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Talk Of The Tonearm

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The Virtual Gardens of Tamiko Thiel Post feature image
Featured post
1-Tier Tamiko Thiel Artists Technology
May 05, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer

The Virtual Gardens of Tamiko Thiel

By blending her mechanical engineering background with her father's theories on spatial perception, digital artist Tamiko Thiel creates immersive digital environments that communicate emotional truths about displacement and ecological crisis.

Read Now Read Now
Solar Feelings — The Vernon Spring Sheds Light on 'Under a Familiar Sun' Post feature image
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3-Tier The Vernon Spring Avant-Pop
May 01, 2025
by Arina Korenyu

Solar Feelings — The Vernon Spring Sheds Light on 'Under a Familiar Sun'

In a wide-ranging conversation, The Vernon Spring's Sam Beste discusses the mysterious process of sculpting silence, the political dimensions of truly seeing your children, and finding faith in humanity's goodness amid growing divisions.

Read Now Read Now
Alissa Cheung, Stéphanie Bozzini, Clemens Merkel, Isabelle Bozzini. Photo by Michael Slobodian
2-Tier Quatuor Bozzini Montreal Canada Violinists

Quatuor Bozzini at 25 — The Art of Collective Vision

Few contemporary chamber ensembles have maintained both the longevity and artistic integrity of Quatuor Bozzini. Based in Montreal since its founding in 1999, this string quartet has carved out a space through commitment to artistic exploration, democratic organization, and creative collaboration.

May 07, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Lil Darkie and IDK
2-Tier Rap Music IDK Lil Darkie

Postmodern MCs — What Makes a True Internet Rapper?

As the lines between mainstream and underground continue to dissolve online, artists carrying the "vibe of the internet" create music that reflects the web's original wild freedom rather than its corporatized present.

May 06, 2025
by Anthony David Vernon
Solar Feelings — The Vernon Spring Sheds Light on 'Under a Familiar Sun' Post feature image
Featured post
3-Tier The Vernon Spring Avant-Pop

Solar Feelings — The Vernon Spring Sheds Light on 'Under a Familiar Sun'

In a wide-ranging conversation, The Vernon Spring's Sam Beste discusses the mysterious process of sculpting silence, the political dimensions of truly seeing your children, and finding faith in humanity's goodness amid growing divisions.

May 01, 2025
by Arina Korenyu
The Beautiful Debris of Sam Sadigursky's 'The Solomon Diaries' Post feature image
3-Tier Sam Sadigursky Clarinetists Jazz

The Beautiful Debris of Sam Sadigursky's 'The Solomon Diaries'

With clarinet and accordion, Sam Sadigursky and Nathan Koci transform the ghostly silence of Borscht Belt ruins into a meditation on memory and absence.

Apr 30, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Chicago's Sons of Ra Turn Jazz Into Heavy Weather Post feature image
4-Tier Sons of Ra Chicago Artists Jazz Fusion Heavy Metal

Chicago's Sons of Ra Turn Jazz Into Heavy Weather

'Standard Deviation' documents how three musicians learned to arrange around drones, interpret Carla Bley through hardcore tempos, and find lightness in their own gravity.

Apr 29, 2025
by Michael Centrone
Electric Dreams Made Real — Tamiko Thiel on the Connection Machine Post feature image
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4-Tier Tamiko Thiel Innovators Technology

Electric Dreams Made Real — Tamiko Thiel on the Connection Machine

Before touchscreens dominated our technological imaginations, there was a mysterious black cube with pulsing lights that became the physical manifestation of artificial intelligence—and Thiel realized its visual story.

Apr 28, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Scott Metzger Gets in the Telepathic Groove with LaMP Post feature image
Featured post
4-Tier Scott Metzger LaMP Jam Bands Guitarists

Scott Metzger Gets in the Telepathic Groove with LaMP

From his life-changing encounter with the Ramones to creating accessible instrumental music with longtime collaborators Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton, Metzger discusses how their new album 'One of Us' channels the raw, intuitive energy of three musicians.

Apr 24, 2025
by Sam Bradley
Katarina Gryvul On Using 3D Sound to Preserve Memories Post feature image
4-Tier Katarina Gryvul Ukraine Experimental Music

Katarina Gryvul On Using 3D Sound to Preserve Memories

The Ukrainian composer discusses her new album 'SPOMYN,' the role of voice as a fingerprint of identity, and creating immersive sonic landscapes where each sound interacts like a character in its own small universe.

