Listening is inevitably a subjective process. That said, I do my best to practice suspending or expanding my default filters in order to be more receptive to forms of aesthetic excellence that might not be congruent with my preferences. For […]
While Phoebe Bridgers’ songs are blue contemplations about broken relationships, loneliness and death, they also remind us that sadness and joy can coexist in the same melody, and that hope and despair stem from similar conflicting premises of existence. […]
While October in the Bay Area usually brings a three-day extravaganza of Conor Oberst shows (which my friend has dubbed Octoberst), this May his fans were given the chance to see him three times in 24 hours. It was definitely […]
At 75 years old, Bob Dylan continues to hit new heights, continuously refining his abilities, his career, and journalists’ expectations of the folk bard. He’s been a roots singer, an activist, a novelist, and now — more than ever — a standards singer. Triplicate, reviewed by […]
Rereleasing material can be a tricky business, as an original recording often creates an indelible impression on a listener, making it difficult for a new “take” to be received with fresh ears. Usually the motivation for a rerelease is to […]
Credit Conor Oberst with truth in advertising. Ruminations, his first solo recordings in 20 years, is all its title implies, a series of sad story songs that bring reflection and remorse to the fore. Oberst’s once bright eyes seem considerably […]
“Anybody here like Loretta Lynn?” Asks Oberst. “You’re goddamn right you like Loretta Lynn!” At this Conor Oberst’s wife Corina Figueroa Escamilla jumps in to sing “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad” recorded by Tammy Wynette and later by Loretta […]
Like Bernie Sanders, Sam & Margot have used their songs to express disdain for extreme inequality and the corruption of capitalist markets. This Friday, April 8th, they will play a concert at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3, one of the […]
As an impressive rainstorm has finally been hitting Northern California, I’m enjoying the calming rain-sounds as I finally get to share with you my conversation from back in October with indie musician M. Ward, in support of his eighth studio […]
1 The Orpheus myth offers a fertile metaphor on the relationship between inspiration and creative maturity. Anne Wroe writes in The Daily Beast: Orpheus … contains within himself two sides of the poetic character. … Traditionally, Orpheus was first a […]
