One thing that all human beings, regardless of race, creed or nationality, can probably agree on is that it is a great disappointment that, more than a dozen years into the 21st century, we still dont have armies of robots…
Following in his fathers footsteps has meant more to Femi Kuti than simply continuing to evolve Felas Afrobeat sound. His inheritance includes a political mission, which Femi, now 50, carries forward on his latest, No Place for My Dream. Backed…
As a member of The War on Drugs, Dave Hartley is a rock n roll bass player. As Nightlands, his solo side project, Hartley is Doctor Frankenstein, concocting mutant forms of pop music in his secret lair (well, his house…
Last month, Chuck van Zyl celebrated his 100th The Gatherings concert, closing out the space-music series 20th season. Over two decades, van Zyls brought a tremendous amount of music to Philly that sounds like it was pilfered from a NASA…
One thing that you cant take away from Russ Meyer is his gift for titles. Seeing Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Or Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens on a marquee promises just the kind of sordid exploitation thrills Meyer always…
Maintaining the ability to surprise and inspire your partner is just as key to longevity in improvised music as it is in romance and the duo/couple Ab Baars and Ig Henneman seem to manage both. Multi-reedist Baars is a…
[ film ] Though his career spans nearly half a century, director Aleksei Guerman can count only six films to his name. The spaces in between are filled by battles with Soviet censors and long spans where those films sat…
[ jazz ] Guitarist Joe Morris and bassist William Parker have long been two of the most original and influential voices on their respective instruments, and in some cases on each others both have served as bassist in various…
Whatever sounds theyre drawn to, most young musicians fantasize about the spotlight a rock star headlining an arena, or a jazz master holding court in a roomful of rapt listeners. Growing up in West Philly, Lee Smith looked up…
Forget that bargain-basement Muhammad biopic. Adi Sidemans unforgettable 1994 documentary Chicken Hawk: Men Who Love Boys is almost as rudimentary a piece of work, but its a genuinely unsettling viewing experience with the actual power to offend, not just employing…
