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Artist Spotlight: Crash Worship

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I love Artist Spotlights and the enthusiasm we have for our favorite bands. We talk about what makes an album great, but I’m going to talk about pure live music. Crash Worship is an obscure live act from 20-odd years ago. They were a drum circle jam band. I can barely name their songs or their albums, and I have no idea what any of the band members’ names are. I’m not sure any of their songs have words, or are even actual composed music, but their shows were among the most awe-inspiring I’ve ever been to. I first saw … Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Crash Worship

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Record Label Spotlight: 4AD

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Factory Records. Mute. Rough Trade. 4AD. These record labels defined UK independent music in the 1980s. Post-punk is about as useless of a description as new wave (and later, alternative), but each label showcased the era’s best music, and each one had a distinctive sound and feel. I’m going to talk about 4AD, whose influence on music in the 80s and 90s cannot be overstated. 4AD is generally defined by Ivo Watts-Russell, who along with Peter Kent, formed the label under Beggars Banquet in order to test-release promising new artists. They quickly gained their independence, and Kent left a year … Continue reading Record Label Spotlight: 4AD

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Artist Spotlight – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Part I)

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I first discovered Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds when I was in my early teens. Watching Teletunes, a 2-hour block of alternative videos that aired at 10:00 PM every Sunday night, worlds of musical and artistic creativity were opened to me. “The Singer” was the first Nick Cave video I saw – a strange raven-haired crooner framed against a red backdrop, earnestly paying tribute to one of his predecessors. This Johnny Cash cover features yearning strings and a guitar line that serves as an ellipsis between verses. He embodied the ecstasy and loneliness of being a storyteller. I was … Continue reading Artist Spotlight – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Part I)

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