Welcome back to the newsletter. I hope everyone’s holding up alright! Below are some things I’ve been checking out lately, and also what’s new at the blog.
The National Independent Venue Association, or NIVA, has been running a #saveourstages campaign. They posted, “Locally owned, independent venues are at risk of closing due to the financial impacts of COVID-19 … .” They ask that you head to https://www.nivassoc.org/take-action and “fill out the form to send a (prewritten – you’re welcome! 😎) message to your local reps about how important live music is to you, and that you want to see these venues come back stronger than ever.”
TIME once asked “What was the first sound ever recorded by a machine?” They wrote, it “seems to have a pretty straightforward answer. It was captured in Paris by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in the late 1850s, nearly two decades before Alexander Graham Bell’s first telephone call (1876) or Thomas Edison’s phonograph (1877).”
We premiered Congenital Death‘s grindcore album Fucklove: Prophet of Death a while back. Here they are shredding a full set in Philly, from YouTube.
The Jazz Foundation of America (or JFA) is having a streaming concert on May 14, 2020. They say, “The need is unprecedented but reminds us of JFA’s mission and purpose to provide emergency assistance in times of crisis. In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, JFA continues to connect with hundreds of jazz and blues musicians to provide compassionate counsel and offer direct financial support.”
If you’re ever listening to Democracy Now! and go, “What was that music they just played during the break again?” there’s a Twitter account for that: @SoundtrackNow
Here’s a roundup of what I’ve been covering at the blog lately:
Kesem is out with a debut EP; watch the video for “The Art of Battle”
Jumpstarted Plowhards: Mike Watt and Todd Congelliere team up for Round One (review)
ACxDC Satan is King album coming up: review
Bandcamp is waiving its share of revenue again
Sakatat Bir Devrin Sonu album available on digital
Germans have figured out how to attend live concerts: in their cars
Defenders of the Faith: The Heavy Metal Photography of Peter Bestebook out now
Spinbox offers an assemble-at-home portable record player
Behold… The Arctopus is back with Hapeleptic Overtrove: review
Feel free to check out more content at the blog. Thanks for reading!
