Photo by RON RAFFAELLI THE MANN: 50 years ago, on July 12, 1969, Led Zeppelin played the Spectrum in Philadelphia. 50 years later, on July 12, 2019, Classic Albums Live will be performing at the Mann Center, playing both Led Zeppelin I and Led Zeppelin II albums, back to back, note for note – cut for cut. Performing these albums since 2003, Classic Albums Live focuses entirely on the music. They don’t wear cheesy costumes or do bad impersonations. Their first show at the Mann is going to be an event that brings a sense of nostalgia and community, paying […]
INCOMING: Return Of The Red-Headed Stranger
A man who needs no last name, Willie is to Country what Neil is to rock: the Buddha, bestowing laid-back grace on all those who bask in his benevolent THC-tinged glow. Born April 30, 1933, in Abbott, Texas, Nelson begins writing songs at age seven. After serving briefly in the Air Force during the Korean War and studying agriculture at Baylor University, Nelson moves through a series of luckless, low-paying career changes– from disc jockey to door-to-door vacuum and encyclopedia salesman. By 1958, in dire financial straits and married with children, Nelson is forced to sell his songs for […]
WORTH REPEATING: Did Nazi That Coming
DAILY DOT: Residents in a Philadelphia neighborhood are accusing the far-right, neo-fascist organization the Proud Boys of making armed “house calls” to harass and threaten private citizens. At the center of the reported house calls is community organizer Gwen Snyder, who according to her Patreon page, researches and writes about “radical white supremacy, corporate greed, and other pressing justice issues.” Due to the work she does, Snyder has been on the receiving end of threatening behavior for months, but things appear to have escalated over the weekend of July 1 when she and others detailed late-night visits from armed […]
BECK: Saw Lightning (Freestyle)
Beck’s new “Saw Lightning (Freestyle)” video captures the GRAMMY-winning artist stripping his latest single down to its bare bones. Rendered in striking minimalist black and white, “Saw Lightning (Freestyle)” relies solely on the impact of raw talent and passion: a man, a harmonica, a camera and nothing more. Beck’s vocals, stomping feet and solo harmonica somehow fill the same space occupied on the original by his raw acoustic slide guitar and Pharrell Williams’ drums, keyboards and mumbles. Directed by Giovanni Ribisi and edited by Nick Roney, “Saw Lightning (Freestyle)” is a radically different take on Beck’s first single from his […]
CINEMA: Swedish Death Mettle
MIDSOMMAR (Dir. by Ari Aster, 140 minutes, 2019, USA) BY DAN TABOR FILM CRITIC It’s been a little over a year since Hereditary was unleashed on audiences and horror wunderkind Ari Aster is already back with Midsommar, yet another transgressive opus. A24 had originally planned to make Midsommar as a slasher film set in Sweden when they offered Aster the project, instead of taking it as is, he rewrote the script from the ground up, turning in a sophomore effort that solidifies him as one of this generation’s most interesting voices in horror. The film still shares some DNA with […]
NPR 4 THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR: In the days following the 1986 explosion in the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, a military officer working to manage the response from an abandoned hotel nearby noticed a mysterious black carpet in the empty dining hall. When he got closer, he realized it was not a carpet; it was thousands of flies, alive but immobilized by the radiation in the air. That’s one of the details you’ll find in the book Midnight In Chernobyl by our guest, journalist Adam Higginbotham, who writes for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and other publications The book has drawn […]
CINEMA: Homeboy
SPIDERMAN: Far From Home (Directed by Jon Watts, 129 min., USA, 2019) BY DAN TABOR FILM CRITIC With Marvel fans still reeling from the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spiderman: Far From Home is here to officially close out the ‘Infinity Saga’ and bring an end to phase three. Reuniting Tom Holland’s Spidey with Homecoming director Jon Watts, this installment of the Spiderman saga introduces Jake Gyllenhaal into the MCU fold as Quentin Beck aka Mysterio. Honestly, it’s a little odd to see Gyllenhaal back in the blockbuster game and with Disney, of all studios, after his unfortunate turn in […]
