If something about this weekend’s 66th annual Grammys look familiar to you, credit Jon Batiste and his armful of nominations. Same goes for March 10’s Oscars ceremony.
In the run-up to the 2024 Grammys, the New Orleans native has again bolstered his Technicolor brand of R&b jazz fusion with gospel, hip-hop, dancehall and beyond for his newest release, 2023’s “World Music Radio.” For that, the keyboardist-composer is nominated for song of the year (“Butterfly”), record of the year (“Worship”), album of the year (“World Music Radio”), best jazz performance (“Movement 18′ (Heroes)” and best American roots performance (“Butterfly”). For his sixth nomination this year, Batiste is also Grammy-recognized for his featured appearance on Lana Del Rey’s most recent album, sharing a best pop duo/group performance nomination for “Candy Necklace.”
As far as the March 10 Oscar ceremony, Batiste is represented with a best original song nomination for “It Never...
In the run-up to the 2024 Grammys, the New Orleans native has again bolstered his Technicolor brand of R&b jazz fusion with gospel, hip-hop, dancehall and beyond for his newest release, 2023’s “World Music Radio.” For that, the keyboardist-composer is nominated for song of the year (“Butterfly”), record of the year (“Worship”), album of the year (“World Music Radio”), best jazz performance (“Movement 18′ (Heroes)” and best American roots performance (“Butterfly”). For his sixth nomination this year, Batiste is also Grammy-recognized for his featured appearance on Lana Del Rey’s most recent album, sharing a best pop duo/group performance nomination for “Candy Necklace.”
As far as the March 10 Oscar ceremony, Batiste is represented with a best original song nomination for “It Never...
- 2/2/2024
- by A.D. Amorosi
- Variety Film + TV
The Mountain Goats, Los Lobos, and Rickie Lee Jones are among the acts set to appear at the always intriguing Big Ears Festival, returning to Knoxville, Tennessee, from March 30 through April 2, 2023.
The 2023 festival — which is held at a variety of venues around Knoxville — will also feature performances from Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart, the Weather Station, Kvin Morby, Bonny Light Horseman, and Son Lux. Famed banjo player Béla Fleck will also be on hand, as will jazz artists Charles Lloyd, Christian McBride, and William Parker.
Additionally, Big Ears...
The 2023 festival — which is held at a variety of venues around Knoxville — will also feature performances from Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Devendra Banhart, the Weather Station, Kvin Morby, Bonny Light Horseman, and Son Lux. Famed banjo player Béla Fleck will also be on hand, as will jazz artists Charles Lloyd, Christian McBride, and William Parker.
Additionally, Big Ears...
- 9/12/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features drummer Bryan “Brain” Mantia.
Guns N’ Roses’ 2002 Chinese Democracy tour and Tom Waits’ 2004 Real Gone tour were such wildly different affairs that comparing them almost seems ludicrous. Gn...
Guns N’ Roses’ 2002 Chinese Democracy tour and Tom Waits’ 2004 Real Gone tour were such wildly different affairs that comparing them almost seems ludicrous. Gn...
- 8/4/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Questlove’s new Summer of Soul doc is a trove of incredible footage, featuring extended clips of Sly and the Family Stone, Mavis Staples, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, and other icons at the height of their performing powers. But one of the film’s most striking sequences spotlights a lesser-known figure who shared the bill with these legends at 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival: the guitarist Sonny Sharrock, seen convulsing and grimacing onstage as he wrings a gritty expressionist racket from his hollow-body ax during an appearance backing flutist Herbie Mann.
- 6/25/2021
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
In June of 1965, two young saxophonists, Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, gathered at New Jersey’s famed Van Gelder Studio as part of an 11-piece band convened by John Coltrane. At the time, Coltrane was leading his so-called classic quartet, one of the most celebrated bands in jazz, but he was looking toward a wilder, more expansive sound. And he’d enlisted a crew of hungry up-and-comers to help him get there. Joining fellow new faces like Marion Brown and John Tchicai on the date — the results of which came...
- 3/24/2021
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
Lee “Scratch” Perry, the eccentric elder statesman of dub reggae, will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Upsetters’ Blackboard Jungle Dub LP with a tour this fall. He will be accompanied by his backing band, Subatomic Sound System. The tour runs from October 12th through the 31st and focuses on the West and East Coasts. Tickets are already on sale for the show billed as “the world’s first dub album live for the first time.”
When the LP came out in 1973, a few short years after the first Upsetters...
When the LP came out in 1973, a few short years after the first Upsetters...
