6 New Fall TV Shows That Actually Might Be Good
With a new fall TV line-up, comes a new hope for quality shows. Call me an optimist if you like. I did have hope that Obama and McCain would offer a higher level of discourse to our political landscape, and we can all see how that's working out. But here are five shows that could maybe, possibly have an off-chance of being good:... read more
Good Day Atlanta at the Paste Office
Fox 5 came to the Paste offices this morning for live coverage of The Bridges, one of the cover subjects of our Best of What's Next issue that just hit newsstands. The three sisters, one brother and one cousin from Oxford, Alabama, showed up at 6 a.m. on the dot this morning ready to play, and they were a joy to have in the office. Fox 5 studios cut live to us several times throughout the morning, including a couple Bridges songs. You can watch three of the segments on the Fox 5 site now. You can also watch my... read more
Paste Favorites with New Records
Years before there was a Paste magazine, there was a website called PasteMusic.com. We sold CDs of independent artists we loved. The idea was that there were a lot of great musicians out there that no one seemed to know about. Each had built a modest fanbase, and we wanted to connect good music to fans who would appreciate it. Early artists included Pedro the Lion, Vigilantes of Love, Over the Rhine, Michelle Malone and Sufjan Steven's first band, Marzuki. Though we had no money, we figured out a way to buy out another website that had a similar vision... read more
10 Best Songs in Commercials During The Olympics
Since the advent of the DVR, sports are about the only thing I watch live on TV. So the Olympic Games have reintroduced me to the TV commercial, something I've managed to avoid outside of college football season and the occasional Braves game. And the quality of music has been a pleasant surprise (even a crappy beer like Bud Light—or Bud Light Lime—has the sense to use Santogold). Here are the best songs in commercials running during the Olympic Games:... read more
8 Best Free Music Apps for the iPhone
Sure, the best thing about the iPhone is that it's an 8- or 16-gig iPod Touch. But when Apple rolled out the 3G and opened up its platform to outside developers, iPhone users started getting more and more benefits each day, especially with last week's release from SimplifyMedia. Here are the 8 Best Free Music Apps for the iPhone:... read more
Short Films and Beer Commercials
I've been enjoying a four-week film series here in Decatur that kicked off last week with the first film from Krzysztof Kieślowski's The Decalogue. I was on the "expert" panel, but despite my lack of expertise when it comes to Polish cinema, it was enlightening to discuss the film afterwards. Everyone had different insights, and I left with a much deeper appreciation than after watching it by myself on DVD a few years back.Last night was particularly good since two of the three filmmakers whose works were shown were actually there to discuss their shorts, Brandon McCormick and Jackson Walker.... read more
The Spectacle of the Opening Ceremonies
I love the Olympic Games. When 10,000 athletes arrived in Atlanta in 1996, I got to volunteer in the Olympic memorabilia exhibit before the Games started. That earned me a spot in Olympic stadium for the dress rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies. I was so proud of my city for the artistry (except for a few minutes when silver pick-up trucks roamed the field). But Beijing just blew away Atlanta and every other city that's hosted the Olympics. The spectacle of thousands of performers moving with precision and grace, the movement through the air, the massive fireworks and the giant... read more
Newport Folk Festival Day 2
I enjoyed music from Richard Julian, Son Volt and Willie Mason, but it was the women that dominated the second day of the Newport Folk Festival, beginning with Brandi Carlile and her powerful lungs. I've probably seen her a dozen times now, starting with a performance at the first Paste Rock 'n' Reel in 2005, but it was fun to see her fill the big stage—and winning over the Parrot Heads who staked out their spots early for Jimmy Buffett. I spoke with Brandi before she went on and she said she's been recording the follow-up to The Story in... read more
Newport Folk Festival Day 1
I walked up to the Harbor Stage at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival right as a soloist from the Young @ Heart chorus began singing Radiohead's "Fake Plastic Trees." Her 80 years allowed her more passion and earnestness than Thom Yorke could ever possibly get away with, which made it a much more powerful song. Right after she finished, I found my Paste co-hort and Newport programmer Jay Sweet standing next to WFUV's Rita Houston, and both said tears had streamed down their cheeks during the song. I found the hair on my arms standing on end several times myself... read more
Brian Wilson at Newport Folk
I'm in Rhode Island for the first time in my life. We drove past the harbor where a magenta sun was dropping below the harbor and men in white pants were politely sipping strong drinks. The opening night of Newport was held in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where a pristine grass court made me want to play tennis, even though Beach Boy Brian Wilson was about to take the stage.... read more
Best Letter of the Week
