Stephen Colbert called President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Covid-19 death rates in “blue states” “unspeakably monstrous” on The Late Show Thursday, September 17th. Speaking at a press conference on the 16th, Trump claimed that, sans about half the country, America’s Covid-19 death rate would be “at a level that I …
Read More »Leo Kottke, Reluctant Guitar Hero
For the last several decades, Leo Kottke has perfected the way he likes to tour. Instead of using a tour bus, the guitarist drives himself, piling his guitars into the back of a rental car. He deals with venue staff directly, settling up on his own. And he doesn’t bring …
Read More »How the Streaming Exclusive Died and Came Back to Life
“I said no quickly, brashly, abrasively. Do me a favor — don’t present that to me again.” Rap expert and podcast host Joe Budden doesn’t mince words in describing the crumbling relationship between his show and Spotify. According to Budden, who ran through a list of candid grievances in a …
Read More »U2 Announce 'All That You Can't Leave Behind' 20th Anniversary Box Set
U2 will celebrate the 20th anniversary of All That You Can’t Leave Behind on October 30th with the release of a super deluxe edition of the album. It will be available both as single disc remaster of the original LP and a 51-track Super Deluxe box set packed with B-sides, …
Read More »How USPS Pandemonium Threatens Indie Musicians and Labels
Mississippi indie label Fat Possum Records was deep into shipping copies of veteran punk band X’s first album in 27 years, Alphabetland, when they were faced with an unprecedented problem: How do you fit 1,000 vinyl records into a postal worker’s Jeep Cherokee? Shipping records in the past hasn’t really …
Read More »Music at Home: The Witching Hour
This week’s full moon in Pisces may have left you feeling a bit tender. But that’s all right: these songs are meant to revitalize, empower, and mobilize as you let go of the parts of your life that no longer serve you — or reaffirm those that do. From Stevie …
Read More »Never-Before-Seen Photographs of Michael Jordan Capture the Rise of the Basketball Legend
When you think of Michael Jordan, every image seems to evoke moments of greatness. From his intensity on the court to his evolution into a global brand and pop culture icon, the storied visuals of “His Airness” are by now ingrained in our collective memory. That’s why when veteran Chicago …
Read More »Wisconsin's Governor Called a Special Session on Police Reform. Republicans Stopped It After 30 Seconds
A Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer shot an unarmed black man seven times in the back. An armed teenage vigilante has been charged with five felonies for shooting three people, and killing two, at the ensuing protests. As marches continued, with armed white snipers observed on downtown Kenosha rooftops, the state’s …
Read More »Music at Home: Punk Troubadours
“If I can’t make it out of this ditch/I better make a home of it,” Dave Hause sings in his song “The Ditch” off his 2019 album, Kick. It’s a school of thought I’ve been trying to adopt since 2020’s pandemic plotline went off the rails. If this mess isn’t …
Read More »Video Surfaces of Bannon Joking About Stealing 'All That Money From Build the Wall'
Only one day after he was indicted on conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering charges, a video has surfaced showing former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon joking with one of his alleged co-conspirators about stealing “all that money from ‘We Build The Wall,’” a crowdfunding campaign that raised …
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