Discologist

At the age of 12, Andrea Avery , a promising young pianist, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. In her debut, Sonata , Andrea tells the story of her struggle to hold on to music in general, and to a piano sonata by Schubert in particular , even as the disease catches up with her. Andrea’s memoir meditates on the lives of great composers as she tries to make sense of what it means to lose the...

Besides playing a part in crafting what we know as popular music during his stint with the famed Wrecking Crew , Glen Campbell, with his over 80 singles placed on the charts, is one of the biggest country stars of all time. In 2011, Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and a farewell tour, documented in the film   I'll Be Me , quickly followed. Since then the rhinestone cowboy has...

Together, Melissa Wright and Daniel Zezinski are known as Mink's Miracle Medicine, and from their trailer in Harpers Ferry, WVA they're making music that might just heal what ails ya. On their first full-length  House of Candles,  the duo explores country, folk, and even punk traditions to deliver a stripped down set of poignant (and often hilarious) songs centered around relationsh...

From his stint with the legendary Drive-By Truckers, to a run of solo albums with his band the 400 Unit, it's always been clear that Jason Isbell is a master songwriter. With 2013's Southeastern , a newly sober Isbell was embraced by the world at large and has been winning awards and selling out shows ever since.  On The Nashville Sound , Isbell is putting his band front and center and delive...

There's really no other way to say it: Music journalism is kind of in the sh@#@er in 2017. We're panling up in the basement to consider how things got this bad, could we all have done anything to stop it, and, most importantly, where do we go from here?   Elder is a metal/prog band from Boston. We like Elder. Elder has a savage new album out,  Reflections Of A Floating World. ...

On his first full length Pictures Of An Exhibitionist,  singer/songwriter (and, full disclosure, one of our brodawg's) Seán Barna is getting in touch with his feelings and delivering a savagely raw set of songs that chronicle his adventures in LA and Washington, DC over the past few years. Kevin and Marcus (Dowling) are sitting down with the "dark lord" of folk to talk the ins and outs of Exh...

Besides being one of the founding members of the mighty West Coast Get Down, bassist Miles Mosley's resume (Kamasi Washington, Kendrick Lamar, Lauryn Hill...) reads like a who's who of the biggest names in music. Earlier this year we reviewed his stellar debut solo LP,  Uprising , and recently we had the chance to sit down with the master innovator before his ground shaking show at  Song...

In 2010 Memphis's legendary Big Star, one of the most influential bands in rock n roll history, was set to finally get their due, but it was not to be. Just days before a planned showcase at SXSW in Austin, TX, frontman/chief songwriter Alex Chilton passed away, and what was meant to be a celebration and validation of their remarkable career instead became joyous wake featuring some of the biggest...

On part two of our epic exploration of the Grateful Dead and their latest box-set  Get Shown The Light , we're digging into what many fans consider to be the greatest Dead show of all time: Cornell 5/8/77. Hop on the bus and join Kevin ,  Andre , and Eduardo  as the head to the end of their long strange trip to uncover the truth about the Dead, pay their respects, and figure ou...

Despite being one of, if not THE, greatest American rock n' roll bands, the Grateful Dead are just recently getting their proper due. With hundreds of hours of shows recorded by fans and the band available online, connoisseur's have always looked toward the official releases for the purest shot of cosmic truth that they can find. And now they have their holy grail. In part one of a two part journe...

After years of working in "the biz," in 2015 songwriter Chris Stapleton finally staked his claim as one of the biggest names in Nashville with his debut LP,  Traveller.  Now he's back for round two with super-producer Dave Cobb in tow and one of the most legendary rooms in recording history to help guide the way. Has Stapleton deliver another mega-hit for the country machine, or is his s...

Sexual assault and harassment has plagued the music industry since it's earliest days. Th e latest band to write a chapter in this sad story are New York pop-punkers PWR BTTM. Over the past few weeks, the world saw the band literally fall apart before its eyes afte singer, Ben Hopkins, found himself the subject of serious and credible accusations of sexual assault, an act that is antithe...

Thirty years has passed since Prince dropped the strangest, most complex, and possibly best album of his career. A mash-up of Prince's past, present, and future,  Sign O' The Times  wasn't just Prince's boldest artistic statement to date, it was a game-changer for the artist AND the multitudes of artists that would (try to) follow in his footsteps for years to come. Join Kevin , Marcus D...

