Music to Your Ears
No One Likes a Critic
Oscar Wilde nailed it. "The only thing worse than being talked about," he said, "is not being talked about.” He’s describing my job with eerie clarity.
Spotlight
Third Annual ¡Globalquerque! Discovers the Wide World
Koko Taylor and Planet Drum headline stunning round-the-world lineup
Exploring used to be such a bother. Years of raising cash, months sailing across uncharted seas, only to find something other than what you were looking for.
Show Up!
The New Pornographers
Carl Newman rambles eloquently on playing The Game, ever-weirder ways to write songs and always sounding new
If ours were a truly civilized society, Carl Newman would be King. For now, he is front man and chief songwriter for the Canadian pop band The New Pornographers. I had the pleasure of speaking with him last week as he took some time off during the band’s North American tour.
Flyer on the Wall
Hotpants and Ironic Facial Hair
All this hipster rigmarole and so much more awaits you! Snugfit Social Club dance party returns with DJs Paul, Brandon and Ethan plus live electro by The Booty Green. Friday, Sept. 21, at The Launchpad (21+). $4 at the door. Get down. [LM]
Sonic Reducer
Joan Stiles Hurly-Burly · Marsupious Stone Baby · P.O.S. and Turbo Nemesis Meat Tape
Pianist/vocalist Joan Stiles brings new ears to old tunes, and she offers originals that honor the past without solemnizing it. The smile begins with her exuberant opening collage, “The Brilliant Corners of Thelonious’ Jumpin’ Jeep,” and continues to widen. From solos to sextets, Stiles finds new ways to honor Ellington, Hodges, Monk, Rowles, Waller and Williams. She captures the pathos of “’Round Midnight” without over-romanticizing it, plays “Jitterbug Waltz” as if she’d just got some tremendously good news and rejoices in the second line of the remade bop classic “In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee.” [MM]
