When Dan Purdy walks into his bank, the tellers know to pull out a couple stacks of rolled quarters. No nickels needed, and there’s certainly no cause for pennies. Purdy can tell the good rolls (government issued) from the bad (locally rolled, riddled with other coins), but he’ll make use of a change machine if […]
The Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan falls into a quirky pattern during taped interviews and between live songs. He becomes clueless, feigning ignorance about certain words and well-known musicians. He once claimed he’d never heard of Simon and Garfunkel. It’s a funny act—like one of the characters from Spinal Tap come to life. But it’s […]
Book artist Lyall Harris doesn’t shy away from difficult and complex subjects, but dares to approach them more closely and pick them apart piece by piece to rebuild them. “Art is a language, a place to put things, to work stuff out,” says Harris. “My conduit.” Whatever her subject, recurring themes of identity and place […]
Britta Phillips Luck or Magic (Double Feature) Though Luck or Magic is her first album, Britta Phillips has just about done it all. After providing the singing voice of Jem (of the “Jem and the Holograms” cartoon), she appeared alongside Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts in the lightweight girl-band film Satisfaction. Joining alt-rock darlings Luna […]
Jason Flom was born into wealth and privilege. His father, Joseph Flom, made a name in legal circles as a mergers and acquisitions savant, a man who built one of the largest law firms in the country and is sometimes known as “Mr. Takeover.” As a youth growing up in New York City, the younger […]
Genre-defying, freedom-fighting diva Mavis Staples has woven her music into a fabric of gospel, soul, folk, pop, R&B, blues, rock and hip-hop for the past 60 years. A pioneer of the Delta gospel sound created in the 1950s, Staples flourished as a solo performer and in her family group, The Staple Singers. She has collaborated […]
As crippling as the fear of missing out may be on our ability to lead a normal, healthy life, perhaps the only thing worse is the regret of allowing yourself to become stuck in a rut of your own creation. This regret is given a playful yet poignant spin in Michael Showalter’s Hello, My Name […]
Gritty, heartfelt rock ‘n’ roll meets gut-spilling soul on Keith Morris & the Crooked Numbers’ new album, The Dirty Gospel. Written during a period of mourning, the songs are personal, accessible and emotionally charged. Sarah White and The Pearls and Mister Baby open the CD release bash. Friday 4/8. $10, 7pm. The Ante Room, 219 W. […]
Ben Sollee answers the phone but isn’t ready to chat. He’s still talking to his son, Oliver, and his mom. They’re in the car, “cruising down the road.” Turns out this is typical of Sollee, who’ll play The Southern Café and Music Hall on April 8. Scattered might not be the right word, but he […]
Hardly a lavish wedding goes by where Lee Ann Womack’s 2000 crossover hit, “I Hope You Dance,” isn’t played to the delight of a tearful aunt or grandma. The Grammy-winning country music singer has earned a pile of country music awards (CMAs, ACMAs and CMTs), and her latest record, The Way I’m Livin’, followed suit […]