- 10/11/2018
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
When it comes to improvised music, there’s something about duets with drummers. Ever since the 1974 release of John Coltrane’s landmark Interstellar Space session, on which the saxophonist was joined only by drummer Rashied Ali, countless musicians — from fellow saxists to trumpeters, pianists, guitarists and even double-bassists — have squared off with trap-set players, embracing the spontaneity and intensity of the stripped-down setting. New York drummer Donald Sturge Anthony McKenzie II is bringing a new energy to the format with his Silenced project, centering on first-take, unedited duets with a variety of stellar improvisers,...
- 8/31/2018
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
1. William Parker: For Those Who Are, Still (Aum Fidelity/Centering)
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
- 1/3/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Another year, another move further away from caring about pop. Whether that's pop's fault or mine, I'm not sure. But there was still plenty of great new music released in 2015, and here, according to my idiosyncratic tastes, are the best albums, or at least my favorites.
1. Wire: Wire (Pink Flag)
This is said to be the first time that Bruce Gilbert's replacement, guitarist Matthew Simms, was heavily involved in the creation of a Wire album, and the result is...the closest Wire has ever come to sounding like a Colin Newman album. I exaggerate for effect, but only slightly: most everything thrums along smoothly and motorik-ly, he takes all the lead vocals (though Graham Lewis supposedly wrote many of the lyrics), and there are none of the post-punkier outbursts of the group's previous two reunion albums, though near the end of Wire, the one-two punch of "Split Your Ends" and "Octopus" come close.
1. Wire: Wire (Pink Flag)
This is said to be the first time that Bruce Gilbert's replacement, guitarist Matthew Simms, was heavily involved in the creation of a Wire album, and the result is...the closest Wire has ever come to sounding like a Colin Newman album. I exaggerate for effect, but only slightly: most everything thrums along smoothly and motorik-ly, he takes all the lead vocals (though Graham Lewis supposedly wrote many of the lyrics), and there are none of the post-punkier outbursts of the group's previous two reunion albums, though near the end of Wire, the one-two punch of "Split Your Ends" and "Octopus" come close.
- 12/27/2015
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
As I mentioned way back on this post from 2008, as much as I’ve tried to branch out, my tastes are pretty narrow when it comes to reading material.
I’d love to say that I’m broadly well-read when it comes to the more celebrated books of the day, but it’s just not true. If you’re looking to engage in a discussion about today’s most incisive fiction, you’re much better off speaking with my wife (who works in publishing) than one such as I. Truthfully, I’ve pretty much lost my taste for fiction almost entirely. Unless I have some vested interest (like, say, I know the author or it’s about something near and dear to me), I usually cannot muster up the interest to crack the binding.
As a result, whenever I’m perusing through the aisles of a bookstore (when I can still find one,...
I’d love to say that I’m broadly well-read when it comes to the more celebrated books of the day, but it’s just not true. If you’re looking to engage in a discussion about today’s most incisive fiction, you’re much better off speaking with my wife (who works in publishing) than one such as I. Truthfully, I’ve pretty much lost my taste for fiction almost entirely. Unless I have some vested interest (like, say, I know the author or it’s about something near and dear to me), I usually cannot muster up the interest to crack the binding.
As a result, whenever I’m perusing through the aisles of a bookstore (when I can still find one,...
- 6/27/2015
- by Alex in NYC
- www.culturecatch.com
Stephen Colbert has named Louisiana jazz musician Jon Batiste as his Late Show bandleader with a fittingly absurd video announcement. "People keep asking who my bandleader's gonna be," Colbert says, sitting down to a massive pile of New Orleans desert beignets, "Well, I like this guy." The camera pans over to the 28-year-old Batiste, who demonstrates his versatility by singing, playing some soulful piano and tossing off a wild melodica solo. "So good!" enthuses a powdered sugar-coated Colbert, when the camera cuts back 20 seconds later, revealing an empty plate.
Batiste,...
Batiste,...
- 6/5/2015
- Rollingstone.com
My alienation from current pop is almost complete; the only 2013 Top 40 material I enjoyed enough to play repeatedly was Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, from an album released in 2012. So I am officially a cranky old fart. But there are more and more of us, and maybe fellow COFs will find this list useful. By the way, crossing that border of alienation made me think more than ever that saying my lists are of the "best" albums is nearly absurd, hence the new headline.
1. Wire: Change Becomes Us (Pink Flag)
This is my favorite Wire of this century thanks to more emphasis on Colin Newman's brooding. When allied to their chugging motorik beats, it's irresistible to me. There are still some uptempo burners that recall their beginnings in punk, and some more whimsical though still musically solid songs, but it's Newman's dark musings that made me play this repeatedly.
