Let Us Give Thanks for the Guitar Solo
Sean MurphyOver at Esquire the always reliable Charlie Pierce (some previous blog love for him HERE) opened up a discussion on the best guitar solos. This excercise is equal parts pointless and…
Technology and Entertainment: The Evolution of Audio, Part Two
The Day The Music Died Back in 2011 Jon Bon Jovi accused Steve Jobs (in Britain’s Sunday Times) of being “personally responsible for killing the music business.” Unlike his rock…
Pete La Roca, R.I.P.
It will be an ongoing, and very somber, progression, watching so many old-school jazz musicians (many of whom recorded on the epic Blue Note label during the glory years of…
Technology and Entertainment: The Evolution of Audio, Part One
(Personal note: Today marks five years since I started working at CEA, a happy and fruitful association I'm glad to acknowledge. I'll resist the urge to elaborate on how horrifyingly…
Gary Clark Jr.: Seeing Is Believing
It’s only happened on two other occasions, before last Friday night. In 2001, seeing Mike Patton in person for the first time, with his brand new side project Tomahawk (at…
My Old School
You can't go home again. But what if your house has been razed and replaced by a mighty mansion? (And in any event, a house is not a home, right?…
‘They Live’: The Most Blunt Critique of Unfettered Capitalism Ever Committed to Celluloid
They Live was a postmodern pastiche of old-school science fiction that, for a variety of reasons, was too ahead of its time to be properly appreciated. Actually, that’s not quite…
Born In The U.S.A. or, Every Day Is Veterans Day (Revisited)
I. Personal Remember when Born in the U.S.A. was ubiquitous? The album and the song. Bruce was already big, but he wasn’t over the top. Born in the U.S.A. put…
Keep on Baracking in the Free World: 10 Songs for 4 (More) Years
1. Now's The Time. Because, you know, it is. 2. Focus on Sanity No further comment necessary. Thank you America!!! 3. II B.S. His name is CHOLLY MINGUS and I…
‘Magical Mystery Tour’ Is Not as Bad as Everyone Says…
Having never had the opportunity to view Magical Mystery Tour all the way through, I looked forward to this DVD with a mixture of anticipation and a sense of settling…