Welcome 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. Thank you!—Richard
Music News
Copilot is the latest AI chatbot that lets you create music with hardly a thought, Mandy Dalugdug writes at Music Business Worldwide. In this case, the Microsoft bot accepts text prompts and creates songs with lyrics and vocals.
CDs outsell vinyl in the U.K. at a rate of almost 2 to 1, Paul Sinclair writes at Super Deluxe Edition. A British industry group published a report about physical music sales and he has an interesting analysis.
The Rise of the Synths is a great, fun documentary from 2019 about the synthwave genre, narrated by John Carpenter. The trailer is below.
Business Insider shared a video on Instagram of how cymbals are made. Need I say more?
Bi-2, a Russian rock band that’s in self-exile, was detained in Thailand for minor offenses for which they had paid a fine. The Thai authorities might deport them, and the band and Russian opposition politicians believe Russian authorities are behind it. Mary Ilyushina has the story at The Washington Post.
Now Reading: American Hardcore: A Tribal History by Steven Blush. I had seen the documentary based on the book before reading the book itself; both are recommended. Check out the trailer below.
Rest In Peace
Troy “Nighthawk” Cullison died in January, his family members announced on social media. Cullison played in several Metro D.C.-area bands, including Durga Temple, Walk the Plank, and Ambition Burning, among other groups.
Laura Lynch, founding member of the Dixie Chicks, died in Texas in December. She played on the band’s first two records and eventually split with the band, years before the Dixie Chicks got embroiled in national politics. Sopan Deb and Aimee Ortiz have a remembrance at The New York Times.
James Kottak, former drummer of Scorpions, died in Louisville in January. The band posted a remembrance on Facebook. Stacy Simons Santos has the details at Celebrity Access.
Silent Servant (John Juan Mendez), the L.A. DJ, died in January. He was “a prominent figure in electronic music for over 30 years,” Michael Lawson writes at Resident Advisor.
New at the Blog
Watch Living Colour perform on the 30th anniversary tour for Stain. The band rocked the house on tour at the Virginia stop. I took video of the opening song, “Go Away.”
Watch Mutant Strain playing in Washington, D.C. The band’s latest is Murder of Crows; the group went on the road recently to promote it and again I filmed one of the songs.
Nu metal’s comeback is in full swing—in fashion. The music genre is back and, yes, so is its fashion. An informative magazine article explains it all.
The Library of Congress has an online jukebox. The “National Jukebox” contains a trove of online music that’s all free to spin.
Looking back at Light Pupil Dilate. Here in another edition of “looking back” at a band, I dusted off the excellent Light Pupil Dilate record Cascades.
Visit the Disposable Underground blog for more.
February 2, 2024 newsletter
