I thought I'd seen it all until I heard about collectors that pass around bootlegged copies of the test tones and bias pads from all genres of artists and albums. From an article in MOJO this month:
"Sorting their collections by "tones at head" or...
I got to see ex-Grandaddy Jason Lytle play a semi-secret first band-backed show (with ex-bandmate Aaron Burtch) last Saturday. Quite fun and a great set of new songs. Jasons' album, Yours Truly, the Commuter, comes out May 19 on ANTI- records. We...
I received several CDs recently, notably the Monsters of Folk (Jim James, M. Ward, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis) and Porcupine Tree's The Incident, that I really wanted to listen to but was unable to hear. Why? Because these promo discs were...
It's that time of year again where we go back through our digital listening histories or simply look over at the turntable to get a handle on just what we were enjoying this past year. There were a ton of great releases this year, many of them...
Speaking of the art world, reader Halsey Burgund sent a link to his installation that “involves some unconventional recording techniques, mainly doing it wirelessly and using lots of open-source and customized software.” Looks like fun...
Geoff Stanfield and Andy Hong add an update to the original Meris Mercury7 Reverb review by Adam Kagan.
GS: I am a fan of the Meris line of gear. They are a small shop who builds their high-quality modules in Los Angeles. I have reviewed the Meris...
During this year's SXSW music festival someone asked me how many times I'd been to Austin, Texas, for this event. I had no idea. Eight? Ten? Since the mid-'90s I've certainly attended many times, most as a panelist, but always as a music fan. And...
I often think about the relation of commerce and art. It's a convoluted one, but necessary. How could one continue to create the best art possible if they were destitute? They won't - they will be focused on survival instead. A recent...