Jason A. Mullinax is a father, multi-instrumentalist, music nerd, educator, creative lifer, and, most importantly, the author of his remarkable new album,  Time Being. Come hang with us in the basement for a while as we talk to Jason about a lifetime in music, the intersections between outer-space and modern pop, and pretty much everything in-between. Let's get cosmic, kidz... Hosted on Acast...

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's virtual super-group Gorillaz are back for another round on their latest LP Humanz.  Never ones to shy away from collaboration, this time their bringing along the likes of Vince Staples , Popcaan , D.R.A.M ., Grace Jones , Anthony Hamilton , De La Soul , Danny Brown , Kelela , Mavis Staples , Pusha T , Benjamin Clementine . and more to bring their often dark vi...

"The Best of xyz..." lists always kinda suck, but recently the Fader published a list that hit close to home...and was way off base. Marcus (Dowling)  and Eduardo join Kevin in the basement to shed some light on the "DC scene" in 2017, and spread some tough love for the city that we love and call home. Sam Outlaw had a solid career in advertising, but after turning 30 decided to throw it all...

Stop me if you've heard this one before: A podcast host, production/songwriting wizard, and a socially-conscious Americana singer walk into a basement... For our latest episode Sam McCormally ( Fellow Creatures , Ugly Purple Sweater) and Naseem Khuri ( Kingsley Flood ) are joining Kevin in the basement to talk about the songs that hooked them on music for life and they're downing some whiskey in t...

We all know about the disaster that was last week's Fyre Festival , but aside from providing Twitter with hours of good, old-fashioned schadenfreude, it raises a question: In 2017 have we finally reached peak festival? Marcus and Mauricio are joining Kevin in the basement to discuss. On their 2014 self-titled debut, Sylvan Esso went a long way towards redefining what pop music SHOULD be in the mod...

WIth over forty albums, both live and in the studio, under his belt, jazz guitarist George Benson is one of the most respected and prolific musicians in music history. In 1980 he teamed up with hitmaker Quincy Jones and with A LOT of help from their friends, crafted one of the greatest R&B albums/songs of all time. For some reason, Kevin and Marcus thought it was a really good idea to tal...

On his major label debut  At What Cost , Washington DC's Goldlink is shining the light on the city that shaped him, and bringing a long some of the hottest up-and-coming DC stars for the ride. Marcus Dowling (Decades, Bandcamp) and newbie Jake Ramirez join Kevin in the basement to discuss this ambitious ode to the nation's capitol and see whether it does our shared hometown right, or if this...

Kendrick Lamar may well be the "best rapper alive" but beyond all the hype, he's an artist who wears his vulnerability on his sleeve. On  DAMN. , his follow-up-proper to 2015's landmark LP  To Pimp A Butterfly,  the Compton native takes listener on a journey through his often tortured psyche, the community he comes from, and what it means to have faith in faithless times. ...

In their relatively short careers, Producer/DJ's Alex Pall and Drew Taggart, The Chainsmokers, have developed a reputation as solid-gold hitmakers sought after by the biggest names in the biz. Well..that's one of their reputations... In a ChunkyGlasses FIRST, Kevin is taking the night off and Eduardo and Marcus (Dowling) are manning the mics to go IN on the duo's debut album,  Memories.....

Thirty years ago a little "punk" band from Ireland changed pop music forever with the release of their fifth album,  The Joshua Tree.  Built on American roots music and soundscapes from the future,  The Joshua Tree elevated the Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr from scrappy rock star activists to international superstars. Join us as we explore the roots of this landm...

Over the course of three albums now, Josh Tillman has made quite the reputation for himself as provocateur extraordinaire Father John Misty. On Pure Comedy,  Tillman/Misty is letting it all hang out in a gaudy, profane, philosophically perverse masterpiece that transcends the swarmy persona that people love to hate by speaking up about nothing less than what it is to be human in the modern ag...

Atlanta's Mastodon, arguably the kings of modern metal, are back with a crushing new album that cements their legacy as much as it catapults them into the future. After playing it straight for two albums,  Emperor Of Sand  is a return to the concept album, this time exploring some very real, and very close to home, battles with cancer.  Andre and Marcus join Kevin in the basement to...