Everyone asks me how I keep with upcoming concerts in DC. The answer is simple: scour the websites of reliable venues; know good folks who send invitations to house shows; and pick up the paper every week. Since I go to all that trouble, I will gladly share the spoils with you.
[ EDIT: This list has expired and is on hiatus. ]
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
08 September 2014
22 April 2014
DC Concerts: April to June 2014
Everyone asks me how I keep with upcoming concerts in DC. The answer is simple: scour the websites of reliable venues; know good folks who send invitations to house shows; and pick up the paper every week. Since I go to all that trouble, I will gladly share the spoils with you in the form of a regularly-updated list.
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
10 February 2014
DC Concerts: February-March 2014
Everyone asks me how I keep with upcoming concerts in DC. The answer is simple: scour the websites of reliable venues; know good folks who send invitations to house shows; and pick up the paper every week. Since I go to all that trouble, I will gladly share the spoils with you in the form of a regularly-updated list.
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
25 November 2013
DC Concerts: Dec. 2013 / Jan. 2014
Everyone asks me how I keep with upcoming concerts in DC. The answer is simple: scour the websites of reliable venues; know good folks who send invitations to house shows; and pick up the paper every week. Since I go to all that trouble, I will gladly share the spoils with you in the form of a regularly-updated list.
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
05 November 2013
DC Concerts: November 2013
Everyone asks me how I keep with upcoming concerts in DC. The answer is simple: scour the websites of reliable venues; know good folks who send invitations to house shows; and pick up the paper every week. Since I go to all that trouble, I will gladly share the spoils with you in the form of a regularly updated list.
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
[ EDIT: This list has expired. Please click here for the latest list. ]
10 June 2013
Illegal Music Downloading: An Economist's View
One year ago, David Lowery (musician of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven fame) wrote a blog post in which he decried the practice of illegally downloading music. The post proved a subject of great argument that summer, with other musicians and tech folks chiming in with surprising intensity.
I take an economist's view of the issue: if the Internet has brought the market value of recorded music to zero, this constitutes a market failure. In the event of a market failure, an economist would prescribe government intervention. I will briefly describe the problem with illegal downloading and then offer several solutions for government intervention. Finding them lacking, I conclude that only enlightened consumerism will do until governments can better address the problem.
I take an economist's view of the issue: if the Internet has brought the market value of recorded music to zero, this constitutes a market failure. In the event of a market failure, an economist would prescribe government intervention. I will briefly describe the problem with illegal downloading and then offer several solutions for government intervention. Finding them lacking, I conclude that only enlightened consumerism will do until governments can better address the problem.
22 August 2012
In Support of Honest Cultural Criticism
Dwight Garner recently wrote a piece for the New York Times Magazine in which he makes "A Critic’s Case for Critics Who Are Actually Critical." Mr. Garner
laments the decline of honest literary criticism. He lambastes the "mass
intellectual suicide" of dispensing with critics altogether. He rails
against the intellectual dishonesty of the uncritical, "solicitous
communalism" of the literary world on Twitter. He criticizes -- with insight and respect.
Mr. Garner could just as easily be railing against the decline of true criticism in any type of popular culture, especially among young adults. Cantankerous critical mainstays like Pitchfork and the AV Club keep chugging along, but most of what passes for criticism among the kids these days looks more like the invective-laden meanness of Vice. In place of honest criticism, there seems to be a slow onslaught of clever blogs and scene sites with a surfeit of foaming at the mouth for mediocre, derivative cultural output.
There is a growing attitude among young adults that criticizing someone's favorite song is somehow offensive to the someone (and the song). We are left with friendly interviews that read like ad copy. We are fed too many concert recaps written by people who walked in the venue with their opinions set in stone. (Even my favorite source of new music, NPR Music, puts out positive stories about the carefully-selected music it shares -- criticism only by omission.) This attitude yields writing that declines to grapple with cultural signifiers and thereby fails to enlighten or challenge its audience.
Members of the Internet generation (precious flowers all) are sharing more and more original output through social media. If the kids have a hard time criticizing carefully cultivated cultural products, they will struggle mightily to criticize the work of a real person to their digital face. They will find it even harder to so with insight and respect. We should not, however, sink into blind adoration for the second-rate. We should not waste our time on junk when there is so much cultural content from across the world at our fingertips. Someone needs to call a spade a spade.