Apr 23, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Classical pianist Hunter Noack plays at the Stoller Family Estate Vineyard and Winery in Oregon.
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4-Tier Hunter Noack Portland Pianists Modern Classical

Wild Sonatas — Pianist Hunter Noack's Scenic Concert Hall

Drawing inspiration from Depression-era WPA outdoor concerts, Noack's "In a Landscape" series creates musical experiences where the natural world becomes part of the performance itself—a thousand-pound Steinway serving as both instrument and artistic statement among the great outdoors.

Apr 22, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Tell Us Today — Steven Hall Remembers Arthur Russell Post feature image
4-Tier Steven Hall Arthur Russell New York Artists

Tell Us Today — Steven Hall Remembers Arthur Russell

"The studio was like heaven for us." Decades after their collaboration, Steven Hall offers rare insights into Arthur Russell's creative process, his ban on vibrato, and their search for musical purity.

Apr 19, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
RuinsZu — The Precise Collision of Ruins and Zu Post feature image
4-Tier RuinsZU Tatsuya Yoshida Italy Japan Avant-Rock

RuinsZu — The Precise Collision of Ruins and Zu

Italian bass, Japanese drums, and a rambunctious musical mindset brought together Zu and Tatsuya Yoshida for twenty-three electrifying European shows, culminating in their Jazzisdead Festival performance captured on a new live album.

Apr 18, 2025
by Michael Centrone
Rhymes Against Reality — R.U. Sirius and His Musical Mindfuckery Post feature image
4-Tier R.U. Sirius San Francisco Avant-Punk

Rhymes Against Reality — R.U. Sirius and His Musical Mindfuckery

The counterculture icon and Mondo 2000 founder returns with a new album that hammers a "rusty 9-inch nail into the fontanelle of the 2025 zeitgeist" while blending punk, electronica, and digital skepticism into a chaotic reflection of our fragmented times.

Apr 16, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Noah Preminger playing saxophone in the recording studio. Photo by Savannah Lauren.
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4-Tier Noah Preminger Saxophonists Boston Jazz

Noah Preminger and the Saxophone as a Vehicle for Life

The Boston-area tenor saxophonist refuses to let jazz orthodoxy dictate his artistic path. His latest album, 'Ballads,' reveals how moving through different musical territories deepens what happens within the song.

Apr 14, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Max Wareham in the recording studio holding a banjo. Photo by Kaitlyn Raitz.
4-Tier Max Wareham Banjo Bluegrass

Sifting Through Bluegrass Traditions with Max Wareham

Max Wareham's multidisciplinary background informs every note of his debut album 'DAGGOMIT!' The banjo player brings a historian's perspective while collaborating with bluegrass legends to create something reverent while refreshingly playful.

Apr 11, 2025
by Sam Bradley
The Ghosts We Carry — Casey MQ's Haunted Edition Post feature image
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4-Tier Casey MQ Los Angeles Avant-Pop

The Ghosts We Carry — Casey MQ's Haunted Edition

Casey's deluxe edition of 'Later That Day' explores isolation through minimalist arrangements and spectral themes. Now working from Los Angeles, he reflects on the imprints left by relationships and musical evolution.

Apr 10, 2025
by Arina Korenyu
Numbers into Notes — Daniel Pelton Reclaims Holocaust Tattoos Through Melody Post feature image
4-Tier Daniel Pelton Saxophonists Calgary Modern Classical

Numbers into Notes — Daniel Pelton Reclaims Holocaust Tattoos Through Melody

Calgary saxophonist Daniel Pelton transforms concentration camp tattoos into musical progressions using historical instruments once owned by Holocaust victims, creating a powerful tribute that reclaims dehumanized numbers through artistic expression.

Apr 09, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Rolling Bones — Sylvie Courvoisier, Mary Halvorson, and the Art of Risk Post feature image
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4-Tier Mary Halvorson Sylvie Courvoisier Pianists Guitarists Avant-Jazz

Rolling Bones — Sylvie Courvoisier, Mary Halvorson, and the Art of Risk

Courvoisier and Halvorson unveil 'Bone Bells,' their acclaimed third album, and demonstrate how musical risk yields remarkable rewards. Eight new compositions showcase technical prowess while revealing a partnership where composed frameworks serve as springboards rather than constraints.

