Earlier this week, Emma Watkins unexpectedly announced she is leaving the Wiggles after nine years in the yellow skivvy (and 12 years in total as a performer with the group). The revelation, which came via Emma’s Instagram page, was quite a bombshell on the part of the hugely talented, multidisciplinary performer and TV personality, who … Continue reading Hats off to the legend that is Emma Watkins, as she leaves the Wiggles
Thirty years ago last month, I attended my first rave. It was called O3, it took place at Long Beach Convention Center in Los Angeles, and it featured a headlining set from 808 State. The exact date was September 14, 1991. It was a Saturday, of course. I was 20 years old and had just … Continue reading On the 30th anniversary of my first rave
Dry Cleaning are already one of my favorite bands, even though I’ve only known about them for five months. New Long Leg, their debut LP, which came out in April (on the mighty 4AD no less), is already one of my favorite albums. And I’m pretty sure they’re in my canon to stay. Unless they … Continue reading Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg: Uniquely thrilling surrealist postpunk
Gillian Welch’s third album, Time (The Revelator), was released 20 years ago this week. That’s jarring on a number of levels. First of all, it never really left my rotation. I still think of it as new music. There’s this weird compression of time in the internet era. In 2001, music from 1981 sounded a … Continue reading Gillian Welch’s Time (The Revelator) at 20: A timeless masterpiece of apocalyptic country
Under the Paving Stones 