I saw Stars in concert several years ago in a cramped basement venue that reeked of B.O. It was a weird show; the ethereal quality of the band’s indie pop battled against the dark underground, the small space, the unpleasant smell. But when it played its breakthrough hit “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” (huge at the time, … Read more
When Elizabeth Ziman of Elizabeth & the Catapult responded back with her 10 to Spin playlist, our first one of 2012, her theme of “Awesome Broken Voices” intrigued me. I started listening to Ziman’s voice back in 2010 when we featured “Go Away My Lover,” taken from her 2010 album, The Other Side of Zero, … Read more
I never laughed so loud I never laughed so loud I never laughed so loud Think I’m coming down Anaïs Mitchell’s “Coming Down” got us pretty good a couple months ago (like, flood of tears good). Such a simple song, but does it get more emotional? You tell us. You can find “Coming Down” on … Read more
I’ve told this story before, but now seems like a good time to revisit. I met Neil Young with my sister in 1999 at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, after one of his solo acoustic shows. Since we had been sitting in the orchestra pit that night, we were invited to a Bridge School … Read more
Photo by Todd Roeth No, we’re never gonna have much Myself I’d take such as a compliment We can blame it on the circumstances Oh, at least we took the chances we had to Why we’re attracted to a certain song, a certain album, or a certain band is a mystery. I really do believe … Read more
Photo by Jo Lopez As if we need more evidence of his greatness, Bruce Springsteen keeps giving us gifts, this time in the form of a video for his new single, “We Take Care Of Our Own.” Whether or not you’re a Boss fanatic, you’ve got to admit: this guy is a treasure to many … Read more
Photo by Jo McCaughey My favorite Bob Dylan album is, and always will be, Desire. (And yes, I’ve played the wonderful Time Out My Mind and Blood on the Tracks to death.) As a lover of music, its songs first taught me the difference from being angry and being confident, and that telling the truth … Read more
Once referred to ironically as “Thurston Moore & the E Street Band,” The Men have never played by categorical rules. Instead, over the last three years, this band has dabbled in everything from hardcore punk, to psych, to black metal. And they have done it all effortlessly, and for the most part, completely flawlessly. Our … Read more
A couple of weeks ago, we introduced you to Irish born singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow and his impeccable single, “If I Had a Boat.” McMorrow’s debut record, Early in the Morning, will be released here in the U.S. tomorrow on Vagrant Records. We were able to catch up with James as he prepares for a … Read more
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Margo Timmins a few times, but there was one conversation that really stood out. It was a few years ago, at The Sheldon in Saint Louis. She and the Cowboy Junkies had just finished their sold-out show. They had played most of Trinity Session, and even covered Neil Young’s … Read more
Photo by Danny Cinch I love Bruce Springsteen. And I’m not going to lie – at one time I thought I loathed him. Growing up a product of the MTV generation, I had him tagged as a dude who had some hits I kind of knew from the ’70s, but for me, he was the … Read more
Earlier this year, Abigail Washburn hit us hard with her second solo album called City of Refuge; it’s been called a “a sublime marriage of old-time and indie-pop,” and rightfully so – it was recorded with a new cast of characters, including My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and The Decemberists’ Chris Funk. It certainly takes … Read more