Johnny Cash

Bike bonanza: The best of Mods vs. Rockers 2013 in photos

The 9th annual Mods vs. Rockers Vintage Motorcycle & Scooter Rally took place in Chicago this June, moving to the historic Aragon Ballroom to accommodate its growing popularity. Courtesy of Good Spark Garage, here’s an extensive photo recap of the festivities.

Murder by Death

Review: Murder by Death’s Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon

Murder by Death: Bitter Drink, Bitter MoonMurder by Death: Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon (Bloodshot, 9/25/12)

“Lost River”

Murder by Death: “Lost River”

With its sixth full-length album, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon, Murder by Death has further defined its particular brand of alt-country. The recording is the band’s first for Bloodshot Records, but it marks another notable occasion: the writing contributions of multi-instrumentalist Scott Brackett (previously of Okkervil River and Shearwater), whose work on piano, trumpet, accordion, and backing vocals provide new musical details throughout.

Viva Voce

Guest Playlist: Viva Voce’s songs for the apocalypse

Viva Voce: The Future Will Destroy YouViva Voce: The Future Will Destroy You (Vanguard, 6/21/11)

Viva Voce: “Analog Woodland Song”

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Kevin and Anita Robinson comprise Portland, Oregon-based rock-n-roll band Viva Voce. The married couple has released six full-length albums since the late ’90s, the latest of which is called The Future Will Destroy You. With Kevin hammering the drums with machine-like precision and Anita producing catchy hooks and riffs with classic-rock cool, it’s a surprisingly lighthearted sound for such a foreboding title. The band’s sticking by its claim, though, and recently compiled this apocalyptic playlist for ALARM.

1. The Stooges: “Search & Destroy”

I’m a streetwalking cheetah with a heart full of napalm. ‘Nuff said.

Alela Diane

Guest Playlist: Alela Diane’s songs to pack a suitcase to

Alela Diane: Wild DivineAlela Diane: Alela Diane & Wild Divine (Rough Trade, 4/5/11)

Alela Diane: “To Begin”

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On “Pieces of String,” a track from Alela Diane‘s 2004 record, The Pirate’s Gospel, she sings, “If I had one, I’d play this on piano.” Consider it wishful thinking. Whereas her first few albums, including the self-released Gospel and Forest Parade, are characterized by spare, plucked guitar and airy harmonies about simpler times, Alela Diane‘s newest, Alela Diane & Wild Divine, stretches its legs with a greater sonic palette and higher production value. Despite the warmth and homeliness of her folk tunes, Diane’s a troubadour, and she’s got the playlist to prove it.

Songs to Pack a Suitcase to, with Anticipation for the Highway
by Alela Diane

1.  Fairport Convention: “Farewell, Farewell”

A song of goodbye.

Social Distortion

Social Distortion: Another State of Mind

Social Distortion‘s upcoming album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, finds Mike Ness and company reinventing themselves once again, trading in their signature hard-edged punk for a more lighthearted rock-‘n’-roll sound.

Cougar: Naked, Mercurial Electro-Rock

With rangy stylistic influences, impressive chops, and “naked” production, Cougar‘s brand of electro-rock is as diverse as its members, whose tastes span progressive rock, Brazilian music, New Orleans jazz, and classical works.

Jesse Morris: The Subway Johnny Cash

The east entrance of the 24th Street rapid-transit station in San Francisco is almost perpetually caked in pigeon shit. The grime-patina floor and supposed-to- be-shiny metal subway turnstiles are mottled with the splatterings, creating a slimy/crusty minefield for commuters to navigate. On that stained floor, carefully wedged between the landmines, is a worn black guitar case with some loose change and a couple of bills staring up forlornly from a plush field of forest green.

Commuters descending the escalator toward this entrance see the case first as they approach. Then they hear the voice. And if it is their first time hearing it, their eyes grow wide. Or they wrinkle their brow. They ask themselves, “Is that a recording? Is there some kind of commercial being shot here?” It just sounds too real — too much like him. As they descend the escalator further, they see the source of that voice, and things get even more confusing. Because that sound — how could it be coming from that person?

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Native Musicians in Popular Culture at Smithsonian

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s current exhibition, Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture, displays the oft-overlooked relationship between Native artists and American contemporary music with audio samples and artifacts from big-name artists like Chuck Billy (Testament), Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. This ain’t your average trip to the history museum.

William Elliott Whitmore

William Elliott Whitmore: Poetic Discontent

After three albums that touch on personal topics, the scratchy, soulful material of folk singer and banjo player William Elliott Whitmore gets a thematic overhaul, angling toward subdued political themes.