The New Jersey-based dynamo pedal steel player, Robert Randolph, who was recently nominated for his 6th Grammy Award for his 2019 LP, Brighter Days, is a member of many prestigious musical lineages. And a piece of each shows up in the standout moments on the songwriter’s latest record, which is up for Best Contemporary Blues Album at this year’s show.
Read MoreTo understand the alternative Southern rock band, The Drive-By Truckers, is to comprehend the idea of duality. The group is constantly subverting the conventional world around them. It’s founding members, Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, are longtime brothers in music and former combatants. Their histories are rooted in the South while their politics are rooted in liberalism. They are nuanced. And all of these elements show up on their forthcoming record, The Unraveling, set for release on January 31st.
Read MoreNurse Mercy Gono has worked hard to become who she is today. After moving from Liberia in West Africa to the United States, Gono learned English, studied hard, and has progressed through the nursing profession. Mercy started her medical career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and then continued on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and is currently working on her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. She obtained success in large part to her self dedication and belief in education.
Read MoreIn many ways, Los Angeles-based musician, Ethan Gruska, considers himself a creator of collages more than he does a songwriter. And perhaps this is most evident on the second track of his forthcoming album, EN GARDE (out Jan. 24th).
The song, “Nervous System,” first began as a lark, an ambient bit of music made with a friend. But as EN GARDE progressed, the track soon became an essential aspect to the album – it’s credits, so to speak – emblematic of its quintessential collaborative essence.
Read MoreParisalexa, the 21-year-old R&B songwriting dynamo from Seattle, by way of New Jersey, is already a rising star in the pop music world. That's evidenced by her tens of thousands of streams on YouTube and her recent appearance on the popular NBC television show, Songland, during which she pitched a nearly perfect pop song to famed songwriter, Charlie Puth. And while Paris didn't win, Billboard said after the episode that hers was not only the top song of the episode but of the entire season. With that in her back pocket, Paris continues to write and record and release new music, including this new jam of late. We caught up with the artist to ask her about her first-ever song, her experience on NBC, and what the word "ambition" means to her.
Read MoreIf you’re a fan of the Seattle music world, you’ve likely heard the name Travis Thompson in the past year, or so. He’s the bombastic rapper who, still in his early 20s, has played Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, collaborated with Macklemore, Sir Mix A Lot and Geo, and headlined the Showbox. But a name you might not know quite as well – but one that is no less significant – is Shelton Harris. He is Thompson’s manager and the person who has been with the burgeoning rapper every step of the way, from Burien to MTV.
Read MoreAndy Dunnigan, front man for the Montana-based Bluegrass band, The Lil Smokies, thinks the genre he loves is on the verge of something significant. While mountain string bands may not be the first to top most contemporary charts, Dunnigan thinks that’s evolving, changing. That the comradery and harmony offered in the music is pushing it center stage and, if it continues to grow, people will continue to listen.
Read MoreIn September, Ken Burns released his thorough documentary, Country Music. The 16-and-a-half-hour-long PBS series looks closely at the 100-plus-year history of the American art form. For Burns, whose films have exhaustively covered quintessentially American topics like the Brooklyn Bridge and Jazz, the task meant combing through thousands of photos and hundreds of hours of interviews. The work is staggering and came at the perfect time.
Country music has deep roots and a long tradition. Much of it is beautiful. Listening to Hank Williams or Loretta Lynn is divine, of course, but both America and the genre have changed significantly since the days of Merle Haggard. Today, country music has many influences beyond the prairie and the porch. Pop is infused in the music. So too is hip-hop. Furthermore, the people making the music look and live differently from many of the heroes depicted in the early days of Burns' film.
Read MoreFor fans of drag, the name BenDeLaCreme is likely a household one. “DeLa,” as she’s often known, was a standout on season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race and appeared famously on the show’s All-Stars season, shockingly eliminating herself in one of the rounds when she was a favorite to win the competition. Nevertheless, the Seattle-based drag queen has toured the world several times over, bringing her unique sense of goofy physicality, rubbery facial expressions, and heart-warming charm to audiences. This winter, BenDeLaCreme (born Benjamin Putnam) is on tour with fellow Emerald City drag celebrity, Jinkx Monsoon, a former Drag Race champion, bringing their latest project “All I Want For Christmas Is Attention” around the country. We caught up with DeLa to ask her for her thoughts on myriad topics, from Frosty the Snowman to butt implants, and everything in between.
Read MoreIt is odd to think that a major rock band had to be brought out of its shell. That, at least according to Brian Aubert, is exactly happened with Silversun Pickups.
Aubert, front man for the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band, explained that the group honed it’s signature distorted-yet-bright vibe in its early days from being inside intimate venues. That the SSPU sound wasn’t coaxed out in a marathon rehearsal or songwriting session but from playing live in front of small audiences in intimate local clubs.
Read MoreOn the final day of recording sessions for their latest LP, Good Luck, Kid, the trio of sisters that comprise the Americana group, Joseph, stayed a few extra hours to get something new on tape. The result is a five-song EP, called Trio Sessions, featuring stripped-down versions of recent songs. The soon-to-be-released collection – the first track of which, “Without You,” is premiering here – harkens back to the band’s early days playing secret shows in Northwest art galleries or filming stirring music videos just the sisters and a guitar.
Read MoreJohn Waters, the mastermind filmmaker behind classics like Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, is known for his remarkable balance between the snooty and the trashy. He is dichotomous in his creative works, keeping a well-groomed thin mustache while filming his star, Divine, eating literal dog poop off the street. Walking a tightrope between well-kempt and tawdry, Waters has risen to fame and notoriety for his stories and unique sense of charm. Of late, the artist received a Grammy nomination for the spoken word album adapted from his book, Mr. Know-It-All, and recorded a vinyl single, “Make Trouble,” with Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. In December, Waters will tour his annual Yuletide show, “A John Waters Christmas,” which is always profane and never not entertaining. We caught up with the infamous raconteur to ask his thoughts on a myriad display of semi-random topics, from Donald Trump to Disney+.
Read MoreWhen Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers founding guitarist, Dickey Betts, and co-founder of The Allman Betts Band, first started to play guitar around 13 years old, he asked his Hall of Fame musician father for a little advice. While Dickey was known for his robust – even shrieking – playing style, he offered his son a more philosophical, even Zen-like response.
Read MoreKurtis Blow was there at the beginning of hip-hop. Without him, the genre may never have become the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. To list off, Blow was the first rapper to sign to a major label, receive a gold record for rap, tour the US and Europe, record a national commercial, create a rap music video, and the first rap millionaire. Today, he is on tour with the production of the Hip-Hop Nutcracker as the show's - what else - emcee.
Blow, known for his songs, "The Breaks", "Basketball", and "If I Ruled the World", is generous in conversation. A man of faith, he speaks freely about his history at the birth of hip-hop as well as his time working as a minister, spreading religion. We caught up with the emcee-orator to talk about his origins in hip-hop, how the genre grew, and what he might have become hadn't it been for the truly American invention.
Read MoreJodi Ecklund lives two miles away from the Clock-Out Lounge, the Beacon Hill music venue she opened a few years ago that provides pizza, drinks and enough room for a small stage, small backstage and space for about 250 people to see a show. Ecklund has made the trip countless times back-and-forth, on-call seemingly 24/7, as she books live events and manages the house in its day-to-day operations. And while the average passerby might not look at the modest, blue-painted exterior and think the Clock-Out is one of the most important buildings in the city, it is.
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