Flying Lotus Flamagra (Warp) One of the most compelling post-Dilla beatmakers, Flying Lotus has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington, among others, as his amorphous funk has spread throughout left-field R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. On Flamagra, FlyLo is abetted by fellow travelers like Thundercat and Robert Glasper, along with why-not guests such as David […]
Flying Lotus Flamagra (Warp) One of the most compelling post-Dilla beatmakers, Flying Lotus has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington, among others, as his amorphous funk has spread throughout left-field R&B, hip-hop, and jazz. On Flamagra, FlyLo is abetted by fellow travelers like Thundercat and Robert Glasper, along with why-not guests such as David […]
Great Knight: Seven-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Gladys Knight is a legend who has been scoring R&B hits since the ‘60s with the Pips. Often referred to as “The Empress of Soul,” she’s touring her ubiquitous songs like “Midnight Train to Georgia” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” […]
Get hip to it: EquallyOpposite’s Lamar “Gordo” Gordon and Zachary “ZacMac” McMullen make “rap music for people who don’t like rap music.” The hip-hop duo recognized something in each other that comes through in their music—funny, smart, snappy lyrics, and a willingness to be goofy. “You never know what you’re gonna get,” Gordon told C-VILLE […]
Heart unburdened: In going it alone, Rachel Ries found herself in a new community and nurtured it into the musical project Her Crooked Heart. Ries was touring for a solo album, going through a divorce, and had “leapt into the untethered unknown” when she got busy writing the transformative song cycle that defines her new […]
On Friday, July 12, a new David Berman record hit store shelves. Recorded under the moniker Purple Mountains, it’s an eponymous 10-track offering that marked the end of a decade-long hiatus for Berman, whose Silver Jews lyrics made him an indie rock icon, admired by critics and music fans alike. But just weeks after he […]
It takes a phenomenal storyteller to turn such a deeply personal story into a film like The Farewell. Based on the real experiences of writer-director Lulu Wang, The Farewell is a touching, funny, emotionally rich story about how the expression of love differs between cultures and communities. Sometimes the difference is radical and irreconcilable, but […]
Dream team: Most of the music made by Charlottesville-raised Aussie Mariana Bell can be comfortably described as indie rock influenced by jazz and folk. But in 2017, her collaboration with Sander van Doorn, DubVision, and Mako led to Bell’s name rising on the EDM charts with the single “Into the Light.” To celebrate her birthday, […]
Brass tactics: Circus-like characters, eye-catching costumes, and a blend of big-band-friendly musical styles make up the exalting sensory overload that is the MarchFourth Marching Band. The 20-member troupe from Portland, Oregon, is a festival staple, and has been tapped for high-profile gigs at the Kennedy Center, The Fillmore, and ESPN’s “ESPY Awards” show. The band’s […]
Bluegrass beginnings: Loving Dolly Parton may have gotten Irene Kelley kicked out of her first rock band (she was fired for bringing a Dolly album to practice), but in the 30 years since, her bluegrass sensibility, songwriting talent, and instrumental know-how have made her an accomplished musician. Moving from Pennsylvania to Nashville at the start […]
Gone west: Max Frost’s polished brand of indie pop has scored him alt-rock radio hits, a collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, and an opening slot for Awolnation and Twenty One Pilots. His recent album, Gold Rush, focuses on the newfound vulnerability that coincided with his move from Austin, Texas, to Los Angeles, where he had […]