“Each label, like apartheid, multiplies us by our divide and whips us ’til we conform to lesser figures. What falls between the cracks is a pile of records stacked to the heights of talents hidden from the sun. Yet the energy they put into popularizing smut makes a star of a shiny polished gun.” — […]
My friend Melanie, alerted to my love of Dolly Parton, pointed me to the above video of Beth Ditto covering Dolly Parton while dressed as Dolly Parton. The video is pretty cute, particularly as Ditto gets the crowd singing along with her. Also, I forget that homegirl can actually sing pretty decently, and the clip […]
Now, I could watch Dolly Parton fold laundry — I could probably listen to her talk about folding laundry. I find her appealing in ways that defy logic. But, here’s the deal: “Islands in the Stream.”
I really dislike this song. I don’t even really hate Kenny Rogers, but when I hear “Islands in the […]
Monday, I got to go to the Yo La Tengo ACL aftershow at the Parish here in Austin. I’ve been really fanboy about Yo La Tengo since I was 15 or 16, when I started listening to the band because I read a record review in Rolling Stone that suggested those who enjoyed the Velvet […]
When I lived in Houston, I was fortunate enough to see a number of amazing experimental musicians, including Susie Ibarra, Evan Parker, and Susan Alcorn, who is pictured above. Alcorn, a pedal steel guitarist, was and is, by far, one of my favorite Houston-area musicians. Her music is haunting, the sort of thing that sticks […]