2. Kitchens of...
1. Wire: Change Becomes Us (Pink Flag)
This is my favorite Wire of this century thanks to more emphasis on Colin Newman's brooding. When allied to their chugging motorik beats, it's irresistible to me. There are still some uptempo burners that recall their beginnings in punk, and some more whimsical though still musically solid songs, but it's Newman's dark musings that made me play this repeatedly.
2. Kitchens of...
- 1/1/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Actor's directing debut will focus on the period immediately following Davis's self-imposed exile from music and will co-star Ewan McGregor and Zoe Saldana
• Don Cheadle: 'Acting can be a grind'
• Don Cheadle's Davis biopic will be a 'gangster' film
Don Cheadle's Kill The Trumpet Player, the actor's take on the "silent period" of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, will co-star Ewan McGregor and Star Trek actor Zoe Saldana.
The film is co-written by Cheadle and will be his first as director. McGregor will play a Rolling Stone journalist and Saldana will play Davis's ex-wife, Frances.
Kill the Trumpet Player will focus on "a few dangerous days in the life of Miles Davis, as he bursts out of his silent period and conspires with a Rolling Stone writer (McGregor) to steal back his music", according to The Hollywood Reporter. This presumably refers to the period after the 1975 Newport Jazz Festival,...
• Don Cheadle: 'Acting can be a grind'
• Don Cheadle's Davis biopic will be a 'gangster' film
Don Cheadle's Kill The Trumpet Player, the actor's take on the "silent period" of jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, will co-star Ewan McGregor and Star Trek actor Zoe Saldana.
The film is co-written by Cheadle and will be his first as director. McGregor will play a Rolling Stone journalist and Saldana will play Davis's ex-wife, Frances.
Kill the Trumpet Player will focus on "a few dangerous days in the life of Miles Davis, as he bursts out of his silent period and conspires with a Rolling Stone writer (McGregor) to steal back his music", according to The Hollywood Reporter. This presumably refers to the period after the 1975 Newport Jazz Festival,...
- 11/14/2013
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
Marla Mase: Speak [Deluxe] (True Groove)
I have rarely been as excited -- or intimidated -- about writing a review. For a writer to suggest that he is speechless would not simply be an oxymoron, but also a quick route to ending his career. So I will speechify, knowing that my words are unlikely to match the feeling behind them: extreme admiration, bordering on awe.
With few exceptions (Zappa, The Church, some folk music), I have never been a fan of "spoken word" or "talk-sung" songwriting. [N.B. I am not including rap and its relatives here, since they are a different kettle of fish.] To my ears, almost all such writing comes across as either "forced," unintentional parody, or downright cringe-worthy. A writer needs to have a particularly special gift to put across this type of writing in a meaningful and listenable -- to say nothing of compelling -- way. Marla Mase has that gift. In spades.
Part of that gift is making her spoken-word and talk-sung "stories" sound folksy and direct,...
I have rarely been as excited -- or intimidated -- about writing a review. For a writer to suggest that he is speechless would not simply be an oxymoron, but also a quick route to ending his career. So I will speechify, knowing that my words are unlikely to match the feeling behind them: extreme admiration, bordering on awe.
With few exceptions (Zappa, The Church, some folk music), I have never been a fan of "spoken word" or "talk-sung" songwriting. [N.B. I am not including rap and its relatives here, since they are a different kettle of fish.] To my ears, almost all such writing comes across as either "forced," unintentional parody, or downright cringe-worthy. A writer needs to have a particularly special gift to put across this type of writing in a meaningful and listenable -- to say nothing of compelling -- way. Marla Mase has that gift. In spades.
Part of that gift is making her spoken-word and talk-sung "stories" sound folksy and direct,...
- 5/5/2013
- by Ian Alterman
- www.culturecatch.com
Public Image Ltd.’s debut record, First Issue, is getting a deluxe reissue, courtesy of Seattle-based Light In The Attic Records. Released in the UK in 1978, First Issue was PiL’s response to the media frenzy created by frontman John Lydon’s first band, Sex Pistols. The band was more secretive, shy, and deliberate, and its sound was more dub than punk, boogie than snarl. First Issue was never commercially available in the states, having been deemed too uncommercial by the band’s U.S. label. Debut single “Public Image” was the only track ever made commercially available in ...
- 4/3/2013
- avclub.com
Los Angeles -- They are seen as the progenitors of Chicano rock `n' roll, the first band that had the boldness, and some might even say the naiveté, to fuse punk rock with Mexican folk tunes.
It was a group called Los Lobos that had the unusual idea of putting an accordion, a saxophone and something called a bajo sexto alongside drums and Fender Stratocaster guitars and then blasting a ranchera-flavored folk tune or a Conjunto inspired melody through double reverb amps at about twice the volume you'd normally expect to hear.