SH*T MY UNCLE SAYS: Liar-In-Chief
BY WILLIAM C. HENRY Ever noticed how CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS and, of course, Fox News, along with every other major news disseminator–with the commendable exceptions of the New York Daily News and Phawker.com–are seemingly loathe to declare, “he’s a LIAR,” “he’s LYING,” “he LIES,” or “he LIED” when describing whatever it was that Trump inevitably LIED about the last time he parted his lips! Why is that? Why those, “that appears to be a falsehood,” “it simply strains credulity,” “that’s highly questionable,” or the even gentler “that’s not necessarily true.” Why the wrist patting? Why the pussyfooting? […]
BEING THERE: Bad Books @ Union Transfer
Photo by DAN LONG Bad Books, the collaborative side project of singer-songwriter Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra frontman Andy Hull, has been resurrected after a seven-year hiatus. Their second album, 2012’s II, by far the most popular of their repertoire, weaves fictional narratives that swerve from punchy alt-rock to sentimental folk tunes, each chorus more catchy than the last. Their latest album, III, is as minimal as the title suggests, a bare bones ensemble of acoustic guitars and keys. The lyrics are more solemn, the background noise muted to spotlight each singer’s distinct voice. Onstage at Union Transfer last night, […]
BEING THERE: Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival @ MassMOCA
Photo by JOANN LOVIGLIO EDITOR’S NOTE: Heading up to Solid Sound Festival (aka Wilco-Con) tomorrow — throwing this up to get in the mood. FYI, that immaculate recording of Wilco’s set at 2017’s Solid Sound that I link to below is full-on Band of Tweedy godhead, if you’re into that kind of thing. “A few years ago timed slowed down, we got a diagnosis [wife Sue Miller was diagnosed with Lymphoma] that derailed things so we played songs to each other, me and [my son] Spencer, to speed up the time. Killing time without hurting anyone else. That’s what [the […]
STROKE OF GENIUS: Q&A W/ Scott McCaughey
BY JONATHAN VALANIA Few people in this life have seen Scott McCaughey’s eyes. He’s been wearing black Ray Bans non-stop 24-7 — presumably even when he sleeps and showers — since at least the late ‘80s. Dude’s got a right. If rock n’ roll is 99% sweat equity (and one percent drugs), and it is, Scott’s a rawk star. He’s got about six or seven bands he’s playing in simultaneously at any given point in time — most of them have Peter Buck in them and the ones that don’t have Wilco in them. Paul Westerberg of The Replacements called […]
BEING THERE: Kristin Hersh @ Boot & Saddle
Photo by JOSH PELTA-HELLER Kristin Hersh rocked Boot & Saddle so hard on Monday night that you could almost guess the shampoo brand of the short middle-aged woman at the front of the crowd enthusiastically thrashing her stylized white coiffure. Hersh pounded her clenched fist against the body of her green Fender while drummer Rob Ahlers and bassist Fred Abong negotiated an intro, her eyes narrowed in a thousand-yard stare into the abyss at the back of the room as she delivered a verse’s gritty vocals, and then broke for a middle-eight with a chillingly disaffected gaze over her scorching […]
HOWE GELB: The Influence Of Non-Influence
Howe Gelb + ME (Mitch Esperanza) play @ Old Swede’s Church Wednesday June 26th. Howe Gelb has released something like 60 albums of gloriously shambling, sunbaked Americana, high desert mysticism and accidental grace. All of them should be heard before you die. His latest is Gathered, which includes collaborations with M. Ward, Anna Karina, and Pieta Brown. From the sound of it, this is his self-penned bio: One takes issuance with band bios. They often read as if the writer is trying to sell you on something. These days, bands are brands and the bio regards them as product instead […]