I have strong opinions about culture. I am not afraid to criticize the banal, the formulaic, and the dull. I will (generally) do so with respect and insight. But I am in the minority, and I get far too much scorn for making my opinions known. People sometimes dismiss me as too picky or too pretentious simply for voicing a different approach.
Honest criticism (in print or in conversation) means rolling up your sleeves and finding a way to engage productively with even the banal, the formulaic, and the dull. To Mr. Garner,
Mr. Garner could just as easily be railing against the decline of true criticism in any type of popular culture, especially among young adults. Cantankerous critical mainstays like Pitchfork and the AV Club keep chugging along, but most of what passes for criticism among the kids these days looks more like the invective-laden meanness of Vice. In place of honest criticism, there seems to be a slow onslaught of clever blogs and scene sites with a surfeit of foaming at the mouth for mediocre, derivative cultural output.
There is a growing attitude among young adults that criticizing someone's favorite song is somehow offensive to the someone (and the song). We are left with friendly interviews that read like ad copy. We are fed too many concert recaps written by people who walked in the venue with their opinions set in stone. (Even my favorite source of new music, NPR Music, puts out positive stories about the carefully-selected music it shares -- criticism only by omission.) This attitude yields writing that declines to grapple with cultural signifiers and thereby fails to enlighten or challenge its audience.
Members of the Internet generation (precious flowers all) are sharing more and more original output through social media. If the kids have a hard time criticizing carefully cultivated cultural products, they will struggle mightily to criticize the work of a real person to their digital face. They will find it even harder to so with insight and respect. We should not, however, sink into blind adoration for the second-rate. We should not waste our time on junk when there is so much cultural content from across the world at our fingertips. Someone needs to call a spade a spade.
I have strong opinions about culture. I am not afraid to criticize the banal, the formulaic, and the dull. I will (generally) do so with respect and insight. But I am in the minority, and I get far too much scorn for making my opinions known. People sometimes dismiss me as too picky or too pretentious simply for voicing a different approach.
Honest criticism (in print or in conversation) means rolling up your sleeves and finding a way to engage productively with even the banal, the formulaic, and the dull. To Mr. Garner,
"[Criticism] means making fine distinctions. It means talking about ideas, aesthetics and morality as if these things matter (and they do)."Yes, books and music and film are supposed to be entertaining. They are also supposed to make you think. To broaden your perspective. To challenge you. Even if tastes are idiosyncratic -- and they are quite that -- I wonder why so many people like the narrow, the unthinking, the unchallenging. Perhaps there is not enough good criticism to direct them elsewhere.
17 August 2012
Elections and Music: Paul Ryan's Rage (Against The Machine) Problem
Representative Paul Ryan, the young, conservative firebrand, is all over the news in the United States. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate for the 2012 U.S. Presidential election, seemed to see in himself a personality deficit that was estranging him from voters. He chose Rep. Ryan to energize his flagging campaign -- and the socially and fiscally conservative Republican base.
The campaign has wasted no time in playing up Rep. Ryan's personality surplus. The campaign has been feeding to the story-hungry media the little details about Rep. Ryan designed to scream "young, hip, and mildly attractive (but in a safe way, unlike that scalawag Obama)": former Catholic altar boy; former prom king; works out really hard; go-getter; hometown hero; and big fan of the hard rock band Rage Against The Machine. He's just like you, Generations X and Y and Z -- he likes dangerous hard rock (and small government)!
Careful observers, however, may note slight differences between Rep. Ryan's political views and the political views expressed by Rage Against The Machine (RATM). In general, RATM is as far left as Rep. Ryan is far right. For example:
Noting this contrast, RATM guitarist Tom Morello, never a shy violet about politics, went so far as to write a hilariously scathing opinion piece for Rolling Stone, entitled "Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against."