"They were Latinos who weren't afraid to break the mold of what's expected and what's traditionally played. That made them legendary, even to people who at first weren't that familiar with their catalog," said Greg Gonzalez of the young, Grammy-winning Latino-funk fusion band Grupo Fantasma.
To the guys in Los Lobos, however, the band that began to take...
It was a group called Los Lobos that had the unusual idea of putting an accordion, a saxophone and something called a bajo sexto alongside drums and Fender Stratocaster guitars and then blasting a ranchera-flavored folk tune or a Conjunto inspired melody through double reverb amps at about twice the volume you'd normally expect to hear.
"They were Latinos who weren't afraid to break the mold of what's expected and what's traditionally played. That made them legendary, even to people who at first weren't that familiar with their catalog," said Greg Gonzalez of the young, Grammy-winning Latino-funk fusion band Grupo Fantasma.
To the guys in Los Lobos, however, the band that began to take...
- 12/17/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or in the belly of the all-powerful Sarlac, it can’t have escaped your attention that Disney has just bought Lucasfilm for a whopping $4bn. Not only that, but Disney intends to use this modest acquisition to create a new trilogy of Star Wars sequels, the first of which will be due in 2015.
Much ink has been spilled (or typed) about this story, with responses ranging from great excitement at what the news film might hold, to seething rage at George Lucas’ ‘latest betrayal’, to admiration after Lucas announced that all the money from the sale would go to his charitable foundation. There have been copious articles, on WhatCulture! and elsewhere, discussing possible storylines, the relationship the new films should have with the other films, and possible choices for directors. There has been so much written, in fact, that there’s not...
Much ink has been spilled (or typed) about this story, with responses ranging from great excitement at what the news film might hold, to seething rage at George Lucas’ ‘latest betrayal’, to admiration after Lucas announced that all the money from the sale would go to his charitable foundation. There have been copious articles, on WhatCulture! and elsewhere, discussing possible storylines, the relationship the new films should have with the other films, and possible choices for directors. There has been so much written, in fact, that there’s not...
- 11/4/2012
- by Daniel Mumby
- Obsessed with Film
Five years in the making, The Rise and Fall and Rise of Sensational is an portrait of an eccentric artist - the life and music of Colin Julius Bobb, aka Sensational. Described as part rapper, part genius, and part sonic menace, this consummate hypercreative lives completely in his own reality. He’s also one of the most bizarre, paradoxical, and creative names in hip-hop, a true character whose self-destructive tendencies and unique worldview come to the fore in this comical yet moving documentary. The Rise and Fall and Rise of Sensational includes contributions from colleagues, collaborators, and fans such as producer Bill Laswell, Mike G from the Jungle Brothers,...
- 9/12/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Public Image Ltd. has announced a fall tour that kicks off Oct. 3 in the rock mecca of Orlando, Florida. The John Lydon-fronted band is out supporting its first studio album in 20 years, This Is PiL, and hasn’t played in the U.S. for two years. The band is touring the U.K. right now and will finish its stateside run at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas. Public Image Ltd. 2012 Tour Dates: July 31—O2 Academy Bournemouth—Bournemouth, United Kingdom Aug. 1—Sub89—Reading, United Kingdom Aug. 3—Wolfrun Hall—Wolverhampton, United Kingdom Aug. 4 ...
- 7/30/2012
- avclub.com
Santigold, Public Image Ltd., A$AP Rocky, Girl Talk, Refused, Turbonegro, X (performing all of Los Angeles), and the previously announced Run-dmc are among the headliners of Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, taking place Nov. 2-4 at Auditorium Shores. The just-released lineup of the three-day musical orgy will also include performances by Bun B, Superchunk, Fucked Up, Against Me!, Explosions In The Sky, and a variety of comedians, including David Cross, Hannibal Buress, Wyatt Cenac, and Doug Benson. The festival also promises a dating game, an air sex competition, wrestling, not one but two spoken-word artists, a "Weird Al ...
- 7/12/2012
- avclub.com
When Dick Clark died a few months ago, one of the most widely-circulated videos posted in his honor was a clip of Public Image Ltd.‘s 1980 appearance on American Bandstand. The group performed “Poptones” and “Careering” in the most sneering, audience-friendly way possible and engaged in one of the most hilariously off-kilter interviews Clark was ever a part of on his own show. As a tribute to Clark’s unflappability, it’s an ideal document; however, it also speaks volumes about why Public Image Ltd. so captured the attention of the post-punk generation. After moving on from the Sex Pistols, John Lydon...
