Welcome back to the Disposable Underground newsletter, a companion to my blog of the same name. Read below for some music news bits, tributes, and what’s new at the blog. Please enjoy, thank you—Richard
Music News
Rhizome DC is an arts and community space in the Washington, D.C. area that also hosts a lot of music (see the video above). I’ve played there more than once myself. The future of the establishment had been murky for years, but it announced in its newsletter this week that after loans, a grant, and requests for donations, it has the funds to purchase a new, permanent home. Fundraising continues, now for renovations to the new spot.
According to a new report on content consumption, there is “no clear connection between social engagement and actual readers of the news,” based on the topics and articles analyzed. Bobby Owsinski has more at Music 3.0 Blog. I’m going to assume that the same goes for social engagement on music content.
In more AI music news, Udio is another one of those services (following the Copilot chatbot and the Ripple app) that lets you create music from nothing. You put in a text prompt and it spits out music that you can then remix if you think it needs it. Stuart Dredge has more info at Music Ally.
Stable Audio 2.0 is another text-to-audio AI system but it also does “audio to audio.” As Mandy Dalugdug writes at Music Business Worldwide, the system has some features in place to try and avoid copyright infringement.
Ice Cube is not only a rapper and actor but the co-creator of the BIG3 basketball league. He and his co-creator Jeff Kwatinetz made an offer to basketball blockbuster Caitlin Clark, and, according to Kwatinetz’s lengthy article at OutKick, they never heard back.
Voivod has had a documentary, We Are Connected, in the works for a while, and the accompanying Kickstarter campaign reached its funding goal this week. The last time I interviewed the band, I asked the singer about the last time someone tried to make a Voivod documentary.
Rest In Peace
Michael Reidy of the ‘70s punk band Razz died in March in Washington, D.C. Later in life, the colorful singer worked on abstract and multimedia art, Brian Murphy writes at The Washington Post.
Steve Kille, the bassist of Dead Meadow, died in April. Remembrances online often noted his playing ability. Greg Kennelty has a few details at Metal Injection.
Eddie Sutton, the singer of the classic NYHC band Leeway, died in April. His Instagram account shared that he was in hospice care since March. The first Leeway album, Born to Expire, is a classic of the genre.
Daniel Costa died last month, as announced on social media. He played different instruments in different bands, including Dawn Treader and Nux Vomica. I didn’t know him, but people in my music friends circle felt the loss personally.
Blake Harrison passed away in March. An outpouring of tributes on social media and at music news sites appeared as the news spread. Blake played in several bands over the years including, most notably, Pig Destroyer. This one was difficult for me as he was an old friend and former bandmate.
MC Duke, a pioneer of British rap, died in April at 58. Jay Quan wrote about the London rapper and his accomplishments at Rock the Bells.
Annie Nightingale was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 and its longest-serving DJ. She died in London in January at 83. Laura Snapes wrote about Nightingale’s many trailblazing achievements at The Guardian.
New at the Blog
Book roundup for April 2024: check out what’s new. Here’s some more new and notable music books in my latest list.
Visit the Disposable Underground blog for more. Thank you!
May 2, 2024 newsletter
