Revisionist histories are occasionally the most entertaining kind of histories. Screw the facts. Let’s change the perception of the past. That obviously wasn’t the intent for the P.E.A.C.E./War compilation, initially issued in 1984 and rereleased in 1997. The thing is, though, that the difference between the first and second versions of the album find a weird array of bands sitting next to each other. Everyone knows Articles of Faith and some eighties hardcore fanatics are familiar with O.D.F.... Read More

Defining various blues genres becomes difficult simply based upon the notion of urban and country. Players from the South, obviously, moved away to land record deals in major cities like Chicago and New York. Their arrival marked the beginning of those urban works, but with all of its roots based in more bucolic places, the distinction seems odd. Clifford Gibson grew up in Kentucky – which is an odd space itself, neither the North or the South, just somewhere in between. After picking up... Read More

Newegg.com is offering the SONY DASH Personal Internet Viewer for the low price of $129.99 - with free shipping! This is a terrific deal and would make a rad gift for that technology lovin' fool you know! I can't think of a better to buy one of these handy little devices, either - especially at this price. This little guy has everything you or a friend need for some serious fun - and you can even get access to my two favorite places - netflix and facebook - right on the device! Read More

The marriage of hip hop and psychedelic musics has been pushed forward primarily by the Stones Throw imprint. But apart from the left coast stalwart, there are innumerable producers out there working to define a music which might come off as equally appealing in any number of markets. Yeah, it’s kind of a race thing. But Edan attempts to transcend that. Beginning his second album, the 2005 Beauty and the Beat, with a spate of samples from the Beatles sets forth something of a template for which... Read More

You just mentioned your first major label record deal. And it sounded like you said that smaller labels were gone. Oh, no. I was saying that the major labels are gone. And if they aren’t gone, they’re all scrambling for the changes that they need to make. They just don’t exist, not in the way they did in 1970. Is that good or bad? Read More

Influencing not just visual art, but music, Gerhardt Richter has worked through decades which have birthed various insular movements and perspectives on painting. Yet, he retains a unique outlook on not just the medium, but what images are portrayed and how. Richter’s varied approaches focus on different objects, human and otherwise, but still toy with the viewer and refuse to reveal any specific meaning. Obfuscating intent, though, is mirrored in his work. In 1982 he began a series of works... Read More

If the Carter Family were an inept garage band with its own songs, it would have been the Shaggs. I think. Either way, the mythical Shaggs, comprised of a trio of sisters from New Hampshire. The story goes, their father was always interested in music, thought it would bring his family together and sprung for music lessons. Whether or not those lessons were of value is still up for debate today. Read More

Is the album dead as a practical thing? Maybe. But it seems to not matter for most folks as increasingly mp3s are snagged off blogs as single downloads, leaks or mixtapes. Of course, the difference between a mixtape and an album is becoming increasingly obscure. At the same time, though, the concept of compiling a sometimes random assemblage of sounds and passing it off as a cohesive whole has worked for a good many years while folks pass tapes back and forth. With electronic music and hip hop... Read More

Have you been needing some new  cheap ear buds? I know that the ones I have with my iPhone (that are really expensive, BTW) break constantly and it can be pretty cumbersome and irritating to constantly purchase a pricey replacement. What essentially happens with the headphones is one of them just gives up with about a few weeks of use - so for a little while I will deal with it "as is" and then just buy a new set. Today I found this great little Meritline deal, however, that I think will... Read More