- 6/6/2012
- Pastemagazine.com
In an increasingly bad month for music lovers, we have lost two more beloved greats, guitarists of the highest caliber: folk/country icon Doc Watson and jazz/blues/soul/avant-garde legend Pete Cosey. Watson was a star, certainly; just as certainly, Cosey was not. But aficionados of their respective genres had the highest respect for them.
I am shamefully uninformed about the (vastly) more famous of the two, Arthel "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 -- May 29, 2012), whose virtuoso country flat-picking style made him a legend not just in country music but among guitarists of many stripes. Rather than crib from Wikipedia, I'll just say that you can find the outline of his life there; here I'll stick to my impressions.
After three early '60s Folkways albums on which he shared the spotlight with a variety of artists, he switched to Vanguard and released a series of dazzling and varied LPs that,...
I am shamefully uninformed about the (vastly) more famous of the two, Arthel "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 -- May 29, 2012), whose virtuoso country flat-picking style made him a legend not just in country music but among guitarists of many stripes. Rather than crib from Wikipedia, I'll just say that you can find the outline of his life there; here I'll stick to my impressions.
After three early '60s Folkways albums on which he shared the spotlight with a variety of artists, he switched to Vanguard and released a series of dazzling and varied LPs that,...
- 5/30/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
John Lydon -- aka Johnny Rotten -- speaks in stanzas, with grand pauses. He’d finish a thought, I’d give him a few seconds, I’d start to speak but then he’d start in on another thought on the same subject, sometimes in third person. He was full of sharp declarations and axioms like they were print-ready for badges and t-shirts. Perhaps its because many were badges and t-shirts. It’s been 20 years since Lydon’s Public Image Ltd. has released new music, but the frontman contends that PiL was never really gone. Listeners can hear the band’s influence in contemporary artists today, and...
- 5/22/2012
- Hitfix
SXSW is barely 24 hours away from starting (catch up with part one and part two of our preview pieces here), and at this point, it's important to be reminded that one of the things that makes the festival unique is a particular focus on the crossover between music and film, something that's been a special interest of ours since the very earliest days of The Playlist. SXSW doesn't just have a whole sidebar dedicated to music documentaries (with this year's batch including films centered on LCD Soundsystem, Paul Simon and Big Star), and a music festival that runs alongside, but the films screened seem to attract a disproportionate number of scores by indie and rock musicians.
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
And with more and more names who broke out from the pop and rock world -- from veteran composers like Danny Elfman and Clint Mansell to newbies like Trent Reznor and The Chemical Brothers -- moving into composition,...
- 3/8/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
"I am no vulture, this is my culture," John Lydon warns -- or is it a declaration? Whatever he's portraying, it's in Public Image Ltd.'s first new song in 20 years, off their first studio effort since 1992's "That What Is Not." Defiant "One Drop" utilizes reggae rhythms and layers upon layers of guitars and processed noise, all with the former Sex Pistol's penchant vibrato and prrroper brrrah-brrrahing consonant rolls. The chorus reminds me a little of LCD Soundsystem's "One Touch" -- one drop, after all, is rarely ever enough."We are the ageless, we are teenagers," he sing-says, the vocals mixed...
- 2/14/2012
- Hitfix
Ralph Carney's Serious Jass Project: Seriously (Smog Veil)
One of the great things about recycling old jazz is that there are so many styles to choose from. On the evidence of this CD, saxman Ralph Carney (known as a member of Tin Huey and Oranj Symphonette as well as for his contributions to records by Tom Waits, the Black Keys, Black Francis, the B-52's, Bill Laswell, Elvis Costello, Galaxie 500, Allen Ginsberg, Marc Ribot, William Burroughs, Pere Ubu, and many more) has a great fondness for small-group swing and jump blues, but taps a few additional subgenres as well. He's even more versatile as an instrumentalist, credited on this album with six types of saxophone, two types of clarinet, and flute, trumpet, English horn, lap steel guitar, and vocals, with a moderate amount of overdubbing at times.
Of course, when Carney includes "serious" in the band and album names,...
One of the great things about recycling old jazz is that there are so many styles to choose from. On the evidence of this CD, saxman Ralph Carney (known as a member of Tin Huey and Oranj Symphonette as well as for his contributions to records by Tom Waits, the Black Keys, Black Francis, the B-52's, Bill Laswell, Elvis Costello, Galaxie 500, Allen Ginsberg, Marc Ribot, William Burroughs, Pere Ubu, and many more) has a great fondness for small-group swing and jump blues, but taps a few additional subgenres as well. He's even more versatile as an instrumentalist, credited on this album with six types of saxophone, two types of clarinet, and flute, trumpet, English horn, lap steel guitar, and vocals, with a moderate amount of overdubbing at times.
Of course, when Carney includes "serious" in the band and album names,...
