print
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
Found in: Music, FeaturesChuck 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
Found in: Music, FeaturesYakuza 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
Found in: Movies, FeaturesRoger 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
Found in: Music, FeaturesTokyo 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
Found in: Movies, FeaturesGirl With A Pearl Earring
There’s something to be said for a film that’s most sensual moments involve the piercing of an ear and the removal of a bonnet—just a bonnet—from the head of a woman who always dresses in layers... read more
Found in: Movies, ReviewsAllison Moorer - The Duel
Despite critical praise, country radio never fully warmed to Moorer’s gracefully gritty sound, which channels Memphis and Muscle Shoals as much as it does Nashville... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsRon Sexsmith - Retriever
“There are no great songs, just great melodies.” I heard this quote a few months back and, while Google’s algorithm refuses to help me with attribution, I can’t shrug off its inherent logic... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsSlaid Cleaves - Wishbones
Slaid Cleaves’ 2000 album Broke Down was a revelation, a gritty, melancholy batch of rootsy story-songs about the erosion of relationships and the cost of dreams deferred... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsModest Mouse
In today’s fickle indie-rock universe where a band is considered passé by the time it graces its first magazine cover, Modest Mouse stands out as something of an anomaly... read more
Found in: Music, Reviews
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Movies of the Decade…
Seven Things to Remember for SXSW 2011
Guess the Album We're Obsessed With
Our Favorite Musicians-Turned-Authors
The 10 Greatest Anti-Heroes: #4 The Dude
The Fifty Best Living Directors
Justin Townes Earle - Do I Ever…
Seabear - Lion Face Boy
Avett Brothers - The Avett Brothers -…
Jolie Holland - Mexico City