Apr 07, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Ken Schalk Smacks the Drums Like Nobody Else Post feature image
4-Tier Ken Schalk Drummers Heavy Metal

Ken Schalk Smacks the Drums Like Nobody Else

The "Bruce Lee of Drumming" has spent decades perfecting his revolutionary "Ergo-drumming" philosophy, yet remains criminally underappreciated despite transforming metal, jazz, and hardcore through his work with Candiria and Fuel.

Apr 03, 2025
by Michael Centrone
Dome Echoes — Sara Persico Captures Lebanon's Forgotten Architecture Post feature image
4-Tier Sara Persico Berlin Artists Experimental Music Lebanon

Dome Echoes — Sara Persico Captures Lebanon's Forgotten Architecture

A UNESCO World Heritage site built during Lebanon's optimistic 1960s but abandoned during civil war becomes the unlikely studio for 'Sphaîra,' an experimental sound artist's most ambitious work.

Apr 02, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
The Piano as Portal — Phillip Golub's Journey Through 22 Tones Post feature image
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4-Tier Phillip Golub Pianists Experimental Music Joseph Branciforte Modern Classical

The Piano as Portal — Phillip Golub's Journey Through 22 Tones

How do you record music that can't be played on conventional instruments? For 'Loop 7,' Golub and Greyfade's Joseph Branciforte devised an ingenious solution involving a digital player piano and meticulous retuning to create the impossible.

Apr 01, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
The Strange Science of Breakcore Post feature image
4-Tier Perspectives Breakcore Electronic Music

The Strange Science of Breakcore

While Pythagoras sought mathematical perfection in music, breakcore artists like hkmori and sewerslvt embrace chaos. Their work reveals how this genre embodies both scientific rebellion and psychological expression.

Mar 28, 2025
by Anthony David Vernon
Bomba Meets Bebop — The Afro-Puerto Rican Fusion of Alex ‘Apolo' Ayala Post feature image
4-Tier Alex ‘Apolo' Ayala Bassists Jazz Puerto Rico

Bomba Meets Bebop — The Afro-Puerto Rican Fusion of Alex ‘Apolo' Ayala

After a decade of musical soul-searching in New York, the Puerto Rican bassist found his voice by embracing his cultural roots and the jazz tradition. His sophomore album reveals an artist now "unapologetic" about his musical message.

Mar 26, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Shifting Realities — Julius Smack's Starlight as a Dystopian Reverie Post feature image
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4-Tier Julius Smack Los Angeles Avant-Pop

Shifting Realities — Julius Smack's Starlight as a Dystopian Reverie

With a highly personal exploration of themes culminating in the album 'Starlight,' Julius Smack's multimedia approach reveals everyday technology as mundane yet otherworldly, mirroring our complex relationship with digital existence.

Mar 25, 2025
by Arina Korenyu
'Music Is My Church' — Six Missing's Ambient Refuge Post feature image
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4-Tier Six MIssing Ambient Music Austin

'Music Is My Church' — Six Missing's Ambient Refuge

With 'Gentle Breath,' TJ Dumser's ambient project turns improvisation into liturgy, crafting spaces where listeners can step "outside the stream" and find themselves within carefully constructed waveforms.

Mar 24, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Making the Steamship Move — mssv's Perpetual Motion Machine Post feature image
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4-Tier mssv Mike Watt Mike Baggetta Indie Rock

Making the Steamship Move — mssv's Perpetual Motion Machine

Mike Baggetta's power trio mssv has perfected a unique creative process, road-testing new material across dozens of consecutive shows before capturing it on their latest album, 'On and On.' The result is a musical trip that thrives on combustion, energy, and pressure.

Mar 21, 2025
by Sam Bradley
Unexpected Visitations — Bit Cloudy's Homespun Electronica Post feature image
4-Tier Bit Cloudy London Artists Electronic Music

Unexpected Visitations — Bit Cloudy's Homespun Electronica

'The Visitation Plays' captivates with its sublime combination of meticulous programming and organic flow. Thompson discusses how everyday moments influence an electronic mixture that both welcomes and disrupts expectations.

Mar 20, 2025
by Michael Donaldson
Sun-Mi Hong's Jazz Rhythm Builds a Nest of Belonging Post feature image
4-Tier Sun-Mi Hong Drummers Jazz Netherlands Artists South Korea

Sun-Mi Hong's Jazz Rhythm Builds a Nest of Belonging

South Korean drummer Sun-Mi Hong moved from her homeland to Amsterdam in search of artistic freedom. She found not just a vibrant jazz scene but a new identity as a performer and composer.

