It’s tough to make a great mix tape. Great mix tapes require knowledge and thoughtfulness and love. You need to dig deep, not only into the crate but into what you know about the person who’ll be listening. The flow of the mix is important, but so is the selection of songs and artists and genres. When you make a… Read more »
One of the Clash’s finest moments was “White Man in Hammersmith Palais,” a 1978 UK single that also appeared on the re-sequenced 1979 US issue of their self-titled debut. The beginning of the song was inspired by a reggae show Joe Strummer attended (and was disappointed in) and mentions three arists who performed. The song goes on to make serious,… Read more »
Label: Narnack Records Released: October 20, 2009 Trapped Animal is the first studio album from the Slits since 1981 and comes 30 years after the seminal punk/reggae fusion of their debut, 1979’s Cut. The passage of time and only returning with two-thirds of the band’s core (Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt) certainly give reason to be skeptical of a new… Read more »
Label: SideOneDummy Records Released: August 18, 2009 Having performed for over a decade with the increasingly popular Celtic folk/punk act Flogging Molly, Nathen Maxwell is faced with the double challenge of living up to yet not rehashing his band’s strong body of work. On his solo debut, White Rabbit, Maxwell brings songs that have been simmering inside of him, some… Read more »
Song: Cold BloodedArtist: Tim ArmstrongAlbum: A Poet’s Life When “Cold Blooded” started, my first thought was “Huh, this must be some King Tubby or Impact All Stars song that I never noticed. Cool.” It’s not King Tubby, though, and it’s not Impact All Stars. It’s Tim Armstrong. As in, Tim Armstrong, the dude from Rancid. Could I have paid this… Read more »
October 15, 2007, Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, Maryland I hadn’t heard of De Novo Dahl prior to seeing them on the bill for this show. Other than a few tracks I sampled to get an idea of what to expect, this show was my first exposure. That being said, I don’t think there was much that could have prepared me… Read more »
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 »
Label: Side One Dummy Release Date: August 21, 2007 Punk and reggae have a long history together. The commonality of what was the people’s music in their respective cultures was evident almost from the very birth of punk and that shared vision has been explored right up through today. Certainly some have used both genres for ill, but every time… Read more »