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Byron Coley
Byron Coley is an American music critic who wrote prominently for '' Forced Exposure'' magazine in the 1980s, from the fifth issue until the magazine ceased publication in 1993. Prior to ''Forced Exposure'', he wrote for ''New York Rocker'', '' Boston Rock'', and ''Take It!'' Coley is one of the first writers to have extensively documented indie rock from its inception to the present day. Coley was a contributing writer and the Underground Editor at '' Spin'' in the 1980s and '90s, and currently writes for ''Wire'' and ''Arthur'' with Thurston Moore. He has also run Ecstatic Yod, a record label and shop based in Florence, Massachusetts. Coley has contributed liner notes to albums by the Flesh Eaters, Borbetomagus, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., The Dream Syndicate, Big Boys, Yo La Tengo, John Fahey, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Flaherty/Corsano duo, Urinals, and numerous others. He has also appeared in documentaries about musical artists Half Japanese, Minutemen, Jandek, The Holy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Music Critic
''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of musical aesthetics. With the concurrent expansion of interest in music and information media over the past century, the term has come to acquire the conventional meaning of journalistic reporting on musical performances. Nature of music criticism The musicologist Winton Dean has suggested that "music is probably the most difficult of the arts to criticise." Unlike the plastic or literary arts, the 'language' of music does not specifically relate to human sensory experience – Dean's words, "the word 'love' is common coin in life and literature: the note C has nothing to do with breakfast or railway journeys or marital harmony." Like dramatic art, music is recreated at every performance, and criticism may, therefore, be directed both at the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Big Boys
Big Boys were an American pioneering punk rock band who are credited with having helped to create and introduce skate punk as a new style of music, which became popular in the 1980s. They also were famous for bringing elements of funk into their hardcore punk style. History Formation Formed in 1977 in Austin, Texas, United States, the original band members were Randy "Biscuit" Turner on vocals, Tim Kerr on guitar and Chris Gates on bass. The key members of the band were childhood friends for a decade before the band was started.Al Kowalewski and Holly Duval Cornell, "Big Boys," ''Flipside,'' whole no 32 (August 1982), pg. 12. Over the years the group played with five drummers in all; Steve Collier, Greg Murray, Fred Schultz, Rey Washam and Kevin Tubb who played only one show (the band's first) because Collier was sick. The hardcore punk style, a development from the earlier punk sound, arose spontaneously in various cities, but in Austin it was represented by MDC, Big Boys, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daydream Nation
''Daydream Nation'' is the fifth full-length studio album and first double album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on October 18, 1988. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in New York City, and it was released by Enigma Records as a double album. After ''Daydream Nation'' was released, it received widespread acclaim from critics and earned Sonic Youth a major label deal. The album was ranked high in critics' year-end lists of 1988's best records, being voted second in ''The Village Voice''s annual Pazz & Jop poll. ''Daydream Nation'' has since been widely considered to be Sonic Youth's greatest work, as well as one of the greatest albums of all time, specifically having a profound influence on the alternative and indie rock genres. It was chosen by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Recording Registry in 2005. Writing and recording Sonic Youth's standard songwriting method involved Thursto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Minute To Pray, A Second To Die (album)
''A Minute to Pray, a Second to Die'' is the second album from American punk rock band the Flesh Eaters. Released in 1981, it is perhaps their most acclaimed work. The band's roster on this album comprises Dave Alvin (guitar), John Doe (bass), Chris D. (vocals, maracas), Steve Berlin (saxophone, rhythm sticks), D. J. Bonebrake (maracas, snare, marimbas) and Bill Bateman (drums). Critical reception Reviewing the album in 1981 for ''The Village Voice'', Robert Christgau wrote, "this eschews the no-speed-limit egoism of El Lay punk convention for a more matoor view of the world, based on the idea that horror movies are worth taking seriously. Not bad for a laff." AllMusic's Patrick Kennedy later called it "a classic album of trashy-noir darkness, seamy Hollywood dreck, campy blues horror, and Stax-influenced, stripped-down guitar punk". In the 1995 ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'', Byron Coley gave the album a perfect score and named it "in my opinion, the finest album ever re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spin Alternative Record Guide
The ''Spin Alternative Record Guide'' is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine '' Spin'' and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-in-chief at the time. The book features essays and reviews from a number of prominent critics on albums, artists, and genres considered relevant to the alternative music movement. Contributors who were consulted for the guide include Ann Powers, Rob Sheffield, Simon Reynolds, and Michael Azerrad. The book did not sell particularly well and received a mixed reaction from reviewers in 1995. The quality and relevance of the contributors' writing were praised, while the editors' concept and comprehensiveness of alternative music were seen as ill-defined. Nonetheless, it inspired a number of future music critics and helped revive the career of folk artist John Fahey, whose music was covered in the guide. Content Spanning 468 pages, the ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Holy Modal Rounders
