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Had Yelawolf never elevated his game beyond the flush of his furious 2010 mixtape Trunk Muzik, which contained at least one bona-fide masterpiece in “Pop the Trunk,” he’d yet remain a significant footnote in the history of modern hip hop — an Alabama-born rapper of manic intensity and talent who gnawed his initials into the rusty proud husk of Southern culture on the skids of the 21st century. Continue reading
It’s a troubling contradiction that today’s music business — ostensibly an industry of songs — could make a quality songwriter like Ron Sexsmith feel antiquated and out of place. “I feel like a guy who’s making antique tables and chairs,” the Canadian musician tells EW. “I’ve always felt out of place or unfashionable ever since my first record came out.” Continue reading
Mischief Brew still makes music for the same reasons they did in high school. According to lead singer Erik Petersen, his guitar and the road are as addictive as a bad habit. “You’re angry; you need a release,” says Petersen, who also jams on guitar and mandolin for the folk-punk band. “We’re older now. We have jobs, houses, some of us have kids. But it never gets old, and it keeps coming back to you.” Continue reading
Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, neo-folk quintet Great Lake Swimmers play music as idyllic as their scenic rural hometown. Frontman Tony Dekker’s light, sweet voice and melody-driven songwriting is partnered with familiar bluegrass backing instruments: acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass and violin. Dekker tells EW, though, that “as a group, we have a deep respect for the folk tradition, but I wouldn’t exactly call us a traditional folk band.” Continue reading
The Northwest metal scene is rife with stoner, doom and black metal stereotypes thick enough to choke out the sun. Still there are a precious few acts that transcend, escaping the mire to unfurl like wildflowers springing from the thorniest of thickets. Amongst these are local favorites Agalloch and Yob, in many ways kindred spirits, though vastly dissimilar in sound. Continue reading
The drums beat, heavy and slow at first, then picking up speed like a heartbeat. The rhythm pushes for answers, for ancestry. Dontrell cannot escape the dreams calling him to this quest — dreams of a forebearer who leapt to his death from a slave ship during the Middle Passage. But Dontrell has a scholarship to maintain, a family to deal with and he can’t swim. Making his way into the middle of the Atlantic feels as hopeless as any hero’s journey. Faith, fate and family will all step in to shuffle his chances of success. Continue reading
The weeks leading up to Sasquatch! Music Festival, all I could focus on was the chaos that would ensue Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25. Alongside countless new faces and friends, I camped five nights in The Gorge. I forgot my pillows. I forgot my blankets. I even forgot my water bottle. It was the best. Continue reading
Jenny Lewis cruised into town on a rainbow Tuesday night, and she left a pot of gold. For a weeknight performance on the same night that Shakey Graves performed at McDonald Theatre, the WOW Hall was packed. Alt-country songstress Nikki Lane opened. Afterward, the stage was transformed into Lewis’ playground with the Monty Python-esque rainbow imagery from her 2014 album The Voyager. Continue reading
The fashion documentary has become a bona fide film genre. In the past decade alone, filmmakers have spun out more than two dozen docs, from the delicious Vogue insider flick The September Issue to the incredible story of a global fashion editor in Diana Vreeland: The Eye Must Travel and, of course, the quirky life of New York Times street-style photographer in Bill Cunningham New York. Continue reading
It’s fitting for a band obsessed with Anne Frank to be reclusive. After a 12-year vanishing act, Neutral Milk Hotel is touring again. The group has entered a gilded age, and rightly so. Continue reading