DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist Give Silver Spring a History Lesson (Show Review)
Written by Michael Hogan
It’s easy to become jaded as a music journalist. You’ve been to so many shows and seen so many artists that they all blend together after awhile. You get into it because you love it, because every single show is something special; while music may still be a wonderful thing, most shows have just become a little less special. I know it’s a rather bleak way to look at things, and some of you are surely cursing at me through your keyboards – something about how I’m an ungrateful little shit and I’m taking it all for granted – and you’re probably right. But if I’ve gained one skill in life it’s the ability to recognize when a show is momentousness; a once in a life time experience that has some sort of echoing effect in the history of music, regardless of the scale.
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On “This Is Cave Music,” Moon Hooch Tighten Up Without Turning Down (Album Review)
Written by Kevin Madert
Before I bought Moon Hooch’s self-titled debut album, I didn’t know the true meaning of the phrase “replay value.” From late-night drives to early morning runs, parties to study sessions and everything in between, Moon Hooch became my go-to soundtrack for basically everything. It’s for this reason the prospect of a new Moon Hooch LP stirred within me equally feelings of excitement and nervousness. My mental bar for a follow-up full-length was set to an unfair height, and a part of me fretted the trio would let me down by default.
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Frequency Of The Week No. 4: Derlee
-Written by Kevin Madert
My experiences with Bandcamp have been somewhat of a mixed bag. It’s a fantastic place for independent labels, low-key artists and bedroom producers to share their work, yet much like Soundcloud your music exploration can quickly derail into a black hole of falsely advertised accounts and underwhelming tunes. If you stay focused and go in with a plan you can find some really neat stuff, and that’s how I came across this week’s FotW: Derlee.
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Show Preview: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist
Written by: Mike Hogan
Imagine what you could learn by searching through your favorite artist’s personal record collection. You could discover all the subtle nuances in their musical identity; you’d pick out their favorites by the worn corners on the album sleeves, and know which ones were gathering dust, still wearing their price tag. You could figure out which inserts they poured over as if they were studying for a test, and which ones were simply discarded. Someone’s music collection tells a lot about who they are, it can speak volumes about who they were and who they are by chronicling their own personal journey through musical history.
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Four Quick Things: Lockn’ Music Festival
–Written by Kevin Madert
As a kid, I always dreaded Labor Day. It meant summer was over and school was imminent – a one-two knockout punch. As I got older and began to accept the inevitability of all things in life, my dread diminished to a dull dislike. This would most likely have persisted for many years to come if it weren’t for a man named Dave Frey. Frey is the cofounder of Lockn’ Music Festival – a four-day, first class rock music experience at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia that took place for the first time early last September. Showing no signs of a sophomore slump, round two is slated for this weekend (the 4-7 of September) with headlining performances from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey’s Mcgee, and more. There’s far too much to highlight here, but read on to learn a little more about Lockn’ – the festival so good it has me excited for the end of the summer.
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In Case You Missed It: Take A Trip With Vacationer’s “Gone”
–Written by Kevin Madert
The first time I heard The Starting Line was late in the summer of 2006. As a rising high school freshman, I was content with letting music do my emotional legwork, and the Philadelphia pop-punk outfit was more than capable of doing just that. When the uncertainty and confusion of adolescence inevitably faded into the uncertainty and confusion of adulthood, TSL and lead singer/wordsmith Kenny Vasoli remained cornerstones of my musical experience.
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