BY ZIVIT SHLANK JAZZ AMBASSADOR Pianist. Composer. Arranger. It’s always risky to define an artist by a certain device, technique, or way of going about things. Each word is finite; they only begin to scratch the surface. Matthew Shipp is an improviser, pure and simple. By the same token, there are countless hours of thought behind every gesture. Admittedly, he questions his own understanding of what it all means. Like many musicians of this ilk, Shipp and his music are akin to the elements. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, both take on different forms and move in […]

Diamond David Lee Roth, Wells Fargo Center, last night by ROBIN ODLAND INQUIRER: Dropped lines, variable-pitch delivery, and all, there’s still no better ringleader for an arena rock circus than Roth… arguably the best front man in rock history. MISSION CREEP: To his credit, Mr. Roth seemed aware of his shortcomings. He knows that the only way he can make money performing this utter horseshit and keep the audience from hurling beer bottles at his cranium is to provide a distraction. Which is exactly what he did. Incredibly, the distraction—his dick—became the focus of the entire show. (It’s sad, really, […]

[Illustration by ALEX FINE] BY MIKE WALSH The Magnetic Fields new CD, Love at the Bottom of the Sea, is similar in many ways to their previous nine records, and that’s a good thing. It’s got singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt’s playful rhymes and eccentric lyrics, his unabashed romanticism and instantly recognizable melodies, and his joy in toying with gender roles. As usual for the Magnetic Fields, the songs are short, averaging less than 2:30 each, have few instrumental breaks, and end abruptly. And there are several great songs of unrequited love and longing sung by Merritt in his deep, lovelorn voice […]

BY MEREDITH KLEIBER If you’ve felt yourself being transported  back in time while at a Delco Nightingale show, you are exactly where they want you. The four-piece band — composed of singer Erin Berry, guitarist Greg Phoenix, upright bassist Brendan Skwire, and drummer Eddie Everett — evokes a 1940s-era sound combining elements of swing, rockabilly, and jazz fusion that they top off with a bit of punk-rock grit. If you haven’t yet had the privilege of witnessing the fierce energy delivered by the band during one of their live performances, coif your hair into your best pompadour and get your […]

The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society is: Charlie Hall, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who has played with Jens Lekman, The War on Drugs, Windsor for the Derby, Tommy Guerrero, and others; drummer Patrick Berkery, who has played with Danielson, Pernice Brothers, Bigger Lovers, Photon Band, Mazarin, and others over the years;  Birdie Busch, a Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter with several wonderful solo albums to her credit; bassist Dave Wayne Daniels of The Capitol Years; and vocalist/keyboardist Eliza Hardy Jones and vocalist/guitarist Brandon Beaver, both members of the highly regarded band Buried Beds. Reprising their standing room only performance of Fleetwood Mac’s  […]

Sharon Van Etten’s voice is front and center on new record Tramp, as well it should be. It’s an amazing instrument, strong and rich, yet her delivery is straight-forward, simple, and not ostentatious at all. She may be shy, but there aren’t many voices in rock that can carry a record so totally and effectively as Van Etten’s. The arrangements on Tramp are more varied and ambitious than on her previous releases, with as many rock songs as acoustic numbers. There are quite a few electric guitars on Tramp, which is somewhat new for Van Etten, but just as many […]

[Photo by Jim Newberry] BY ZIVIT SHLANK Trumpter and composer Nate Wooley has maintained a relatively humble profile on the scene while simultaneously creating a new harmonic language with his musical innovations. He’s played in a variety of settings: solo, duet, quartet and quintet. With each new context, Wooley strives to make us hear the trumpet in a whole new way and as such he has become one of the most mesmerizing figures on the ‘out’ jazz scene. His latest released,  (Put Your) Hands Together, dropped last year and featured some of Brooklyn’s finest jazz and experimental players.  Thanks once […]

[Artwork by BIGBOITHOMAS84] Pitchfork: What kind of reactions have you received since? ?uestlove: I’ve seen some really colorful epithets in the past four days, but “nigger fuckhead ghetto stick” is probably the one that takes the cake. I’m still trying to get my head around that one. Blocking 3,500 tea party extremists [on Twitter] in a three day period is no fun, especially when you’re a drummer dangerously close to carpal tunnel. In the end, was it worth it? Absolutely not. Pitchfork: Was there a moment when you were scared that you might get fired? ?uestlove: Yeah, last Wednesday, the […]

ALL MUSIC GUIDE: The Psyclone Rangers, from Allentown, PA, released a vastly underrated debut album, Feel Nice, in 1993 under the guidance of two powerful Daves: Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy, who produced the Rangers’ debut, and Dave Allen of Low Pop Suicide and chief at World Domination Music Group. A The lineup includes Jonathan Valania on vocals, Scot Dantzer on guitar, P.R. Behler on bass, and Jamie Knerr on drums. Upon first listen, The Psyclone Rangers’ Feel Nice sounds a bit like The Pixies circa Doolittle, but after a few more spins, the disc reveals obvious influences hailing back […]