Mars Williams, saxophonist for the Psychedelic Furs and the Waitresses, has died. The Chicago Tribune reports that Williams passed away today from ampullary cancer after being diagnosed almost a year ago. Psychedelic Furs posted about it on social media, saying they’re “heartbroken.” Williams was 68. Williams, who was born in Evanston, IL, performed in the […]
Dowsing – “Simple Projections”
Last month, emo-revival royalty Dowsing returned with the announcement of No One Said This Would Be Easy, the follow-up to 2019’s Sky Coffin. They shared the lead single “This Is Easy,” and now they’re back with “Simple Projections.” “‘Simple Projections’ and the rest of our new record was recorded like many other records in a […]
Liz Phair Objects To Chicago Tribune Review Describing Her Sold-Out Show As “Nearly Sold-Out”
Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville 30th anniversary tour rolled through her hometown of Chicago Saturday. The show inspired a glowing review in the Chicago Tribune, but Phair took issue with one important detail: Reviewer Bob Gendron described the Chicago Theatre as “nearly sold-out.” In a statement posted to Instagram, Phair took issue with that description, […]
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy – “Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You”
Earlier this year, Will Oldham released Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You, his first proper Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy solo album since 2019. Oldham recorded that LP in a Louisville home studio, working exclusively with local musicians. Now, Oldham has released a new song called “Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You,” which did not appear on the album […]
Darker Waves Brought New Wave Nostalgia To The Southern California Beach
These crowds gathered early for the daytime acts like Drab Majesty — the first in a whole lineage of artists who were primarily night music performing under a bright sun. It quickly became evident that a one-day festival with a ten o’clock curfew and this busy of a lineup made for some frantic maneuvering, even […]
Leslie Jones And Jordan Klepper Debate André 3000’s Flute Album On The Daily Show
On Friday, with very little advance notice, André 3000, one of the greatest rappers in history, released his first-ever solo album New Blue Sun. As you are almost certainly already aware, that album includes absolutely no rapping — or, for that matter, any vocals at all. Instead, it’s a full-length ambient jazz record, with André […]
Taylor Swift Mourns Fan Who Died Before Rio Concert, Postpones Tonight’s Show
Taylor Swift has been on the international leg of The Eras Tour. On Friday night, she performed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Nilton Santos stadium. Many fans fell ill due to the heatwave, with a heat index of 140° Fahrenheit, and one concertgoer died of cardiac arrest. 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides fainted before […]
Kool & The Gang Drummer George “Funky” Brown Dead At 74
George “Funky” Brown, founding drummer of the great funk and R&B band Kool & The Gang, has died. The Guardian reports that Brown died of lung cancer yesterday in Los Angeles. Brown was 74. George Brown grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. As a teenager in 1964, he joined up with a group of […]
Boldy James & Nicholas Craven – “Brand New Chanel Kicks”
At the beginning of this year, the endlessly prolific Detroit rap great Boldy James was severely injured in a car accident; Indiana Jones, his excellent album with the producer RichGains, came out a few days later. Stereogum interviewed Boldy James after his accident, but he didn’t say too much about his condition. He says a […]
Hear J.R. Bohannan’s Pedal Steel Covers Of Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas Classics
Back in February 2022, not many people were thinking about Christmas. Fortunately, J.R. Bohannan had yuletide on the mind. It was then that the Brooklyn guitarist and pedal steel player deployed the latter instrument on new-agey covers of two songs from Vince Guaraldi’s classic A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, the dreamy “Christmas Time Is Here” […]