The Holy Modal Rounders was an American folk music group, originally the duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber, who began performing together on the Lower East Side of New York City in the early 1960s. Their unique blend of folk music revival and psychedelia gave them a cult-like following from the late 1960s into the 1970s. For a time the group also included the playwright and actor Sam Shepard. Origin of the name Stampfel explained the origin of the name in the webzine '' Perfect Sound Forever'': :We kept changing the name. First it was the Total Quintessence Stomach Pumpers. Then the Temporal Worth High Steppers. Then The Motherfucker Creek Babyrapers. That was just a joke name. He was Rinky-Dink Steve the Tin Horn and I was Fast Lightning Cumquat. He was Teddy Boy Forever and I was Wild Blue Yonder. It kept changing names. Then it was the Total Modal Rounders. Then when we were stoned on pot and someone else, Steve Close maybe, said Holy Modal Rounders by mistake. We kept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jandek
Jandek is the musical alias of Houston, Texas based lo-fi folk singer Sterling Smith. Since 1978, Jandek has independently released over 45 albums without granting interviews or providing any biographical information, releasing on a self-made label "Corwood Industries". Jandek often plays a highly idiosyncratic and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, frequently using an open and unconventional chord structure. ''Allmusic'' has described him as "the most enigmatic figure in American music". History A review of the debut album ''Ready for the House'' (1978) in ''OP'' magazine, the first ever national press given to Jandek, referred to the artist as Sterling Smith. Smith has kept his personal history secret, revealing only one story about his pre-Corwood years: he wrote seven novels but burned them upon rejection from New York publishers. In a 1985 interview with John Trubee for ''Spin'', Smith mentioned that he was working at that time as a machinist. Only a year late ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American punk rock band formed in San Pedro, California, in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in the California punk community for a philosophy of "jamming econo"—a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and short, tight songs as well as their eclectic style drawing on hardcore punk, funk, jazz, and other sources. History Formation Minutemen began when D. Boon and Mike Watt met at age 13. Watt was walking through a park in their hometown of San Pedro, California when Boon, playing a game of "army" with other boys, fell out of a tree right next to him and found that his friends, one named Eskimo, must have ditched him. Both boys shared a passion for music; Boon's mother taught D. to play the guitar and suggested Watt learn to pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Half Japanese
Half Japanese is an American art punk band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair around 1975, sometime after the family's relocation to Uniontown, Maryland. Their original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playing; vocals; and an out-of-tune, distorted guitar. Both Fair brothers sang, although over time Jad moved into the frontman role. As of the last several releases since the 1990s, according to the album and CD credits, the band composes and plays the entirety of the music while Fair, eschewing his role as guitarist from earlier albums, plays almost no guitar but is responsible for the vocals and lyrics, which typically divide into either "love songs or monster songs." The band, still a vital "art punk" unit, has released six albums since 2014 with the same personnel that recorded Hot in 1993. Their last three releases, Why Not?, Invincible and Crazy Hearts have all received four-star reviews from the U.K. magazine, Record Collector, while New ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urinals
A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. Urinals can be with manual flushing, automatic flushing, or without flushing, as is the case for waterless urinals. They can be arranged as single sanitary fixtures (with or without privacy walls) or in a trough design without privacy walls. Urinals designed for females ("female urinals") also exist but are rare. It is possible for females to use male urinals with a female urination device. The term "urinal" may also apply to a small building or other structure containing such fixtures. It can also refer to a small container in which urine can be collected for medical analysis, or for use where access to toilet facilities is not possible, such as in small aircraft, during extended stakeouts, or for the bedridden. Description A male urinal can be used co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chris Corsano
Chris Corsano is an American drummer, improviser, and composer. Career Alongside his solo work, Corsano has performed on over one hundred records with artists including Evan Parker, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Six Organs of Admittance, Dredd Foole, Bill Orcutt, Kim Gordon, Björk (on the studio recording and world tour for '' Volta''), Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke, Jandek, Matt Valentine, Nels Cline, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Cold Bleak Heat, Michael Flower, C. Spencer Yeh, Mette Rasmussen, John Edwards, Sylvie Courvoisier, Okkyung Lee, and Nate Wooley. Corsano has performed with saxophonist Paul Flaherty for more than twenty years and on more than twenty records in a style they call "The Hated Music." He has also recorded several albums each with Rangda (trio with Sir Richard Bishop and Ben Chasny), Chikamorachi (duo with Darin Gray), and Vampire Belt (duo with Bill Nace Bill Nace is an American experimental guitarist from New Jersey. Nace has collaborated with Joe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Flaherty (musician)
Paul Flaherty (born November 6, 1948, Hartford, Connecticut) is an American jazz saxophonist who plays primarily in free improvisational idioms. Flaherty began playing saxophone at age 10, focusing initially on alto sax, though he would later perform on tenor and soprano saxophone as well. He worked in the bands of John Ciffirelli and Gordon Cohen in the early 1970s, but received negative responses to his style, and instead began self-releasing albums.Paul Flaherty His first album as a leader was issued in 1978, and in the 1980s he played jazz part-time, working as a house painter. He began what grew into a long-term musical partnership with [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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