Grandpa
Passing the summer days in North Carolina’s low country often meant sitting on the porch with Grandpa and his radio. Today, it doesn’t take much to go back there.
Patrick Ambrose
Playing Johnny Ace
A young crooner’s untimely, macabre death left questions for those who would follow—musicians and fans alike. Was it suicide? Was it a hit? A listener's query into one star's place in the history of early rock and roll.
Smoke the Fire
Hank Williams III blew the doors off country music last fall when he released three ambitious, experimental albums all on the same day. A conversation about tradition, hardcore, and punishment.
Tread Lightly, Boys
When a cookout on holy ground turns into a rescue mission, you quickly figure out who your friends are.
Third and Goal
For the Aurora High School Rattlers, homecoming was a chance to show the crosstown rivals who was boss. Too bad Sloat Tatum found himself distracted when the cleats hit the field.
Go Down, Maw Maw
A grandmother's gift should not be undervalued, especially when it's delivered from beyond the grave.
Seventeen Thousand Gallons Will Find Its Way Out
In the heat of a Carolina summer, nothing's better than a nice swim, assuming the pool doesn't explode.
A Knot in the Old Family Tree
When you're looking to replace the radiator for a V-8 engine, it can help to have cousins you can count on. The tale of a risky family connection.
Gone Fishing
For teenagers along the Carolina coast, time passes with a little bit of work, healthy amounts of fishing, and a lot of goofing around.
Carolina Blues
A year after winning the championship, the University of North Carolina's men's basketball team is suffering its worst season in recent history. A New York-based Tar Heel laments.
DJ Premier: Hope to the Underground
The turntablist now known as DJ Premier got help at critical moments in his rise from a piano-playing childhood in Houston, and these days he's looking to spread the love.
Iggy Pop Lusts for Life
More than four decades into his career as a rock mentor, Iggy Pop talks about getting back with the Stooges and finding a daily rhythm that suits him.
Henry Rollins and the Emergence of Hardcore
Early hardcore was characterized by frontmen like Black Flag's Henry Rollins, who had the perseverance and genius to rise above convention. But as Rollins tells it, change is less an event than a lifelong process.
Jello Biafra and the Politics of Punk
Having spent a quarter-century pushing Americans to face the music, the former Dead Kennedys vocalist sits down to tell his thoughts on Obama, political parties, and participatory democracy.
Dianne Reeves
The jazz chanteuse talks about meeting a legend, experimenting with styles, and finding her own voice.
Cassandra Wilson, Impromptu
For singer Cassandra Wilson, some of the best music is composed on the fly, and if the entire performance is last-minute, so much the better.
Jazz Lessons With James "Blood" Ulmer
Growing up in a family that requires Saturday night recitals is a crash course in how to please a crowd. A conversation about a lifetime of commanding performances.
Cecil Taylor Explains It All
Pianist Cecil Taylor stormed onto the New York City club scene in the 1950s, shaking the foundations of modern music with what would become known as free jazz. A conversation with the master.
Moody's Mood for Bop
Jazz saxophone legend James Moody talks about how racism shaped his early career, what a "hot flute" can do for a repertoire, and encouraging budding musicians.
Around the City With Eliane Elias
Experienced musicians sometimes find it tempting to stick with already-established styles in their later albums. Jazz pianist Eliane Elias talks about breaking the mold.
The New Boss of Bossa Nova
Bossa nova was developed more than 40 years ago in Brazil, but one of its most lively contributors is working today in Brooklyn. A chat with Vinicius Cantuária about his music, how it's changed, and what inspires him.
Ahí Vamos: The Rock of Gustavo Cerati
Argentina's Soda Stereo may have lost its pop about 10 years ago, but since then guitarist Gustavo Cerati has proved his skills as a soloist many times over, leaving an indelible mark on rock en español.
Divino, Maravilhoso: The Splendor of Gal Costa
After 40 years in music, how's a singer keep things interesting? Talking with Brazil's treasure, Gal Costa, about how things change, and how they stay the same.
Stephen Wright's Literary Landscape
UFO freaks, plant-loving vets, and science-minded slave owners people Stephen Wright's novels. Maybe a little off the wall? Maybe not. We talk with the writer about his books and their reflections of the human condition.
Andres Levin's Musical Playground
When musician and producer Andres Levin plays with sound, he doesn't only create music, he fuses cultures.
Snow Borne Sorrow
Nine Horses, musician David Sylvian's latest ensemble, has assembled a haunting, breathtaking blend of smoky horn arrangements, melancholic funkiness, and minimalist percussion in Snow Borne Sorrow. Sylvian's brooding baritone conveys a complex range of emotions that will resonate with the contemplative listener, and each self-contained piece
Bill Laswell's Method of Defiance
Acclaimed bassist Bill Laswell has his own way of making music, and these days it involves some serious drum and bass. One performance, and a life's work.
Do the Awesome
Rock music has had its share of two-drummer bands, but how many groups have sported three? Enter Bling Kong, a 15-member Brooklyn power-pop ensemble with a taste for chunky speed-metal guitar, electronic textures, and raunchy lyrics. Their EP Do the Awesome is the next thing in party music--with ironic chants
A Path of Destruction
Since 1980, the Shining Path guerrillas in Peru have been responsible for over 30,000 deaths. So why, now that the organization is effectively dismantled, are the seeds for revolution still being planted?
Island Life
Pulsating, hypnotic beats, Latin rhythms, funky bass, and blazing horn arrangements combine in Yerba Buena's latest release, Island Life, a musical celebration of Manhattan's cultural diversity and unique island lifestyle. Founder Andres Levin has produced a stunning followup to the group's Grammy-nominated President Alien,
Elliott Sharp's Instrumental Vision
What happens when traditional instruments won't produce the sound the composer wants? Then new instruments have to be invented. A discussion about deconstructing, reconstructing, and ways to break the barriers of sound.
For the Music
For 30 years John Zorn has been influencing the downtown music culture, and with the opening of his new venue he's doing something few club owners would think--or want--to do: Making music to make music, not money.
Personagem: Talking With Arto Lindsay
After 30 years of making some of the Western Hemisphere's most adventurous music, you’d think a guy could take some time off. Patrick Ambrose talks with the ex-DNA leader about art, music, and the origins of his unique guitar style.
Revolution Rock
If rock music used to have a message, then rarely was that message stronger than for South American revolutionaries, for whom it was a significant part of the struggle. Patrick Ambrose traces a history of social uprising, and explains how the music helped fuel it.
Forever Changing
Arthur Lee—songwriter, social critic, and leader of ’60s rock band Love—is finally back after an extended absence. Our writer witnesses Lee and his newly re-formed band play their classic album, Forever Changes, in concert and talks to him about what it meant then and still means today.