I think there should be at least something here that would be interesting to some of you, & on top of that there's about 20 years of archives linked to from the site.
"Greetings,
Please see our Spotlify playlist of artists from our new issue here:
In the latest issue of Perfect Sound Forever , you'll find (among other things):
BLACK SLATE
Brutal British reggae by Eric Doumerc
"...the members of Black Slate grew up in England and were united by their Black British background. Most of them had spent at least half their lives in England and, as a consequence, their songs reflected the Black British community’s concerns."
PAUL DUNMALL
Free jazz & big band pedigree by Daniel Varela
"Dunmall’s career started in the eighties, linked to important British improvisers like sax player Elton Dean and Barry Guy´s London Jazz Composers Orchestra. After some time, his tenure with the Mujcian quartet- led by remarkable pianist Keith Tippett- start to show a more mature Dunmall."
FREE JAZZ
An introduction/entry-way by Tyler Friedman
"Generally speaking, we place two demands upon music. First, we require stability, a foothold – nay, an earhold – such that we keep our bearing throughout the piece of music. We want to “understand” what is going on, and understanding typically occurs in music through consonance. But thorough-going stability, we know, is deeply unsatisfying."
GWANA MUSIC
Arabic music mash-up by Mike Wood
"The Gnawa are a people of Western Africa, whose culture is a blend of Arabic and African influences, due to trade, travel and slavery. Their music which bears their name, refined over centuries and only recently removed from its spiritual uses and incorporated into pop and jazz, is a simple but profound music that is built off of the use of three instruments, one or two notes, and the drone."
JODY HARRIS
Contortions/Raybeats interview by Jack Partain
"Jody Harris is most well known as the second guitarist for James Chance's no-wave psycho circus The Contortions, but his imprint is all over underground music in New York in the early and mid-1980s. ...Harris has recorded with the likes of Lester Bangs (on the 1977 "Let It Blurt!" single), The Golden Palominos, John Zorn, and Richard Hell among others. "
'LISTEN, WHITEY!'
3 Women poets-singers; book excerpt by Pat Thomas
An excerpt from the new book 'Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975,' covering the careers of poets/singers Wanda Robinson, Jayne Cortez and Nikki Givoanni.
MY DAD IS DEAD
Mark Edwards' career/interview by Michael McClelland
"... over twenty-five years of recording under this name, Cleveland, Ohio’s Mark Edwards proved that it doesn’t have to be tactless. Since 1985, Edwards found a way to vocalize the poignancy of exposing such vulnerable feelings, enhancing their inevitable, cathartic reward. Getting to that point of resolution, as necessary as it is, is what really f***ing sucks. "
PETE ROSS
Punk gourd/banjo maker by Kevin Chesser
"Pete has built banjos for more folks than can be listed here, but of particular note is legendary old-time musician and folklorist Mike Seeger... And at first glance of Pete, the first thing that springs to mind may not necessarily be banjos. Between the tattoos, skinny Dickies, and Chuck Taylors, Pete has the look and attitude of an old-school punk rocker, which he is."
SALEM
Goth-wave, substance or hype? by Jakob Ian Battick
" Salem is easily one of the most shat-upon bands in the 'indie' sphere today... whether it's knee-jerk panning discussions about their infamous 2010 SXSW performances or arguments over whether their sound should be labeled either 'Drag,' 'Witch House' or 'Rapegaze,' the last things being discussed are the actual merits of the group's music."
ROBERT SCOTT
The Clean/Bats man profiled by (interviewed by) Jorge Luis Fernandez
"His muse is not as quirky as that of Chris Knox (Tall Dwarfs), nor his choruses are instantly melodic as those of Martin Phillipps (The Chills), but he nevertheless has mastered a unique gift for songs as landscapes; tunes you can not only hum to, but also lean on as if on a bench on a languid, sunny afternoon."
STEAMHAMMER
Classic rock remembered by Ryan Settee
"Steamhammer were British and were somewhat popular in North America, but they were huge in Germany. Their best and worst asset was most likely that they diverged wildly in their output; each album was different and could most likely either be liked or disliked because of its own merits or perceived demerits. But I've always really liked the band's name; it implies that you're being hit with a sonic wallop, and that was largely true of their early output."
VINYL ANACHRONIST
We've Got the Power by Marc Philips
"A basic power cord has a very simple design, and the idea that a “fancy” one can somehow improve the flow of current to your audio components sounds like hogwash to many people. A power conditioner--which usually regulates the flow of current, offers circuit protection and guards against power surges--is viewed by many as an additional filter that can interfere with the pure flow of electricity."
SCOTT WALKER
His later-day masterwork by Miles Bowe
"In late 2011, after five years of silence, Scott Walker returned to the studio. A new album from him occurs unexpectedly, like some sudden natural disaster. Roughly once every decade, Walker will emerge from the studios he has spent years in prior, with about an hour of music that consistently challenges the audiences perceptions his of musical ambition."
FRANK ZAPPA
An instrumental highpoint by Kurt Wildermuth
"I’ve now spent three decades, on and off, trying to understand how a musician as smart as Zappa--a genius, according to his father and countless fans--could create a piece as emotionally and intellectually bare as “Watermelon in Easter Hay” and then not do justice to it. This article is about how I came to terms with Zappa’s handling or mishandling of this masterpiece."
We're always looking for good writers and/or ideas so let us know if you have anything to share.
See you online,
Jason "
Stevo
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