Waiting Around, the sophomore album from John Stammers that took 6 years to make is finally here and it may just mark the resurrection of the sub-genre 'jazzy folk' that has roots all the way back to the 50's.
Grunge, Generation X's flagship music genre, brought about widespread appreciation of alternative rock with its bare-bones vibe. The musical movement itself, however, was fully realized years before it was popular and it was all self-contained in Seattle.
The rise of A Christmas Story from a box office bomb to an American Christmas staple is almost a miracle in itself. But beneath the film's seemingly vanilla story lies kitschy genius that can't be nearly appreciated enough in its yearly 24 hour marathon runs.
Oh look, here I go again giving my late-ass opinion about a show that's been off TV for a while! However, it's The Office and there's no such thing as a bad time to start such a miraculous journey. So what's so special about The Office, you say? Let me tell you...
One artist dared to fight the burgeoning tide of girl power and become both a queen and a king and she did it by reaching beyond her own inspirational sphere, writing songs from the minds of anyone — everyone.
From a child prodigy, to rock producer, to leader of the first truly integrated rock/soul/funk band, and author of some of the best modern music and two of the best rock/soul/funk albums around, Sly Stone's life and musical story is a sadly unfinished one full of 'what-ifs.'
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has seen a fast rise to prominence in both writing and acting in "Fleabag", "Killing Eve", and now "Solo: A Star Wars Story". It's time you got to meet her.
'Animal House', one of the most beloved comedies of the last half century, was released on July 28, 1978. I happened to have been born on the very same day...
If you were a fan of primetime TV, or of Major League Baseball, in the fall of 2003, the phrase "His Father is the District Attorney!" likely carries special meaning for you.
'Creed II' will bring the 'Rocky' series to eight movies strong. Let's take a look at how the franchise has managed to go the distance.
Sometime during the Twentieth century, a musician, born somewhere in Alabama as Herman Poole Blount, rounded up his outlook of the World, or more precisely at the Universe, life, and music, and found in himself that he is actually Sun Ra.
In praise of Tim Burton's storytelling, tear jerking masterpiece, which offered all of the emotion and none of the Johnny Depp.
Akira Rabelais - a composer/software developer/project manager(?) who exudes mystery and tongue-in-cheek-references in everything he does, makes you walk through forked paths, all inspired by one of his favorite writers, Jorge Louis Borges.
House music was born of necessity by a counter-culture crowd relegated to the secluded societal corners of underground clubs and venues. But, how did it start and how'd it get so popular?
Smile was to be the title of the 12th Beach Boys album that was to be released anywhere between January and June 1967. It was to be their masterpiece. Actually, it was supposed to be THE rock and roll masterpiece, better than anything The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan came up with. But then...it never came out.
Whether John Fahey intentionally shied away from 'success' is a debatable thing, he himself, in one of his famous quotes said - “from a social perspective, I am looking for friends, not acolytes.” But his musical, visual, verbal, and even eccentric legacy remain, as they should be.
In 1967, Arthur Lee and his then stable band, Love, came up with Forever Changes - widely considered to be their, and one of rock’s greatest masterpieces. While making some impact in Europe, in particular England, at the time, the album was practically ignored in the US. Now, 50 years later, the album is being recognized for what it is (even by Rolling Stone, who missed its greatness the first time around).
The success of every filmmaker depends on their ability to create compelling stories that elevate reality, express genuine human emotions, and spark imagination and creativity. One of those iconic filmmakers who encapsulates that full spectrum is none other than Wesley Wales Anderson.
A single mind that actually kicked the whole musical tribute concept into fifth gear - Hal Willner, the 62-year old producer/arranger/composer/event manager. Now, Willner did not invent the tribute concept, but Amarcord Nino Rota, from 1981, the first tribute album he conceived and produced practically started the musical tribute process.
Skip Spence - Canadian born songwriter, singer, guitarist, drummer (and a few other things), in many ways represents the essence of psychedelic weirdness, with all the brilliant music it produced as well as all personal pitfalls that came along with it.
Albert Ayler, never getting the wider recognition he truly deserved, unleashed a free-form musical exploration that went beyond the boundaries of jazz or any other music that included everything he experienced musically – from church spirituals, New Orleans and Army brass music, to world folk forms, to free improvisation – any and all of these themes, often all at the same time.
Claudine Longet, a French singer/actress who got somewhat famous, but also infamous, in the US has been almost all but forgotten by the general public. But there’s a lot to her story, from her marriage to the '60s superstar Andy Williams, friendship with Bobby Kennedy, a prominent murder trial, and more.
If anybody in modern music is taken as a stereotype of the genius/weirdness combination it is late Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett, a founder and brief mailman of Pink Floyd, solo artist, painter, and recluse - often most of these things at the same time.
David Lynch is an absolute gem of a filmmaker, so much so that his name has developed into jargon in the world of filmmaking. His creativity and unique style effortlessly shine through every film or TV series he directs and produces, as well as evokes an extreme surrealism and otherworldliness that stand the test of time.
