Son salutation: R&B soul musician Son Little has an eclectic body of work that includes contributions to recordings by The Roots, RJD2, and Portugal. The Man. He cites Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, American indie act Grizzly Bear, and Swedish electronic band Little Dragon as early influences, and earned his biggest props to date for his […]
Son salutation: R&B soul musician Son Little has an eclectic body of work that includes contributions to recordings by The Roots, RJD2, and Portugal. The Man. He cites Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar, American indie act Grizzly Bear, and Swedish electronic band Little Dragon as early influences, and earned his biggest props to date for his […]
Rox our world: Roxane Gay can write with both authenticity and wit about Italian restaurants, feminism, body image, racism, rape culture, gun control, and other cultural hot buttons. She’s become internationally recognized for her to-the-point social criticism, and in 2019 Playboy called her one of the most important and accessible cultural commentators of our time. […]
Screen team: Based on its latest material, you could call the Joe Policastro Trio dramatic. The alt-jazz outfit’s recent recordings include the West Side Story suite, as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” “Nadia’s Theme (From ‘The Young and the Restless’),” “Twin Peaks’” theme, Blade Runner’s love theme, and many other well-known TV and screen epics. […]
Back on the beats: When Blackalicious’ first album, Nia, was released in 1999, critics praised the duo for their rap skills, production style, and ability to push hip-hop in a new direction. Following up with the equally compelling Blazing Arrow (2002) and The Craft (2005), Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab took 10 years to […]
Here’s another set of worthwhile reissues I missed along the way in 2019. (Not included: The Beatles’ brilliant valedictory Abbey Road and Aretha Franklin’s sublimely beautiful and awesomely powerful Amazing Grace.) Akofa Akoussah Akofa Akoussah (Mr. Bongo) Togolese singer Akofa Akoussah is known to aficionados of vintage African pop, but her lone album has been […]
Swimming in it: Describing themselves as “the world heavyweight champions of Appalachian surf” the landlocked members of Luchadora play hard with a wink and a nod. This appearance finds Will Rourk (guitar/banjo), Will Tanner (bass/guitar), Tiernan Rourk (accordian), Dave Hersman (trumpet), and “crazy long-armed drummer” Jason Bennett turning their high-energy sound into a lively acoustic […]
Walking the talk: Global culture and music are the passions that drive songwriter Riley Moore’s blossoming career. After traveling the world and growing the requisite folksinger beard, Moore settled in Nashville where he lives on a sailboat. A love of the planet moved him to establish himself as a walking, touring musician, and in 2015 […]
In times of war, everything that it means to be human is out in the open. We cannot hide from the truth about ourselves. We must either live up to our morals or live down to our baseness. It’s what happens when our values as a society fracture, but in those cracks, the parts we […]
Get down on it: Whether you were of age to enjoy the ’80s chart-toppers at the time or just think they are totally rad, it’s easy to fall into the groove at a Legwarmers show. Since 2001, Gordon Gartrell, Cru Jones, Chet Reno, Lavaar Huxtable, Roxanne Rio, Captain Morgan Pondo, and Clarence McFly have been […]
Dream date: In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Chicago-born and Virginia-raised human rights activist Ronnie “iRon Lion” Brandon hosts a reggae and poetry showcase that begins by opening up the mic to anyone who wants to express their appreciation for King. Brandon will recite King’s historic “I Have A Dream” speech, and perform […]