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.
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.
As Sherwood returns to Dub Syndicate's multitrack tapes a decade after Scott's tragic passing, he uncovers new artifacts within familiar terrain—the resurrected albums documenting how the partnership of two sonic architects continues to cut through space and time.
After decades as guitarist with Camper Van Beethoven and Monks of Doom, Lisher embraced "the beginner's mind" through piano lessons and software manuals. His latest album 'Underwater Detection Method' documents this creative rebirth.
Operating in self-imposed exile, Colin Self turned night into studio and meditation into medium, emerging with 'r∞L4nGc'—an album that speaks in secret tongues to commune with departed souls.
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.'
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.
In advance of our live discussion and Q&A with authors Howie Singer and Bill Rosenblatt, we bring you this preview from their chapter on the vinyl revolution and how the transition from 78s to vinyl LPs dramatically changed the consumer music experience.
This week's essential listening includes a military drummer's debut, a memory-seeking Scot, an Australian trumpeter's electronic-classical fusion, and a Belgian's Vietnamese audio travelogue. Each creates its own climate regardless of the calendar.
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.
Mondo 2000 founder R.U. Sirius unpacks Bowie's remarkable evolution from hippie fellow traveler to critical observer, tracking the artist's fifty-year dialogue with American counterculture.
From Tupac's fear of reincarnation to Buddhist concepts of suffering, Kendrick Lamar weaves together hip-hop history and religious philosophy to examine what it means to return to life eternally — and whether such return might be the Devil's own prison.
In 1984, Rubén Blades wrote four stories of everyday people who vanished without explanation. Four decades and countless covers later, their ghostly presence still echoes through Latin American music, memory, and consciousness.
In "Watch The Party Die," Kendrick grapples with his calling as a musical prophet, torn between peaceful Christian ideals and the violent justice he feels compelled to deliver.
From his early days with Ray Brown to leading Newport Jazz Festival, the master bassist reflects on jazz education, the power of mentorship, and why being uncomfortable might be the best way to learn.
The Tonearm's editors recommend under-the-radar new releases to zoom out of your speakers. Today's most intriguing albums reveal the global scope of contemporary music, from mountain-inspired ambient works to revolutionary jazz interpretations.
From Peterborough's vibrant arts scene to Toronto's jazz world, bassist Daniel Fortin has always followed his musical instincts. His new album reveals what happens when an artist lets go of preconceptions and allows collaborators to help shape the sound.
A masterful investigation of blotter art weaves together tales of DEA agents, underground artists, and Grateful Dead shows. Davis's 'Blotter' examines how a simple delivery method evolved into a democratic art form that continues to elude mainstream acceptance.
Toronto guitarist Dan Pitt returns this fall with Horizontal Depths, an album that pays tribute to Canadian jazz legend Phil Nimmons while charting bold new territory in contemporary jazz.
Since 2007, Michel Gentile, Daniel Kelly, and Rob Garcia have done far more than practice. Their new album 'Scouring For The Elements' reveals how life, art, and community shaped their distinctive jazz sound.
Exploring the Seattle composer's unique vision of music as a continuous spectrum, where the boundaries between improvisation and composition disappear.
The Seattle-based singer and composer reflects on familial influences, spiritual connections through music, and the transformative power of performance, while championing diversity in classical and contemporary spaces.
Drawing from classical training and jazz freedom, the South Korean pianist invites audiences to help create each performance. Her new album 'Improvisations Live in Germany' captures these magical moments of musical alchemy.
The acclaimed saxophonist discusses genre fluidity, Wayne Shorter's wisdom, and why limitations can unlock creativity on his adventurous new album 'Unusual Object.'