I was thrilled to see so many letters in response to our Coolest Record Stores piece back in July. If the passion of letter writers are any indication of the health of indie record stores, they'll be OK for a little while longer. We published several in our September issue that's at the printer right now, but we just got this one in, praising my favorite record store here in Decatur:... read more
Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams & The Best Country/Rock Duets
Listening to the upcoming album by Lucinda Williams, Little Honey, I was thrilled to come across the voice of Elvis Costello on a song called "Jailhouse Tears." Country/rock duets have a pretty long history and even some commercial success (see Jon Bon Jovi with Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles). But recently, they've also gotten pretty damn cool. Here are the best country/rock duets of recent years (and a few don't even involve Emmylou Harris):... read more
Caprica Trailer and a Great Wheat Beer
CapricaI just watched the trailer for the Battlestar Galactica prequel series Caprica. I doubt this will approach The Greatest Sci-Fi Show of All Time, but I'll watch it nonetheless. In wake of the success Battlestar has had in getting reviewers like me to say, "You don't have to like sci-fi to like this show," they've gone out of their way to call it a drama and downplay the sci-fi action.... read more
Conor Oberst on Religion and Politics
I recently spoke with Conor Oberst about his new self-titled album that he recorded down in Mexico for our International Issue which just hit the newsstand. The focus of the story was on his trip, but the conversation strayed onto two of my favorite topics, religion and politics. I asked him about the numerous Christian references coming from an atheist. Here was his response:... read more
Jayhawks Mark Olson and Gary Louris Together Again
Right now I'm listening to "Blue" by the Jayhawks off Tomorrow The Green Grass, and I'm feeling like all is right with the world. The two singer/songwriters behind this seminal country-rock record announced earlier this week that they've just finished recording a new record together —their first since Mark Olson left the band in 1995. He and his then-wife Victoria Williams moved to Joshua Tree and began making music as The Creekdippers. I visited their little hose in the desert for the cover story of the very first issue of Paste.I liked the music of The Creekdippers, and I like... read more
The Best Concerts I've Seen
I just finished posting the 12 best concerts I've ever seen. Rather than have them all in 12 separate posts, I thought I'd consolidate the list here. I was recently digging through a pile of ticket stubs I've saved, finding cool concert after cool concert, from high school, college and especially, these last six years since we started Paste magazine. There are some big omissions—I've still never seen Springsteen or The Stones. I've only in the last few years checked off Dylan and Prince (neither made the list and only Prince was close). Some of the best concerts I picked... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #1 Arcade Fire
#1Arcade FireMay 1, 2007, Atlanta Civic CenterThe first time I saw Arcade Fire was at the Austin City Limits festival in 2005. I was up in the photographer pit for the first few songs, and the band started the show with most of its members singing a capella at the top of their lungs. When we had to leave the pit after a few songs, one of our photographers started babbling, "That was one of those completely transcendent experiences where you glimpse a bit of heaven—but I never have those experiences!" So when the snow kept me from leaving New... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #2 Pixies
#2PixiesOct. 15, 1989, The Roxy Theatre (Atlanta)1989 was an exceptional year for music. Oranges & Lemons from XTC, Automatic from Jesus & Mary Chain, Flip-Flop from Guadalcanal Diary, Fun & Games from The Connells, Key Lime Pie from Camper Van Beethoven and self-titled debuts from The Stone Roses, The Ocean Blue, The Innocence Mission and The Indigo Girls. But probably topping them all on my list was the first Pixies album I ever picked up, Doolittle. The band also put on my favorite show that year, which would end up being my favorite show of the first 35 years of... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #3 Beck
#3BeckOct. 28, 2006, The Knitting Factory (New York)For the most part, I’ve only listed traditional concerts and left off festival performances, parties and private shows. But I have to make an exception for one night in 2006. Unlike almost every other major magazine in the U.S., Paste had never thrown a party in New York. We made a conscious decision that our magazine would be based in Decatur, Ga., but most of the people we work with—record label folks, publicists, advertisers, etc.—are in Manhattan or Brooklyn. And when we decided to put on a show at The Knitting Factory for... read more
My 12 Favorite Concerts - #4 Sufjan Stevens
#4Sufjan StevensApril 1, 2005Back in 1998, we launched an online CD retailer called PasteMusic.com, and one of the first CDs we added to the site was by a band called Marzuki, fronted by Shannon Stephens with a multi-instrumentalist named Sufjan Stevens. It featured accordion, banjo, flutes and sounded like nothing else I'd heard. When the musicians went their separate ways, Shannon released a self-titled album with a brilliant song about domestic abuse called "Catch the Morning Line," and Sufjan recorded a solo album called A Sun Came with moments of great promise and moments of silliness, like the line from... read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Patrick Watson - Man Like You
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
David Bazan - Hard To Be