American politicians have often abused pop culture touchstones in their electoral battles. Indeed, the Republican party has a rich history (pun intended), which CNN has captured, of seeking to co-opt pop/rock culture from musicians who are not terribly happy about being co-opted. The shining example is Ronald Reagan's campaign choosing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as the theme song for President Reagan's 1984 reelection walk-in-the-park. Mr. Springsteen was one of the biggest rock stars in the country, so it seemed wise to associate his clout with President Reagan's image. The Reagan campaign, however, neglected to review the song's lyrics, which describe in haunting, resonant detail how the United States government had failed its Vietnam War veterans (and other citizens). The campaign also forgot to ask Mr. Springsteen, who later publicly requested that the campaign stop using his song. Perhaps they should have simply returned to the old American practice of writing original campaign songs instead.
Political campaigns tread on thin ice when they seek to import "real person" pop culture credibility. Even if RATM may be Rep. Ryan's favorite band, he would been better off simply remaining quiet. (If he had to pick someone, he should have instead chosen new, hip conservative band Madison Rising.)
The campaign has wasted no time in playing up Rep. Ryan's personality surplus. The campaign has been feeding to the story-hungry media the little details about Rep. Ryan designed to scream "young, hip, and mildly attractive (but in a safe way, unlike that scalawag Obama)": former Catholic altar boy; former prom king; works out really hard; go-getter; hometown hero; and big fan of the hard rock band Rage Against The Machine. He's just like you, Generations X and Y and Z -- he likes dangerous hard rock (and small government)!
Careful observers, however, may note slight differences between Rep. Ryan's political views and the political views expressed by Rage Against The Machine (RATM). In general, RATM is as far left as Rep. Ryan is far right. For example:
Noting this contrast, RATM guitarist Tom Morello, never a shy violet about politics, went so far as to write a hilariously scathing opinion piece for Rolling Stone, entitled "Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against."
American politicians have often abused pop culture touchstones in their electoral battles. Indeed, the Republican party has a rich history (pun intended), which CNN has captured, of seeking to co-opt pop/rock culture from musicians who are not terribly happy about being co-opted. The shining example is Ronald Reagan's campaign choosing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" as the theme song for President Reagan's 1984 reelection walk-in-the-park. Mr. Springsteen was one of the biggest rock stars in the country, so it seemed wise to associate his clout with President Reagan's image. The Reagan campaign, however, neglected to review the song's lyrics, which describe in haunting, resonant detail how the United States government had failed its Vietnam War veterans (and other citizens). The campaign also forgot to ask Mr. Springsteen, who later publicly requested that the campaign stop using his song. Perhaps they should have simply returned to the old American practice of writing original campaign songs instead.
Political campaigns tread on thin ice when they seek to import "real person" pop culture credibility. Even if RATM may be Rep. Ryan's favorite band, he would been better off simply remaining quiet. (If he had to pick someone, he should have instead chosen new, hip conservative band Madison Rising.)
07 August 2012
Pop Gems: Papas Fritas
Papas
Fritas - Papas Fritas (1995) / Helioself (1997)
Three non-ironic scruffs present simple, unadulterated pop with an appreciation for Sixties and Seventies sunshine – with cheesiness relatively restrained (unless you watch the videos). The songs come off a little light sometimes, but they deploy masterful repetition and surprisingly tight arrangements. It helps that the band is not afraid to write a killer bass line or to toss off a feedback-drenched solo when necessary. I am enjoying their sunshine on this cold Cape Town evening.
"Afterall" from Papas Fritas
"Hey Hey You Say" from Helioself
"Holiday" from Papas Fritas
01 August 2012
Inflicting Hated Music on Loved Ones
Music is powerful in dividing and uniting families. NPR's All Things Considered recently aired a piece about a woman whose hatred for Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" (a song that her father loved) played an important role in father-daughter bonding. I have a similar if less compelling tale, but in reverse: it was I doing the inflicting.
When I was prepubescent, I listened to a lot of what was then classified as "oldies" music: saccharine white-bread pop from 1952-1966; early, non-funky Motown R&B; Phil Spector's kiddie symphonies; and less-daring Beatles songs. On long, suburban drives, my mother would be serenaded by a curated selection of her own teenage follies. If I had been in her shoes, I would not have been able to take it.
My mother persisted, except when confronted with one particular sonic nemesis: Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie".
