By Mark Uricheck “We were so insolate, we really didn’t think outside of town.”—Daryl Hall on the birth of Philadelphia soul. Philadelphia musicians are instilled with a sense of rogue pride, focused musicianship and, quite fittingly, independence. They imitate no one. How could they not be fiercely individualistic? After all, for over 200 years,… [read more]
Born and raised in the music town of Woodstock, NY, Cindy Cashdollar today reigns as the Queen of slide guitar out of another music town, Austin, TX, although because she’s in high demand, she rarely sees home. Once a boys’ club, the steel players’ inner circle went co-ed not only because Cashdollar’s technique is as… [read more]
by Suzanne Cadgene | Photograph by Elliott Landy Levon Helm had three major but overlapping influences in his life, which, like a color wheel, yielded shades a’ plenty to paint his inimitable portrait. Levon’s rural southern upbringing, his relationship with hard-living Ronnie Hawkins and his own music formed the man long before he shed his… [read more]
by Bill Payne Being a musician is being part of a fraternity. On January 30, 1975, Little Feat performed a concert in Amsterdam. The place was packed; we were on fire, and for good reason. The Rolling Stones, en masse, were on both sides of the stage, watching us play. It is quite something to… [read more]
by Matthew Allen We music lovers have spent hours in our bedrooms, in our cars or mid-stride blasting our iPods, dreaming with eyes wide open about supergroups, taking our favorite musicians from various bands and putting them together. What if Slash played lead guitar with Malcolm Young on rhythm, Art Blakey on drums and James… [read more]
Photograph by Maryanne Bilham By Bob Sarles Shape Shifter is an apt title for Carlos Santana’s new album—it may as well describe the legendary rock guitarist himself. Over a five-decade career, Carlos Santana’s various incarnations have seen him surpass expectations by returning to the top of the charts again and again. Now a long way… [read more]
by Allison Johnelle Boron “IF YOU’D TOLD ME EVEN A YEAR AGO that I’d be seeing the reunited Beach Boys in concert, I would have had you committed.” ¶ Dan Young, awash in a magenta-flowered print, blended into the sea of brightly-colored shirts in every conceivable hue that swarmed New York’s historic Beacon Theatre on… [read more]
By Melissa Caruso In the past decade, plummeting record sales have focused both fan and artists’ interest on live shows. Since 2008, musicians have made more money performing than selling records, and the fastest-growing sector is festivals. Festivals, with jam-packed lineups and bonuses like comedy and film, provide fans more bang for their buck compared… [read more]
By Emma Hernandez and Allison Johnelle Boron Vinyl truly never gives up. In a rise of phoenix-like proportions, records have seen a resurgence that no one predicted among a demographic that no one thought probable—young people. Nielsen Soundscan reported that vinyl sales totaled 3.9 million in 2011, almost a 40% jump from 2010—not even counting… [read more]
Music and film alter our daily lives even if we don’t hear the music or see the film, because both change society; when those two forms meet perfectly, the union can spark a revolution. The first bombshell exploded around the turn of the 20th century. Some people call them “silents,” but more properly, early films were… [read more]
