Recent Articles
Music,
Hear This
For folk musicians who want to truly connect with audiences, sincerity must be job No. 1. In a way more marked than any other genre, great folk is contingent on creating primal, roaring empathy between narrator and listener — which…
by Reyan Ali
November 25, 2014
Tags: Hear This, The Chapel
Culture,
Art
Since he hung up the gloves in 2005, Mike Tyson has been having the best post-sports career ever. The onetime undisputed heavyweight champ has crooned Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" for The Hangover, showed up on How I Met…
by Reyan Ali
November 18, 2014
Tags: Art, Mike Tyson, Cartoon Network
Music,
Hear This
Taking the portrait painted on Phantom Radio as gospel, Mark Lanegan sure is one captivatingly fucked up guy. On Mark Lanegan Band's new album — the ninth under Lanegan's name — the former ringleader of grunge originals Screaming Trees delivers…
by Reyan Ali
October 28, 2014
Tags: Hear This, Great American Music Hall
Music,
All Shook Down
If there's one thing Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen really dig writing about putting drugs, poverty, depression, and rebellion aside — it's places. Comb through Rancid's discography and you'll hit at least a couple dozen references to locales, especially…
@All Shook Down
by Reyan Ali
October 28, 2014 @ 10:01 am
Tags: Appreciations, Rancid, East Bay, punk rock, Video
Music,
Hear This
When Gotye hit it big with "Somebody That I Used to Know," he didn't do it alone. The chart-conquering 2012 track also featured the New Zealand-born, Australia-based singer-songwriter Kimbra Lee Johnson, who performs professionally as simply Kimbra. Johnson initially started…
by Reyan Ali
October 14, 2014
Tags: Hear This
Music,
Hear This
If, as the cliché goes, variety is the spice of life, Ensemble Mik Nawooj truly knows how to live. The Oakland outfit is all about curious flair and compelling flavor, fusing threads of jazz, hip-hop, classical music, pop, and rock…
by Reyan Ali
October 7, 2014
Tags: Hear This
Music,
Hear This
Ever experienced something and not been certain whether it's a joke or meant to be taken seriously? Cibo Matto's "Deja Vu" — song and video alike — sure fits that bill. The clip features Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, the…
by Reyan Ali
September 30, 2014
Tags: Hear This, The Chapel
Music,
Hear This
In consecutive order, this is how Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) starts: sampled dialogue from an '80s martial arts flick; a gritty, irrepressible drum beat; RZA repeatedly yelling, "Bring da motherfucking ruckus!"; and a violent boast from Ghostface Killah: "Ghostface,…
by Reyan Ali
September 23, 2014
Tags: Hear This, Warfield Theatre
Music,
Hear This
What makes New Jersey prime real estate for soul-on-sleeve storytelling? We don't have the answer, but The Sopranos, Garden State, the Wrens' The Meadowlands, and Bruce Springsteen's discography indicate that there's something special about New York's little brother. That phenomenon…
by Reyan Ali
September 23, 2014
Tags: Hear This, The Fillmore
Music,
Hear This
If any metal group truly savors the power of language, it's Goatwhore. Established in the late 1990s, the New Orleans four-piece draws its mammalian moniker from a drunken strip club trip taken by guitarist/vocalist Sammy Duet and friends. At the…
by Reyan Ali
September 16, 2014
Tags: Hear This, Warfield Theatre
Music,
Sometime around fifth grade, Dave Burd — now professionally known as Lil Dicky — was sitting in a music class when the teacher played an instrumental of "Feel So Good," Ma$e's 1997 track. Sitting in front of Burd was "this…
by Reyan Ali
September 9, 2014
Tags: Music, The Independent
