April 2015: Curmudgeons of the World Unite!

in

"Listening to the news this month, it was obvious that something terrible was happening in the Mediterranean. Naturally, the indifference and hostility towards immigrants is not the sole expertise of Europeans, although they definitely seem to have perfected an especially potent formula. I like to imagine that the defiance and strength of this song could be a kind of battle cry for those who actually make it off of one of those death boats."

Featuring: Blake Mills, Mbongwana Star, Punch Brothers, Ava Luna, and more. 

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March 2015: No Trip to SXSW

in

"I would argue that these two songs (and these two bands) are essentially attacking the same puzzle, but with radically different tools. How does a rock band tackle R&B/Soul in 2015?"

Featuring: Shamir, Norman Blake, GZA, José González, and more.

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February 2015: Fluent in Folkistani

in

"It was at that show, watching Courtney Barnett on stage, with her left-handed Strat and her guitar-drums-bass trio, that I first had the strange idea that she reminded me of Kurt Cobain. It's a thought that surprised me, and didn't make a whole lot of sense at first."

Featuring: DJ Raff, Pops Staples. Leadbelly, Ghostface Killah, and more

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