATE: is that the chipmunk voice, i can't tell what she's saying MARK: it's a classic michael w. smith song ... read more
Trailer Stash: Angels & Demons, Slumdog Millionaire, Valkyrie, My Name is Bruce!, more
And now, a brief look at a few of the latest movie trailers to hit the web:... read more
PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo 2008, Day 3: Belgianwaffle isn't what you think
Thus far, I haven't been very clear about the criteria by which I'm selecting these blogs to blog about. That's because no real criteria exists. The first two days of PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo involved a lot of clicking around and browsing and brow-furrowing and yawning until I landed upon something suitable. Today, though, I deliberately scanned the "B"-list for blogs titles that seemed most indicative of potential awesomeness. ... read more
10 Best Musical Husband and Wife Duos
Sufjan Stevens' pastor Vito Aiuto just made an album with his wife Monique under the moniker The Welcome Wagon. It's sweet, brimming with faith and the kind of chemistry that at least seems like it could only come from a husband and wife. So we thought we'd look at the best collaborations between married couples over the years. We're only judging music made together (sorry, Tim and Faith) while married (sorry Jack and Meg). Here are Paste's Top 10 Musical Husband and Wife Duos:... read more
PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo, Day 2: A Little Radish plans ahead
Two days in to NaBloPoMo, November's bloggers seem to be almost universally fixated on one of two subjects: Halloween and NaBloPoMo itself. Most blogs I've checked out so far agree that Friday night was really fun but OMG how are they going to make it through a month of posting every day and why did they decide to do this again or at all in the first place? Which leads me to wonder, what is it about this completely voluntary exercise that incites such whining? Is this just customary throat clearing before everyone gets down to brass tacks? Was I... read more
New Discoveries: Passion Pit, Weyerbacher Pumpkin Ale and Freaks & Geeks
My new discoveries from the past week include a band from Cambridge, a perfect fall beer and an old TV show that I should have checked out a long time ago.... read more
PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo 2008, Day 1: Get your whine on with 1st World Problems
Let's start out PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo with the very first blog listed on NaBloPoMo's November Blog Roll (NoBloRo?): 1st World Problems. ... read more
Brazilian Girls - New York, NY - Terminal 5 - 10/10/08
Photos taken at Terminal 5 by Victoria Stevens... read more
PaMaDoCoBloNaBloPoMoMo 2008: It begins! (Tomorrow!)
Along with National Novel Writing Month, tomorrow's also the first day of yet another installment of National Blog Posting Month, NaNoWriMo's lower-impact, higher-tech cousin. While NaNoWriMo happens only once every November, any month can be NaBloPoMo: Just pick one, sign up, register your blog, and then post to it every single day that month. Sounds easy enough, right? I'm not so sure, but I'm about to find out for myself. ... read more
The 13 Best Scary Movies of the Past 13 Years
[Above: Lina Leandersson as Eli in Let the Right One In]There's no better time than Halloween to get closer to a loved one as promiscuous teenagers get slaughtered by a masked boogeymen or the netherworld wreaks psychological mayhem on our favorite actors and actresses. And while Hitchcock, Price, Carpenter, Craven and Cronenberg are undeniable masters of projecting our collective fears on the wide screen, it's time to honor some modern masters of celluloid terror. Here are our picks for the 13 best scary movies of the past 13 years. What are yours?... read more
Current Events: Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls - A Halloween Playlist
Above: Screamin' Jay HawkinsFrom Robert Johnson allegedly selling his soul to the Devil at some midnight Mississippi crossroads to the schlocky Ed Wood-inspired horror-punk of the Misfits and the spooky graveyard romps of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, there’s a dark side of rock ’n’ roll, a creepiness that balances the most saccharine love ballads. It’s very yin and yang; for every “I want to Hold Your Hand” there’s a “Paint It Black,” for every “Killing me Softly” there’s a “Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight?” And what better time to celebrate this dark side than on... read more
