I’m not attached to any particular genre... I like being able to operate in the in-between areas.
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Tuesday May 03, 2022
REDEF
Tank & the Bangas at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, April 30, 2022.
(Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
quote of the day
I’m not attached to any particular genre... I like being able to operate in the in-between areas.
- Mary Halvorson
rantnrave://
Goodbye to Innocence

Programming note: MusicREDEF will be sporadic for the rest of the week while we do some spring cleaning. As always, we'll continue to update our Twitter feed. And we'll be looking for our copies of the mid-'90s comps JUST SAY ROE, from Sire, and BORN TO CHOOSE, from Rykodisc, while marveling at this 1994 Billboard story on the former project quoting Sire managing director HOWIE KLEIN: "The artists are taking a bolder stance than the label. Sire is merely presenting the topic for discussion. Our goal as a label is to expose Sire artists and sell records—I readily admit that. But why can't we also evoke positive thought and debate about important issues?" I'm honestly not sure, 28 years later, if that was an intentional anti-marketing campaign or if labels were truly scared to say out loud that one of their albums had a pro-choice intent. And I'm wondering which labels would put their name on an album like that today, and which ones wouldn't. (But if a label does, get it on CD or vinyl or MP3 or any concrete format of your choosing. Neither of those '90s albums is available for streaming. Here's a live version of KRISTIN HERSH's "HYSTERICAL BENDING," because her version from "Just Say Roe" isn't even on YouTube. Songs, they can still disappear. Things you treasure today may not be here tomorrow.)

Rest in Peace

RIC PARNELL, known to most of the world as Spinal Tap drummer MICK SHRIMPTON, who almost made it out of the movie alive but spontaneously combusted onstage in the final reel (as do dozens of people every year; it's just not widely reported). In real life, Parnell was the drummer for British prog-rock band Atomic Rooster in the early 1970s and played on Toni Basil's '80s pop smash "Mickey." He toured with the IRL version of Spinal Tap as Mick Shrimpton's surviving twin brother Ric and hosted a radio show on KDTR in Missoula, Mont., called, of course, "Spontaneous Combustion"... Folk-rock singer/songwriter JUDY HENSKE, a fixture of the music scenes in Laurel Canyon and Greenwich Village in the 1960s. She frequently performed with comedians like Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen, and her relationship with Allen is believed to have inspired one of his greatest characters, Annie Hall (who, like Henske, was a singer from Chippewa Falls, Wis.). In later years she co-wrote songs with her composer husband Craig Doerge which were covered by the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bette Midler and Three Dog Night... Australian countertenor MAX RIEBL.

- Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator
sally's pigeons
XXL
Fivio Foreign Knew He Had to Get Better, So He Did While Elevating Brooklyn Drill and Developing a Kanye West Friendship Along the Way
By Bianca Torres
Fivio Foreign hit a few bumps on the road to riches and diamond rings, but he's learned some valuable life lessons along the way. Now, he's the face of New York City drill music and he's more focused than ever.
CBC
Live music is back, but touring is risky
By Derek Vanderwyk
Touring is often an essential aspect of a musician's career -- perhaps now more than ever -- and while many COVID-19 restrictions have ended and music fans are flocking to stages, the virus is still making this very exposed way of life even more challenging.
The Guardian
‘It was the poor man’s studio’: how Amiga computers reprogrammed modern music
By Tamlin Magee
It was grey, ugly and had 0.0128% of an iPhone’s memory. But the Amiga 500 defied its limitations to power a series of astonishing dance tracks, from early jungle to Calvin Harris.
BBC News
The deadly accordion wars of Lesotho
By Tim Whewell
Rivalry between stars of Famo, a popular style of music in Lesotho, has sparked years of gang warfare.
The Boston Globe
That time when songs about abortion were big hits
By Tom Joudrey
In the late 1990s, a previously taboo topic suddenly broke through on the airwaves - as long as the singers were men.
Medium
RETRO READ: Singing About Abortion Isn’t Quite Allowed Yet. But it should be.
By Amanda Palmer
(Or: What happened when I tried to play my song about abortion on Irish television.)
Vulture
Mark Lanegan Was Electric
By Drew Fortune
Music’s dark prince as remembered by his friends and collaborators.
The New York Times
Hidden in a Fire Island House, the Soundtrack of Love and Loss
By T.M. Brown
In tragedy, music provided solace during the AIDS epidemic, and newly discovered cassette tapes captured two decades of parties and pain.
Stereogum
Leah Kate Is The Algorithm’s Answer To Olivia Rodrigo
By Rachel Brodsky
Pop music loves a facsimile, preferably one that appears organic — especially in 2022, when young music listeners value authenticity above all else. If something is working, then give fans more of it.
The Guardian
Slowly and surely, Black women are finding their voice against abuse in the music industry
By Michelle Kambasha
These stories show how poorly Black women have been treated, says Michelle Kambasha, who works in the music industry.
lost woman song
The Independent
Hayley Williams: ‘I always had punk-rock guilt’
By Michelle Kambasha
The pop-punk superstar is busy making a new Paramore album, but not before a new BBC podcast dedicated to the divisive rock genre of emo. She talks to Michelle Kambasha about Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and inspiring a new generation.
Los Angeles Times
A documentary takes an unsparing look at Astroworld disaster
By August Brown
Charlie Minn, director of 'Concert Crush,' on Travis Scott, Live Nation and the catastrophic failures that led to the deaths of 10 festivalgoers in November.
Rolling Stone
My Friend Naomi Judd Dealt With Crippling Depression -- The Same Kind That Took My Brother's Life
By Hunter Kelly
Journalist and radio host Hunter Kelly reflects on Naomi’s legacy and one final conversation with the legend, who died just a day before her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Harper's Bazaar
Funk Music Taught Me How to Be an Environmentalist
By Ko Bragg
Driving through the aftermath of yet another unprecedented hurricane, Ko Bragg realized the funk music of her childhood best describes the climate crisis facing her and her loved ones today.
Sixth Tone
China’s Music Platforms Are Streaming Fake Tracks
By Ye Zhanhang
NetEast and Tencent music are suing each other over copycat performers singing hit songs under almost-famous names.
PostGenre
Poisonous Beauty: A Conversation with Mary Halvorson (Part One)
By Rob Shepherd
The guitarist, also one of the most compelling composers of her generation, long wanted to write for a string quartet. But it was not until shutdowns canceled tours and performances that she found the right environment to do so. 
Culture Notes of an Honest Broker
Spotify Shares Now Selling at Less Than the IPO Price 4 Years Ago
By Ted Gioia
I revisit my past predictions about this company, and make some new ones.
SPIN
Yungblud, Up Against the World
By Maria Sherman
In this month's cover story, we interview the rising Yungblud, who's been lauded by many, but has plenty of critics. He sets things straight.
SPIN
Matt Pinfield Looks Back at a Life in Music
By Scott Lipps and Matt Pinfield
He’s still one of music’s great storytellers.
what we're into
Music of the day
“Rosie Jane”
Malvina Reynolds
"This song is addressed to my sisters / Any man who is present may listen / Any priest, any public official, any physician / But it gives him no license to touch us / We make the decision."
Video of the day
“Casablanca Beats”
Nabil Ayouch
Nabil Ayouch's coming-of-age feature about a hip-hop teacher in Morocco and his teen students is now playing in UK cinemas and online at curzon.com.
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