If you drive around Baltimore, you might see a homemade sign advertising Tuff Tony’s new single on YouTube. I saw one on Sinclair Lane the other day and from comments on the video, they are all over. The song isn’t great, but as it sinks in, there is a catchiness that is harder to resist (and forget) as it goes…. Read more »
Released: April 22, 2016 Appearances are a strange part of being a music fan. Sometimes it feels more important to like music that has been accepted by cultural tastemakers than to vulnerably and proudly wear our own tastes. Upon listening to Therapy Session, I immediately recognize that NF is the kind of musician that tastemakers love to ridicule. He’s Christian… Read more »
Released: Juneteenth 2020 Untitled (Black Is) opens with a gospel chant of revolution that rises to a fever pitch similar to how calls for racial justice rose to a fever pitch in the days leading up to its release on Juneteenth 2020. Then it does something interesting. The chant fades away to gentle chords and warm ambience and a reassuring… Read more »
One of several hip-hop acts on the tour this year, Shwayze’s laid back jams and good-time vibe stood out amongst punk, hardcore and emo…and the ladies loved ’em. RnRnMN: How has the Warped Tour been treating you? S: Warped has been really cool.. I think over the years its become more diverse, which is great for a group like us…. Read more »
Label: Sparks Music Released: August 12, 2008 In a world that is so often style over substance, it’s easy to get caught up in something clever only to find that there’s no substance under the covers. Having been bit more than a few times, it’s also easy to go to the other extreme and forget there are artists out there… Read more »
Label: Holden Records Released: 2007 There is no real question that mash-ups are a novelty. Unlike a song that merely contains samples, a mash-up relies strictly on the strength of the songs that are colliding. True, there is some talent to hearing that two songs will work together and then mixing them into one. However, the result is never greater… Read more »
Check out this video from the Christian Science Monitor about the Somalian refugee music scene in Nairobi, Kenya. You don’t have to like hip-hop to appreciate how important music is for these kids.
Label: Sandbar Music Released: May 2006 According to Mars Hill’s Myspace page, they are “one of the most original and finest bands of the 21st century” and they are “genre-defying.” The former is beyond a stretch. No offense, but they aren’t even close. The latter, however, is pretty accurate. The list of genres touched significantly by Mars Hill is longer… Read more »