- 11/29/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Sarangi exponent Ustad Sultan Khan, known for his instrumental skills, passed away on Sunday in Mumbai. He was 71 and died of kidney failure. The two time Sangeet Natya Academy Award winner was awarded India's third highest civilian award Padma Bhushan last year. A sarangi maestro he used to play Hindustani classical music and was a member of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science, with Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell. Tutored by his father Gulab Khan, Sultan Khan...
- 11/28/2011
- GlamSham
John Lydon has revealed that his lyrics got burnt when a house fire caused major damage to his London home earlier this year. The Sex Pistols star told BBC 6 Music that he has been forced to come up with lyrics as he goes along in new recording sessions for Public Image Ltd. Lydon said: "Ever since we had that silly little house fire, all my lyrics got burnt down so I had to start again from scratch trying to remember ideas but it's much more enjoyable this way. "I like the panic and the fear of going in there live and having to come up with something. It's a really, really exciting environment we've put ourselves in." Lydon added of working in the studio provided by musician Steve Winwood: "It's a barn - there's nothing too flash but then we don't need flash, over-the-top (more)...
- 8/3/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
On Oct. 21, 1974, Californian Clifford Travis Bean filed a U.S. patent with the intention of making a guitar from "extruded aluminum." His goal, read the patent, was to create an instrument that resulted in "stable and versatile tones." Nearly four decades later, it's safe to say that Bean, who died last Friday at the age of 63, was successful in his stated aims.
In the five years following his filed patent, Bean produced some 3,600 instruments that are not only by and large still in use today but also still influencing new generations of guitar makers and players. His heavy, unmistakable aluminum-necked guitars have an unwavering reputation for tone, sustain and musical flexibility. Though they're most popular now at the intersection of heavy metal and indie rock, they've been used over the years by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Thin Lizzy and jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan.
Earlier this week, I asked one longtime Bean adherent,...
In the five years following his filed patent, Bean produced some 3,600 instruments that are not only by and large still in use today but also still influencing new generations of guitar makers and players. His heavy, unmistakable aluminum-necked guitars have an unwavering reputation for tone, sustain and musical flexibility. Though they're most popular now at the intersection of heavy metal and indie rock, they've been used over the years by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Thin Lizzy and jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan.
Earlier this week, I asked one longtime Bean adherent,...
- 7/13/2011
- by Grayson Currin
- ifc.com
Lou Reed has been added to the bill of a 12-hour 'Concert For Japan' to help victims of the country's earthquake and resulting tsunami and nuclear crisis. The event takes place at the New York headquarters of the Japan Society from 11am to 11pm on Saturday, April 9. Confirmed performers at 1pm are Philip Glass and Hal Willner, followed by Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and organiser John Zorn. At 6pm there will be sets from Ryuichi Sakamoto solo and Bill Laswell with Gigi. "Special activities will be available for all ages," the Japan Society website confirmed. "From making origami cranes and washi lanterns for good wishes to unlimited access to [new exhibition] (more)...
- 3/18/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
John Lydon has postponed recording a new Public Image Ltd. (PiL) album to mourn the loss of his stepdaughter. The punk legend and founding member of Sex Pistols has been left distraught by the death of Arianna Forster, who was also a punk singer with The Slits, and sung under the name Ari Up, and said he is not ready to work on new music while he comes to terms with her passing, from cancer, last month.
He told BBC News, "We were going to go into the studio but in light of my stepdaughter's death I really can't be doing that at the moment." John added he will be spending as much time with his wife, Nora Forster, as possible, saying his band "all understand" his present circumstance.
He added, "I don't want to leave my wife alone for any length of time right now. So the music side has had to be held.
He told BBC News, "We were going to go into the studio but in light of my stepdaughter's death I really can't be doing that at the moment." John added he will be spending as much time with his wife, Nora Forster, as possible, saying his band "all understand" his present circumstance.
He added, "I don't want to leave my wife alone for any length of time right now. So the music side has had to be held.
- 11/23/2010
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
Ari Up (Arianna Forster), lead singer of innovative English female punk band The Slits, has died. She was 48.
According to a statement released by her mother and stepfather (John Lydon, of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd.), Up died “after a serious illness.”
Up formed The Slits in 1978 when she was only 14, and the band was known for their ability to inspire gangs of grrrls and women everywhere to be crazier than the the men in the audience.
Her current bandmembers say, "We are devastated about our irreplaceable mentor and friend Baby Ari...We know we'll meet again, Ari, our guiding star."...
According to a statement released by her mother and stepfather (John Lydon, of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd.), Up died “after a serious illness.”
