Today I’m thrilled to premiere the latest video from Love Again called “May 16.” This Lagwagon cover is played with the same passion as the original, and the video captures the spirit of the lyrical content. The Texas-based emo rock band, Love Again, will be releasing this cover as a standalone single tomorrow via Wiretap Records.
Read More “Video Premiere: Love Again – “May 16” (Lagwagon Cover)”
I hope everyone had a good week this week. Today I sit on the couch and write up some thoughts on the music, movies, and TV shows I spent some time with over the past week. As always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I liked, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
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Read More “Liner Notes (May 8th, 2021)”
Recently I was able to schedule a Zoom interview with BMG’s newly signed pop rock band from New York City, called January Jane. The band is comprised of vocalist Pat Via, guitarist Mitch Mitchell, and keyboardist Peter Scialla. This great new band was discovered by music scene legend, Matt Pinfield, and in this interview I learned how January Jane got started and the crazy circumstances that led to Pinfield working closely with the band. I asked January Jane about their strengths as artists, their songwriting process, and how they would describe their live show. The band released a new music video today for their single ”Versions of You” off of their upcoming EP Your Drug, that will be released everywhere music is sold this summer. Read our full conversation where I describe January Jane as being one hit song away from being at the tip of everyone’s tongue.
Read More “January Jane and Matt Pinfield”
A lot has changed since I caught up with O’Brother last year. For one, touring again is a possibility for the band – over 105 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, which brings the country closer to post-pandemic normal. For vocalist Tanner Merritt, he has written a ton of new solo material due to monumental personal loss. Last year, O’Brother was riding high: They had released their long-awaited fourth album, You and I, to unanimous praise and incredible sales for a newly independent band.
The album relished space and classical guitars while intentionally leaving vague lyrics to listeners’ imaginations. As beautiful as You and I is, there was a dark undercurrent beneath the track “What We’ve Lost.” A kind of follow-up to Endless Light’s “Black Hole,” Merritt needed an outlet to write about his father, Cyrus’s decade-long fight with Alzheimer’s disease. Then COVID hit, and Merritt spent most of the year in total isolation alongside his mother, watching his father’s condition worsen until he passed away on November 4, 2020, two days after his 63rd birthday.
Read More “Tanner Merritt”
Lots of fun things to write about this week. Lots of music, including my thoughts on Manchester Orchestra, Origami Angel, While She Sleeps, and a new find that dominated my music listening all week. Plus, a few articles and thoughts about other random stuff. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (May 1st, 2021)”
This week’s newsletter is the first from my newly half-vaxxed self. It looks at the music and entertainment I’ve been enjoying over the past couple of weeks and has a playlist of ten songs I’ve been enjoying as well. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (April 24th, 2021)”
Can a re-recorded version of a beloved album recapture the magic of the original? Taylor Swift is betting on the answer being “Yes” as she embarks on a journey to remake her first six albums. First up? 2008’s Fearless, the breakthrough LP that netted Taylor some of her biggest hits, won her a Grammy trophy for Album of the Year (the first of three, so far), and made her a generational pop music superstar.
Chorus.fm contributors Craig Manning, Anna Acosta, and Garrett Lemons took a closer look at the project, revisiting the original Fearless and exploring the various ways that the new Fearless (Taylor’s Version) stacks up.
Read More “We Were Both Young When I First Saw You: A Closer Look at ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’”
This week’s newsletter, like all of them, looks at the music, movies, and tv shows I enjoyed over the past week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week and the supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (April 10th, 2021)”
This week’s newsletter looks at some of the albums I’ve been listening to this week, but not that one, because I can’t talk about that one. And then there’s the usual commentary on entertainment l consumed and a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (April 3rd, 2021)”
This week’s newsletter has me thinking about life, albums, and what it’s like that a bunch of early scene classics are now coming up on their twenty-year anniversaries. Plus, early thoughts on the new Rise Against album and the regular commentary about the entertainment I consumed over the week. Plus, there’s a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (March 27th, 2021)”
This week I was excited to connect with Brett Detar (vocalist) of The Juliana Theory to discuss what went into making their expansive re-imagining of past songs called A Dream Away, out everywhere today. In this interview I asked Brett about the longevity of the band and its legacy, what stood out from the recording process of these songs that made the album, as well as the band’s relationship with their new label Equal Vision Records.
Read More “Brett Detar of The Juliana Theory”
This week’s newsletter has my thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Justice League and some lengthy commentary about finding joy in music again through a deep dive of MxPx’s catalog over the past week. I ponder why I sort of stopped listening to pop-punk music and what it’s like to pass another birthday in the middle of a pandemic. But there’s a finish line in sight. And, as always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I liked this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (March 20th, 2021)”
This past week I was able to chat with Cameron Walker (vocalist/guitarist) of the alternative rock band Twin XL. We discussed how he and the band has stayed active during the pandemic, their process for writing songs lately, and what he and his bandmates’ are most looking forward to once he’s able to tour again. Twin XL has steadily been releasing new music this year, and they look forward to what the future holds for them.
Read More “Cameron Walker of Twin XL”
This week’s newsletter looks at music and entertainment I liked this week and has some extra commentary on a few other things I discovered over the past seven days. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs I think are worth your time, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (March 13th, 2021)”
It’s been quite a long journey for Stevie Knipe to release their third album, Driver. After calling out royalty discrepancies and other issues with former label Tiny Engines and being granted the release from their contract, a pandemic shut down our world and further delayed the release of the album. But armed with a new perspective and a new label in Epitaph Records along with the support system of their partner (and drummer) Olivia Battell and guitarist Allegra Eidinger, Knipe is ready to unleash Driver to the masses – a record that elevates Adult Mom’s knack for infectious and poignant indie-rock to new levels. Here, Knipe and I discuss Driver’s sonic diversity, being a non-binary role model, and our favorite show Grey’s Anatomy.
Read More “Adult Mom”