To me one of the most relatable moments in A Complete Unknown, James Mangold’s new (surprisingly good) Bob Dylan biopic, is a conversion between two characters that would’ve been known then, and are known now, as hipsters. In the tight corner of a cluttered walkup, two twenty-somethings classify musicians as either “folk” or “country.” Presumably, […]
Writing music can be a challenge. Sometimes figuring how to join one section to another can feel like digging through a giant tub of Legos to find the perfect rare piece. However, it rarely feels like the WORK of writing lyrics. More than any other single element of music, lyrics determine a song’s individuality. […]
This week’s Heck Record of the Week comes courtesy of author/musician/Youtuber Brady Snow. The 1970s is the best decade for rock music. There are a dozen reasons why – I could, and maybe will write thousands of words on it – but today we’re going to focus on one: globalization. If there’s any […]
“Why are guys so into LCD Soundsystem?” my friend, the musician/DJ Bonnie Jeanne asked me the other day. Normally, I would take this comment as something more biting than it probably reads on the page, something more like: “Why do guys like this basic bitch band that isn’t nearly as good as these 15 other […]
Forgive me, ahem, a dollop of civic pride: right now Denver has the best basketball player in Nikola Jokić and the best death metal band in Blood Incantation. (Sorry Tomb Mold, you’re Giannis). That’s pretty good for the 19th most populous city in the US. What’s wild is that I don’t even know if […]
Go to an open mic night for new, original songwriters and you will see two types of performances. The first you’ve seen before. I mean, it’ll be much, much shittier than you’re used to, but it’ll be familiar. A frizzy haired kid with a harmonica holder and acoustic guitar mangling his vowels. A girl wearing […]
Sometimes magic happens. A song enters your mind and slides out fully formed. “Check Out at the SRO” came to me this way. After watching the ending of a character on the underseen David Simon show The Deuce, I felt the itch of inspiration. It was late Monday on a weeknight, but I didn’t want […]
You want to start a band. You go to Craigslist.com. You click the “Community” tab. You click “Musicians.” You read: “I play guitar, sing and write songs. Blues rock, punk, metal, country.” “For-fun rock group seeking 2nd guitarist to share rhythm and lead duties. 80s-90s indie rock, garage, punk, alt. Some originals.” “Looking for like […]
One of the fun things about being alive for a while is that you get to see your friends proven correct. Curta has been making dystopian noise rap since the early 2010s, through the era of Facebook pokes, Harlem Shakes, Ice Bucket and Tide Pod Challenges, and they always seemingly asked the question: what if […]
We describe art that was groundbreaking and hip in the day as the “punk rock” of its time – e.g. Stravinski’s “The Rite of Spring” was the “punk rock” of 1913 – under the assumption that now it’s…well…corny. “The Rite of Spring” caused a riot when it debuted, but soundtracked Fantasia 27 years later. Disney […]