Neil Diamond was responsible for some of the worst '70s pop with some of the most unfortunate staying power. His songs are teased-hair, wink-and-a-smile, over-orchestrated kitsch. They insult you with lyrical stupidity and playground-chant catchiness. "Sweet Caroline" enjoyed a recent renaissance of bro-comedy popularity largely because it is insipid pap best sung along to under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol.
"Cracklin' Rosie" is hardly Neil's worst -- that would probably go to "I Am, I Said" -- but the lyrics are horrid and meaningless. And vaguely mysogynistic. And, by gum, they get stuck in your head. To torment my loving mother I used to call the local "oldies" radio station to request that they play "Cracklin' Rosie." I would ask them to dedicate it to her. She would howl with indignation as I would sing with the chorus: "Cracklin' Rose, you're a store bought woman..." Ultimately, we could laugh together at how horrible the song was before the radio would be brusquely switched off.
When I was prepubescent, I listened to a lot of what was then classified as "oldies" music: saccharine white-bread pop from 1952-1966; early, non-funky Motown R&B; Phil Spector's kiddie symphonies; and less-daring Beatles songs. On long, suburban drives, my mother would be serenaded by a curated selection of her own teenage follies. If I had been in her shoes, I would not have been able to take it.
My mother persisted, except when confronted with one particular sonic nemesis: Neil Diamond's "Cracklin' Rosie".
Mr. Diamond's facial expressions are priceless.
"Cracklin' Rosie" is hardly Neil's worst -- that would probably go to "I Am, I Said" -- but the lyrics are horrid and meaningless. And vaguely mysogynistic. And, by gum, they get stuck in your head. To torment my loving mother I used to call the local "oldies" radio station to request that they play "Cracklin' Rosie." I would ask them to dedicate it to her. She would howl with indignation as I would sing with the chorus: "Cracklin' Rose, you're a store bought woman..." Ultimately, we could laugh together at how horrible the song was before the radio would be brusquely switched off.
30 July 2012
New Music: St. Vincent and David Byrne
"Who" makes the best complex, boundary-pushing rock/pop in the business? If we were talking about 1980, I would nominate Talking Heads. But we are talking about 2012, and I confidently put forth St. Vincent.
St. Vincent, led by frontwoman Annie Clark, create intricate and compelling songs that begin with pretty pop and rock foundations and build strange houses with creative arrangements, off-kilter funk grooves, lyrical social commentary, and the occasional distorted guitar solo. (You have to love those unsettling videos as well. Or else they will haunt your restless sleep forever.) On stage the band is locked in, and Ms. Clark's haunting stage presence and guitar freakouts sooth, unnerve, and jolt the audience through a thought-provoking, booty-shaking ride.
David Byrne, the former frontman of Talking Heads, and St. Vincent have put their idea-heavy heads together for an album, which is satisfyingly named Love This Giant. The first single, "Who", showcases the best of both of these gifted songwriters: the weird, skittery funk underpinnings and pretty pop foils of St. Vincent combined with Byrne's odd wordplay and close, uncomfortable harmonies. Download the song for free (with email submission) at their album website. If the rest of the album is anywhere near this good (and this weird), we are in for quite a treat.
Love this Giant will be released on 11 September 2012. I plan to buy a digital copy. I recommend that you do the same if you have good taste.
St. Vincent, led by frontwoman Annie Clark, create intricate and compelling songs that begin with pretty pop and rock foundations and build strange houses with creative arrangements, off-kilter funk grooves, lyrical social commentary, and the occasional distorted guitar solo. (You have to love those unsettling videos as well. Or else they will haunt your restless sleep forever.) On stage the band is locked in, and Ms. Clark's haunting stage presence and guitar freakouts sooth, unnerve, and jolt the audience through a thought-provoking, booty-shaking ride.
David Byrne, the former frontman of Talking Heads, and St. Vincent have put their idea-heavy heads together for an album, which is satisfyingly named Love This Giant. The first single, "Who", showcases the best of both of these gifted songwriters: the weird, skittery funk underpinnings and pretty pop foils of St. Vincent combined with Byrne's odd wordplay and close, uncomfortable harmonies. Download the song for free (with email submission) at their album website. If the rest of the album is anywhere near this good (and this weird), we are in for quite a treat.
Love this Giant will be released on 11 September 2012. I plan to buy a digital copy. I recommend that you do the same if you have good taste.
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