Mar 19, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Where the Wild Things Are — Jenny Scheinman's 'All Species Parade' Post feature image
Featured post
4-Tier Jenny Scheinman Violinists Jazz

Where the Wild Things Are — Jenny Scheinman's 'All Species Parade'

The acclaimed violinist and composer returns to California's Lost Coast, crafting a sprawling double album that celebrates biodiversity with help from an all-star ensemble including Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and Nels Cline.

Mar 17, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Pezzner Embraces 'Polka Core' at Seattle's Historic Can Can Cabaret Post feature image
Featured post
4-Tier Pezzner Seattle Electronic Music

Pezzner Embraces 'Polka Core' at Seattle's Historic Can Can Cabaret

The seasoned techno producer and DJ known for electrifying international dance floors now creates burlesque circus spectacles, his innovative fusion of tubas and 808s rattling the walls of one of Seattle's most beloved theatrical institutions.

Mar 13, 2025
by Sara Jayne Crow
Spotlight On Podcast — Looking Back at Year Four (2023) Post feature image
4-Tier Spotlight On

Spotlight On Podcast — Looking Back at Year Four (2023)

Ten conversations that transcend mere promotion to explore how creative work emerges from historical, technological, spiritual, and social contexts while building meaningful connections.

Mar 12, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
Hitting the Pavement — Cary Baker's Love Letter to Busking Post feature image
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4-Tier Cary Baker Authors

Hitting the Pavement — Cary Baker's Love Letter to Busking

In 'Down on the Corner,' the veteran music publicist chronicles his four-decade journey from Maxwell Street to global sidewalks, revealing how spontaneous street performances shaped both his life and music history.

Mar 10, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
From Lagos to Bogotá — La BOA's Rhythmic Dialogue with Tony Allen Post feature image
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4-Tier La Boa Tony Allen Colombian Artists

From Lagos to Bogotá — La BOA's Rhythmic Dialogue with Tony Allen

Colombian ten-piece La BOA used recordings from 2011 to create an innovative posthumous collaboration with Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. Producer Daniel Michel discusses how they transformed drum tracks into a transcontinental musical conversation.

Mar 07, 2025
by Miguel Angel Bustamante
Teenage Kicks in a War Zone — The Discreet Radicalism of Northern Irish Punk Post feature image
Featured post
4-Tier Perspectives Irish Arists

Teenage Kicks in a War Zone — The Discreet Radicalism of Northern Irish Punk

When The Undertones sang "Teenage Kicks" amid Derry's barricades, they weren't avoiding reality—they were demanding one worth living in. How the everyday yearnings of Northern Irish youth became a revolutionary statement in a world that expected them to choose sides or die trying.

Mar 06, 2025
by Brook Ellingwood
Anupam Shobhakar's Musical Voyage from Slayer to Sarod Post feature image
4-Tier Anupam Shobhakar Indian Music

Anupam Shobhakar's Musical Voyage from Slayer to Sarod

Shobhakar's musical awakening began in the most unlikely circumstances — a metal kid in a Slayer t-shirt seated among India's musical elite. Now the Mumbai musician's double-neck guitar carries him from headbanging teen to microtonal master on his new album 'Liquid Reality.'

Mar 05, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer
The Moonlit Melodies of Captain's Audio Project Post feature image
4-Tier Discover Captain's Audio Project Portland Americana

The Moonlit Melodies of Captain's Audio Project

Veteran Portland musician James Cook transforms camping trips into heartfelt songs on his album 'Waiting For The Moon' and embarks on a musical quest through the wilderness with his National Tenor Resonator guitar.

Mar 04, 2025
by Sam Bradley
Beautiful Collisions — Michael Dorf Stages a Carnegie Tribute to Patti Smith Post feature image
Featured post
4-Tier Spotlight Michael Dorf Patti Smith

Beautiful Collisions — Michael Dorf Stages a Carnegie Tribute to Patti Smith

That scrappy Knitting Factory on Houston Street planted seeds for two decades of tribute concerts that have raised millions for music education. Dorf's persistent courtship of Smith finally bears fruit as an inspiring lineup of performers gathers on March 26 to reinterpret her revolutionary catalog.

Mar 03, 2025
by Lawrence Peryer

Talk Of The Tonearm

Each week, our email newsletter defies the algorithms with recommendations and rundowns. Subscribe to get the goods:

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Alissa Cheung, Stéphanie Bozzini, Clemens Merkel, Isabelle Bozzini. Photo by Michael Slobodian
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