Setting up and running a record label is a dream venture for many budding music entrepreneurs. But how do you even get started? Any of us who’ve had experience with the major label industry knows things are not always what they seem. From being locked into crazy contracts, ripped off, and being censored “guided” on … Read more
As John Lennon once wisely told us: “Instant Karma’s gonna get you, gonna knock you right on the head!” And that’s precisely what happened to Aaron Lewis, the singer from Staind. Hey, Aaron. How do you like your justice served? Scrambled or fried? Christina Aguilera Flubs the National Anthem Now look, seriously… I can’t even … Read more
Chance? Conspiracy? Synchronicity? These are words tossed around by those of us in the know who want to get to the bottom of this mystery. Why have so many musicians fallen to the curse of the 27 Club? What is the 27 Club Curse? During a tumultuous time for music when artists were again using … Read more
I, for one, welcome our new piano overlords. In 2009 at the World Venice Forum, an Austrian composer named Peter Ablinger unveiled his crazy talking piano contraption. While everyone was wondering what exactly was about to happen, he had it read the Proclamation of the European Environmental Criminal Court in a human voice: The video … Read more
Before we jump right into my list of best mixed albums, let’s remind the jimmy rustlers… this is an opinion post. And since it’s based around my opinion, it’s limited to the albums that I’ve had the fortune to listen to and become intimately familiar with. These are my favorite albums and songs in terms … Read more
You know what really butters my biscuit? You know what really grinds my gears in the studio? Let me tell you… The Worst Things Musicians Do In The Studio In no particular order, these are the things that drive us recording, mixing, and mastering engineers bonkers: Not wrapping long cables in the over-under fashion I’m … Read more
Nobody in music draws the ire of rock fans more than Yoko Ono. While some of this naturally stems from longstanding accusations that she broke up The Beatles, it’s also derived from the fact that she’s done some weird stuff in the name of music (and attention) for decades. Perhaps nothing is weirder than her … Read more
Music is more compartmentalized now than ever before. Not only are we well beyond the days of merely designating music as “good” or “bad,” several subgenres have cropped up in recent years to further hyper-categorize certain sounds. While some of these sub-categories like indie folk or trip-hop seem to have staying power, others should head … Read more
This is one of those stories that has a surprise ending, so stick around for the reveal! Strange and interesting things are happening around us all the time. It used to be that you’d hear about some story that happened to your friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s dad and you’d dismiss it with a chuckle because it … Read more
You couldn’t get away from Total Request Live at the turn of the 20th century. Their formula of counting down the day’s top videos was the anchor of MTV’s programming for years. Even if said videos skewed immensely heavy toward throwaway bubblegum pop or rap-rock/nu-metal that in retrospect hasn’t aged too well, TRL still dominated. … Read more