Up formed The Slits in 1978 when she was only 14, and the band was known for their ability to inspire gangs of grrrls and women everywhere to be crazier than the the men in the audience.
Her current bandmembers say, "We are devastated about our irreplaceable mentor and friend Baby Ari...We know we'll meet again, Ari, our guiding star."...
- 10/26/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
Influential punk singer was 48 years old.
By Kyle Anderson
The Slits' Ari Up
Photo: Flickr
British punk singer Ari Up (born Arianna Forster), who formed the influential band the Slits when she was only 14 years old, has passed away at the age of 48. According to stepfather John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and the recently reunited Public Image Ltd.), Up succumbed to an undisclosed "serious illness" on Wednesday (October 20).
Though the history of British punk is dominated by the social nose-thumbing of the Sex Pistols and the political rabble-rousing of the Clash, the Slits were right up there in terms of influence. Consisting of Up, Palmolive (who later formed the Raincoats), Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy (who were later replaced by Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt), the all-female group struggled to penetrate the boys' club that made up the early punk scene.
Their debut album Cut was...
By Kyle Anderson
The Slits' Ari Up
Photo: Flickr
British punk singer Ari Up (born Arianna Forster), who formed the influential band the Slits when she was only 14 years old, has passed away at the age of 48. According to stepfather John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and the recently reunited Public Image Ltd.), Up succumbed to an undisclosed "serious illness" on Wednesday (October 20).
Though the history of British punk is dominated by the social nose-thumbing of the Sex Pistols and the political rabble-rousing of the Clash, the Slits were right up there in terms of influence. Consisting of Up, Palmolive (who later formed the Raincoats), Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy (who were later replaced by Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt), the all-female group struggled to penetrate the boys' club that made up the early punk scene.
Their debut album Cut was...
- 10/21/2010
- MTV Music News
Punk legends the Sex Pistols have agreed to allow their hit song "Pretty Vacant" to be used in a television commercial for the first time. Former frontman Johnny Rotten, real name John Lydon, was slated for "selling out" when he appeared in U.K. TV adverts promoting Country Life butter in 2008.
Lydon defended his choice to star in the clips as it funded his reunion with his other band Public Image Ltd. (PiL) - and now his fellow former bandmembers have joined in his passion for commercials.
The group has agreed to allow bosses at bookmakers William Hill to use its 1977 track "Pretty Vacant" as the backing for the firm's adverts marking the start of the Champion's League soccer season, which sees Europe's top teams compete. And as a bonus for giving bosses the go-ahead to use the song, bandmembers Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock have been allowed to place a $750 wager,...
Lydon defended his choice to star in the clips as it funded his reunion with his other band Public Image Ltd. (PiL) - and now his fellow former bandmembers have joined in his passion for commercials.
The group has agreed to allow bosses at bookmakers William Hill to use its 1977 track "Pretty Vacant" as the backing for the firm's adverts marking the start of the Champion's League soccer season, which sees Europe's top teams compete. And as a bonus for giving bosses the go-ahead to use the song, bandmembers Lydon, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock have been allowed to place a $750 wager,...
- 9/16/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
John Lydon has revealed that he thinks Gorillaz are "s**t". The former Sex Pistol added that he thinks there was more "original talent" 30 years ago. The punk singer was interviewed by NME before he took to the stage at the Benicàssim International Festival with Public Image Ltd. He said: "I really don't wanna talk about s**t like the Gorillaz, (more)...
- 7/21/2010
- by By Clare Wiley
- Digital Spy
Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon thinks that U2 never should have existed, he admitted during an interview with the Daily Star, spinner.com reported on July 16. Even though the Sex Pistols were an early influence on the famous Irish band, the singer, also known as Johnny Rotten, said that Bono and the rest of U2 have no business making music. “There’s no life experience in any of their songs,” Lydon also said of the group. The remarks came as Lydon is trying to publicize his post-Pistols group, Public Image Ltd. (PiL). He added that he was “astounded” by the fact that the post-punk troupe hasn’t received any bids to play [...]...
- 7/19/2010
- by karen
- ShockYa
Rocker John Lydon stunned fans at a Spanish music festival on Sunday, July 18 by starting an onstage feud with his Public Image Ltd. bandmates. The punk musician was performing a set at the Benicassim International Festival when Lydon's group members finished up with their final song "Religion".
The former Sex Pistols frontman protested, ordering them to "keep on f**king playing" repeatedly when they ignored his pleas to continue the set. The confused rockers then repeated the track's ending before walking off stage and abandoning Lydon, leaving him to rant to the crowd.
"Public Image runaway Ltd. It looks like I'm all alone, as per f**king usual," he blasted.
