© 1994-2010 The Philadelphia Spirit Experiment Publishing Company
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Newsom comes from a great tradition of visionary California oddballs such as Terry Riley and Frank Zappa. Like her forebears, her ambitions run deep and wide. On her new triple-length album, Have One on Me , Newsom taps into myths of the American West and the open road.
The singer-songwriter has released his first album, Way Out Here, and rock critic Ken Tucker says it's one of the best country music debuts in a long while.
The one-man band's best song is also its most melodically complex: "You'll See It" is a layered blast of staccato synths, interwoven strings, strutting beats and intricate vocal harmonies. But in spite of its intricacies, Washed Out reveals an uncanny knack for writing melodies…
Timothy H. O'Sullivan's Cañon de Chelle. Walls of the Grand Cañon about 1200 Feet in Height. There hasn't been a major exhibition of the works by nineteenth-century photographer Timothy H. O'Sullivan in more than thirty years, but thanks to a...
Some make music because they want to, but Newsom sounds like she makes music because she has to: She possesses the sort of artistic bravado that could only come from inner passion. She's just released her latest vision: A work called Have One on Me , it's two hours long, it fills three…
The band members, who are still in their early 20s, recorded their debut album Astro Coast in their Florida dorm room before releasing it to an enthusiastic audience. Throughout the record, Surfer Blood pulls off a tricky mix of surly post-punk and sunny surf-rock.
"Let's Write a Book" stretches the band's aesthetic to its outer limits, delving further into electronica and funk than any of its predecessors. The digression can be disorienting at first — there's no denying that the hook sounds suspiciously close to the…
On this edition of All Songs Considered , we hear a cut from Fela Kuti's stunning 1972 album Shakara , plus Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure and kora player Toumani Diabate, Shearwater's dramatic new concept record, electronic musician Eluvium, Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose, the haunting…
½ CUP BUTTER (1 STICK)1 CUP FLOUR1 ½ CUP SUGAR1 TSP BAKING POWDER½ CUP MILK1 TSP LEMON JUICETURN OVEN TO 350’…USE 1 ¾ QUART WHITE CORNING DISH AND PUT BUTTER IN PAN MELT IN OVENIN PAN MIX BERRIES, ½ CUP SUGAR, AND LEMON JUICE, BRING TO BOILMIX FLOUR, 1 CUP SUGAR, BAKING POWDER, AND [...]…
As the frontman for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Alec Ounsworth wrote brash, poppy songs. But the singer and songwriter clearly had more music to make. In the fall of 2009, he released a solo record called Mo' Beauty , an album he wrote and recorded in New Orleans with a number of local musicians.…
The slide guitarist has played with The Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton, and has made seven records with his own band — all before turning 30. He demonstrates his lyrical playing and his inclusive take on Southern rock live.
The slide guitarist has played with The Allman Brothers and Eric Clapton, and has made seven records with his own band — all before turning 30. He demonstrates his lyrical playing and his inclusive take on Southern rock live.
My Mother always picked pennies up from the ground. When we kids would laugh, all she’d say was never again. Ten years or so ago, I began plucking pennies off the ground myself, actually any money I’d see, you see, a friend told me that by passing it bye, I would show disrespect, and [...]
The members of 4 Troops first made a name for themselves while in the military, singing pop and country songs for soldiers overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that they're all out of the service, they're also singing for veterans, as well as recording an album. The proceeds will go to…
Gainsbourg, the daughter of Serge Gainsbourg, is a cultivated enigma: The French actress and singer has hardly missed a step in a long career that began in adolescence. Now in her late 30s, she's released her third album, IRM , which was produced and co-written by Beck.
The music of the West London band Mumford and Sons features banjos and mandolins that conjure images of American folk. The group's rich harmonies have even drawn comparisons to Crosby, Stills and Nash, but members Marcus Mumford and Ben Lovett say that that's only part of a large cast of…
Artist unidentified (Interned at Heart Mountain, Wyoming), Camp Scene, wood, paint, Collection of the Japanese American Museum of San José. From The Art of Gaman by Delphine Hirasuna, ©2005, Ten Speed Press. Terry Heffernan photo. On February 19, 1942, President...
Jack Rose was a big man who coaxed a big sound from his acoustic guitar. Friends say he was just as vigorous when he wasn't playing, so it came as a shock when Rose died suddenly in December at 38. The last record he completed, Luck in the Valley , comes out next week.
Two famed artists and hit songwriters each play from their recent solo releases. Nashville native Chapman's lastest release is a double-album inspired by Desmond Tutu; Southern California's Souther just returned to music after a 25 year hiatus.
Rosing sang the original recording of "Try a Little Tenderness" and was known best for his hit single "The Teddy Bears Picnic." But when he was spotted by an MGM executive and brought to America, "Val Rosing" effectively ceased to exist. This weekend marks what would…
An expert at blending musical genres, Citizen Cope (a.k.a. Clarence Greenwood) tells stories with music while incorporating hip-hop beats, quiet piano melodies, a hint of pop and more than a hint of blues. Hear Greenwood's brand of self-styled "urban poetry," live in concert from WXPN…
Verdi drew inspiration from his own tragic life as a father for a number of his operas, including Simon Boccanegra , where a father-daughter relationship fuels one of his most complex and moving of his tragedies.
Whether in dance halls or theaters, Stanley Dural Jr. — the Buckwheat of Buckwheat Zydeco — never fails to get audiences involved. His accordion and Hammond B3 organ lead the band (and, on one singalong tune, the crowd) on stage.
I have a hard time letting go of things, I guess its in my nature, I’m a Water Dragon, I wonder if it has anything to do with the five fingers I have on each of my claws, I’m still having trouble with Neil Young, how I really wanted to see him friday night, I [...]
© 1994-2010 The Philadelphia Spirit Experiment Publishing Company