King of the Independents
Here’s a re-post from 2009 that looks back at one of America’s greatest independent labels, Cincinnati’s King Records. Its huge catalog includes seminal recordings by some of the most important artists...
View ArticleWartime Blues
I should’ve posted this on Veterans Day, but I didn’t come up with the idea until I heard a piece on NPR about the Doolittle Raid during World War II. Led by James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, the raid was...
View Article10 Songs for the Next Rolling Stones Album
Alright, that last post was a little depressing… Let’s consider a few things that went right in 2016. I’m from Akron, so I’ll gladly point out that the Cavs staged the greatest comeback in NBA history...
View ArticleJohn Lee Hooker: The Modern Recordings
I’ve been intimidated by the idea of writing a post on John Lee Hooker. It’s like trying to write a 500-word essay on modern cinema. Or thinking just one reality show is enough to document the bad...
View ArticleReevaluating Woodstock (and Canned Heat)
Not that I’ve ever downplayed the significance of Woodstock. Sure, it was a defining moment at the close of the Sixties — a cosmic, communal experience that gave an entire generation (well, at least a...
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