Remembering Max Roach
Sean MurphyYouTube is Santa Claus, I'm a kid, and every day is Christmas. All I can say regarding the treasure trove of footage I just stumbled upon is: Oh.My.God. Max.Motherfucking.Roach.
The Doors: America’s Star-Spangled Band
The 4th of July presents an at least two irresistible reasons to talk about The Doors. One: Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P. Lizard King.…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown…
How do you know you've made an indelible impact on culture? Here's how. Listen: this story has been told so many times it is inextricable from the history of…
Sketches of Spain: Perfection Turns 50
From Popmatters. Miles Davis is responsible for so much incredible music that at times it’s overwhelming to grapple with his legacy. To be certain, no one who knows anything can…
Mr. Bungle’s California: Ten Years Later
PopMatters keeps the party going, plowing through the calendar year of 1999, reminiscing about important albums that dropped that year. For my part, I'm tackling the yang to Fantomas' yin:…
Fantômas: 10 Years Later
A writer should always set challenges: it keeps things interesting and guards against formulaic and predictable assessments. Still, as Harry Callahan sagely observed, "A man's gotta know his limitations." I…
Song of the Day: Exhuming McCarthy
On June 9, 1954, Army counsel Joseph N. Welch confronted Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during the Senate-Army Hearings over McCarthy's attack on a member of Welch's law firm, Frederick G.…
Vieux Farka Touré: Fondo
Word to the wise: get on board the Vieux Farka Touré bandwagon now. Not so you can be hip or prepared to drop his name at a cocktail party (for…
See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me…Sell Me
There is a reason The Beatles are considered the greatest band ever. It's simple, really: they are the greatest band ever. After them, it's a fair fight for second place,…
Don’t Call It A Comeback or, I Sold My Soul for Old Milwaukee
As the famous Canadian philosopher Neil Peart once opined, "Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose". The CD is dead; long live the LP! Check it out: Best Buy…