Previously, John Lydon revealed his disappointment when his band haven't been flooded with offers to perform at summer music festivals - insisting Public Image Ltd. is much more entertaining than U2.
The former Sex Pistols frontman protested, ordering them to "keep on f**king playing" repeatedly when they ignored his pleas to continue the set. The confused rockers then repeated the track's ending before walking off stage and abandoning Lydon, leaving him to rant to the crowd.
"Public Image runaway Ltd. It looks like I'm all alone, as per f**king usual," he blasted.
Previously, John Lydon revealed his disappointment when his band haven't been flooded with offers to perform at summer music festivals - insisting Public Image Ltd. is much more entertaining than U2.
- 7/19/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
John Lydon is "astounded" he hasn't been flooded with offers to perform at summer music festivals - insisting his band Public Image Ltd. is much more entertaining than U2. The outspoken punk star regrouped PiL last year for a string of dates in the U.K. in December, and they kicked off a 24-date American tour in April this year.
But the former Sex Pistols star admits the rockers haven't booked any festivals - while Irish band U2 was asked to headline England's legendary Glastonbury festival in June. He tells Britain's Daily Star, "We haven't had any offers. They have been quite negative, which has astounded us because PiL is the perfect festival band. You don't want U2 - that's a band that never should have existed. There's no life experience in any of their songs."
U2 were forced to pull out of Glastonbury after frontman Bono underwent emergency surgery for a back injury.
But the former Sex Pistols star admits the rockers haven't booked any festivals - while Irish band U2 was asked to headline England's legendary Glastonbury festival in June. He tells Britain's Daily Star, "We haven't had any offers. They have been quite negative, which has astounded us because PiL is the perfect festival band. You don't want U2 - that's a band that never should have existed. There's no life experience in any of their songs."
U2 were forced to pull out of Glastonbury after frontman Bono underwent emergency surgery for a back injury.
- 7/15/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
John Lydon has received hate mail after announcing plans to perform in Israel weeks after acts like the Pixies and Elvis Costello boycotted the country in protest over its policy towards Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The former Sex Pistols star, aka Johnny Rotten, will take the reformed Public Image Ltd. to Tel Aviv for a concert and he reveals the decision hasn't been a popular one but he has no plans to back down.
Lydon tells the BBC, "Of course, there are all sorts of terrible politics going on down there but there is just about all over the world. You cannot separate yourself from your audience because of the political powers-that-be."
"I'm anti-government... and I shall be making that loud and clearly proud once I'm in Israel. We've received a lot of hate mail... (but) I say, 'Don't be so ignorant, it's John speaking here and I'm going...
Lydon tells the BBC, "Of course, there are all sorts of terrible politics going on down there but there is just about all over the world. You cannot separate yourself from your audience because of the political powers-that-be."
"I'm anti-government... and I shall be making that loud and clearly proud once I'm in Israel. We've received a lot of hate mail... (but) I say, 'Don't be so ignorant, it's John speaking here and I'm going...
- 7/14/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Original Public Image Ltd. bassist Jah Wobble turned down the chance to rejoin his bandmates on tour because he's convinced Sex Pistols singer John Lydon only reformed the group to make "money." Lydon created the group in 1978 after the Sex Pistols split, but the band has been on hiatus since 1992.
The star announced in 2009 he would be resurrecting the group for a series of dates in December that year and several music festivals throughout 2010, but Wobble refused to reprise his role in PiL. He says, "I was asked last July and I definitely did think about it and talk about it to an extent, but it just wasn't the right move for me. It just wasn't the way I would do it. I don't care, I think it's great and I'm not bothered at all."
"I suspect with John it's about two things - raising money efficiently and quickly and...
The star announced in 2009 he would be resurrecting the group for a series of dates in December that year and several music festivals throughout 2010, but Wobble refused to reprise his role in PiL. He says, "I was asked last July and I definitely did think about it and talk about it to an extent, but it just wasn't the right move for me. It just wasn't the way I would do it. I don't care, I think it's great and I'm not bothered at all."
"I suspect with John it's about two things - raising money efficiently and quickly and...
- 2/12/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
John Lydon has said that he is looking forward to playing his old songs with the newly-reformed Public Image Ltd. The post-punk group was founded by former Sex Pistol Lydon with Jah Wobble, Jim Walker and Keith Levine in 1978, but after several personnel changes has been on hiatus since 1992's That What Is Not. Of the band's upcoming live reunion with a new lineup, Lydon told The Guardian: "It feels clean. It's refreshing. We'll see where we can go. Some things may be quite similar. Some may not. "For me, the best rock is not what you play - it's what you're not playing. The Sex Pistols were too rigid. PiL allowed me to express proper emotions. (more)...
- 9/7/2009
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
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