Rufus Wainwright to Release Live DVD/CD
For year's, Milwaukee's Best has been known as the velvety, crisp brew that flows forth from the city's very foundation. But thanks to Rufus Wainwright and his apparent affinity for the place, there's a new game gunning for the "best" in town—Wainwright's own velvety, crisp voice, captured on his concert CD/DVD Milwaukee At Last!!!... read more
Found in: Music, NewsFifteen Songs About The Body Parts I Might Sell Just To Own Specimen's Little Horn Speakers
Right this minute, I am listening to music on my laptop's built-in speakers. I cycled through endless pairs of $10 Target earbuds until Santa Claus brought me a half-decent pair of Bose headphones a few years back, my iPod dock of choice was purchased at a store called Linens & Things, and I don't know my treble from a hole in the ground. Needless to say, I am not an audiophile. So why am I so transfixed by the Little Horn Speakers unveiled this week by Chicago-based custom guitar and amp shop Specimen? Well, just look at them. They're gorgeous.... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayOne on One: 20 Single-Artist Cover Albums Worth A Listen
A well-done cover song is a beautiful thing—and, by extension, so is a compilation of tracks by a slew of musicians paying tribute to one of their heroes. But it takes a special combination of love and guts and a hearty dash of hubris for a single artist to tackle the oeuvre of another—whether a friend or a legend—all by their lonesome. Sometimes the result is a mess (like Dirty Dancing songstress Jennifer Warnes' maudlin, schlocky Leonard Cohen tribute, Famous Blue Raincoat), but when the stars align, it can be really wonderful. Here are a few of our favorites. (Scroll... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayManchester International Festival: Rufus Wainwright's opera Prima Donna
There's always been hints of the operatic in the music of Rufus Wainwright—the emotive crooning, the vocal gymnastics on his most epic tunes and, of course, the penchant for the melodramatic. But tonight marked his debut as an actual opera composer at the world premiere of Prima Donna—part of the Manchester International Festival.... read more
Found in: Blogs, High GravityRosanne Cash Announces New LP Influenced by Father Johnny
In 1973, country legend Johnny Cash decided his daughter Rosanne was lacking a solid country-music education, so he gave her list of what he considered to be 100 essential songs for her to know. The younger Cash, who has since made 11 records of her own, turned back to the list for inspiration on her next project, and—with the help of a few friends—will release her first album of covers on Oct. 6. ... read more
Found in: Music, NewsTales of the Coffin Nail: 27 Smoking Songs That'll leave you Breathless
Aside from that one weekend on the eve of 7th grade, when my parents left me with my older sister, I’ve never been a smoker. When I actually inhaled, it always tore my throat up so bad I couldn’t even finish a whole cigarette. Still, that weekend, a random, inconsequential moment occurred that I still—for some strange reason—remember in astonishing detail. It was the night before the first day of school—late August 1991 in the Atlanta suburbs—and an intense thunderstorm had just rolled through. My sister was already asleep in her basement apartment, so I took my boombox down to... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayClassic Paste: The Best of Issues 1-10 (2002-2004)
(JUST A FEW MORE REASONS TO HELP SAVE PASTE)In a little more than two weeks, I'll celebrate my 6th anniversary at this magazine. When I started as Paste's second-ever intern on June 1, 2003, we were still a tiny operation. Only five of us were in the office full-time: publisher Nick Purdy, editor Josh Jackson, assistant editor Jason Killingsworth, myself (who would go on to become associate editor) and my intern cohort, Steven Bevilaqua. Other important folks—like senior/film editor and future Paste president Tim Porter, design director José Reyes, and future associate publisher Joe Kirk—were working part-time, since Paste couldn't... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DaySeventeen Songs By Which To Snack
Food and music are the two great loves of most people I know. Strangely, though, there seem to be very few songs written about food, perhaps because people are too busy eating it-- or, if you're Tina Fey, working it into the plotlines of your amazing and wonderful and hilarious television show-- to sing about it. Hmm. Doesn't seem fair. While you're pondering this, take a bite out of these 17 songs I've cobbled (mmm, cobbler!) together, all with titles referencing food or related to the consumption thereof, most of which aren't actually about food or the consumption thereof, but... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the Day10 Best Canadian Musical Acts of All Time
I spent most of last week in Montreal, and I’ll soon be blogging about Schwartz’s, poutine, graffiti, an amazing beer bar and, most importantly, the M for Montreal festival. But before looking at the next great artists coming out of Canada, I’d like to give a run down of my Top 10 Canadian musical acts of all time (including bands made up primarily of Canadians). For a country of only 33 million people, our Northern neighbors have had an enormous impact on popular music. Even the list of great Canadian musicians who didn’t make my Top 10 (Barenaked Ladies, Feist,... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayNeko Case to tour with, without New Pornographers
When busy bee Neko Case hurt her ankle during this spring's New Pornographers tour with Okkervil River, faces fell long from coast to coast. The alt.country enchantress was to miss a number of dates supporting 2007's Challengers, and really, what's a Porno show without its chanteuse?... read more
Found in: Music, News
