BY ANDY VIHSTADT CrossFade mixes it up Photo by Bill Sitzmann Last year, Omaha’s Cursive challenged its fans to remix the single, “Bad Sects,” from the Happy Hollow LP. The winning entry earned the flipside on the 12” single, which is finally available this week. Have a listen to the…
When 26-year-old Jamaican singjay I-Wayne emerged in the reggae world two years ago, it was for his highly regarded Lava Ground debut, which somehow instantly gave him “next to blow up” status among reggae artists. After a solid year of radio spins and moderate touring, the prediction by most music…
It’s well into midday on a Saturday afternoon, yet Ivan Neville, on the phone from his New Orleans home, sounds beat. Maybe he’s recovering from a gig the night before, or perhaps it’s the result of some revelry down on Bourbon Street. Whatever the reason, if Neville’s tired now, it’s…
In the extensive liner notes that accompany this five-disc set, jazz writer Nat Hentoff quotes John Coltrane as having once said, “I wish I could walk up to my music as if I’d never heard it before. I’ll never know what the listener feels, and that’s too bad.” For the…
As a DJ, there’s not a lot of wiggle room when it comes to remixing the hardcore salsa dura that came out of New York City in the ’60s and ’70s. You can spin it live and enjoy it like the rest of us audiophiles, but trying to “improve” it…
Serving as a direct challenge to the mindset that has deemed Vashti Bunyan the patron saint of freak folk, this two-disc collection of demos and unreleased songs from the singer’s earliest era demonstrates an approach far less common than the one for which she is known. Some Things Just Stick…
It’s lucky for Kid Rock that he’s an egomaniacal dipshit, because otherwise his music would be about as memorable as a Molly Hatchet eight-track sans “Flirting With Disaster.” Still, the former Mr. Pamela Anderson’s good-humored salutes to his own cocksmanship, not to mention his skill at Xeroxing classic boogie, can’t…
Although the band originally about ten years ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota, things really started picking up for Motion City Soundtrack within the last few years. A booster: a big helping hand from Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, who fell for the band’s high-powered, punk-inflected, Superchunk-y rock. Hoppus later produced the band’s second…
Back in March of this year, R&B star Kelis, famous both for her songs, “I Hate You So Much Right Now” and “Milkshake” plus obviously for being married to Queensbridge rapper Nas, got arrested in South Beach for interrupting an undercover prostitution sting. If you want specifics on that event,…
Magic is being hyped as Springsteen’s rocking return to his classic period, and that’s understandable: The album contains lots of familiar musical totems, not to mention lyrics about driving a highway until the road turns black and about a diner on the edge of town (bet it’s dark there). But…
The bar in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Marriott is called Swampers, after the house band at nearby FAME Studios that played on many of the greatest soul records ever made — Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, and so forth. Detroit-born Bettye LaVette’s 1972 album, Child of the Seventies, could…
Ben Harper’s band, the Innocent Criminals, are in the middle of pillaging several newly arrived boxes. The first copies of their collective CD, Lifeline, have just arrived, and the musicians are grabbing stacks with each hand. Meanwhile, Harper, who’s already gotten his share, is shuffling about their rehearsal space with…
Traveling across the United States as a reggae star has its pluses and minuses. With a new album, Light Your Light, on record shelves, there’s no doubt that Toots Hibbert, charismatic frontman of legendary Jamaican band Toots and the Maytals, doesn’t mind the exposure. His band is a crowd favorite…
The idea of a collaboration between Prince Paul and Bernie Worrell — with guest appearances from George Clinton, Shock G, and others — is a self-fulfilling prophecy, right? The quirky hip-hop producer and the P-Funk keyboard wizard are going to make some sort of Dope Dogs ’07, because, well, that’s…
More than 25 years on — ten spent at the helm of the Eurhythmics, the rest following a solo trajectory — Annie Lennox remains one of pop music’s most distinctive divas. Her credence stems not only from her beguiling vocals, clearly among the best in the biz, but also from…
Every independent music scene needs a selfless character to help shine the light on other artists — even when it detracts from his own spotlight. As far as Palm Beach hip-hop goes, that catalyst is a producer/MC by the name of E.F.O.N., who’s been putting out a series of mixtapes…
Troubled female rap star, Foxy Brown, keeps digging herself a deeper and deeper hole. She’s had a long list of legal troubles over the past year and a half, which exclude the fact that she temporarily went deaf and has also seen her music career come to a staggering halt…
Just got an amazing press release from the guys of Humbert, the local band most associated with La Ciudad que Progresa — Hialeah. If you’ve been to any local shows some time in the last 14 years, you’ve seen Humbert. If you’ve been totally oblivious, this is part of what…
Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget “Now go and get your money little Duffle Bag Boy … cos I ain’t ever ran from a nigga and I damn sho ain’t bout to pick today to start runnin …” Now where was Lil’ Wayne when you need him? This past Saturday’s…
It’s been a tough few days for musicians as now another legendary recording artist is headed to that great big rock’n’roll party in the sky. Paul Raven, critically acclaimed bassist for Ministry and Killing Joke was found dead over the weekend in Geneva, Switzerland of an apparent heart attack. While…
It’s a little, well known fact, depending on where you get your news from these days, that Atlanta rapper T.I. is in jail. He was arrested for illegally attempting to purchase machine guns from an undercover agent. I’m not sure why T.I. is trying to be all Charleston Heston on…
There are some moments in a musician’s life when reality becomes so unreal that you know you’ve finally made it. One might think trading solos with Prince during an intimate late-night jam session at the legendary hit maker’s home would be one of those moments, but for Maroon 5 frontman…
