AltWeeklies Wire
The Blue Scholars are Turning the Artist-Label Relationship On its Headnew
Seattle hip-hop group Blue Scholars have brokered a deal in which New York hip-hop label Duck Down Records signed to them. Whether that's the most accurate way to put it is debatable, but the message is clear: things are changing.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
08-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Stark Folk of Tiny Vipers is Not for Everyonenew
Jesy Fortino writes dark, contemplative songs that require serious focus from a listener. Actually, these songs (which she records under the moniker Tiny Vipers) don't require focus so much as they slowly entangle the listener like tentacles, pulling you in tight 'til you're left with no choice but to pay close attention.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
07-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Shane Tutmarc Heads South to Search for His Soulnew
With his pencil-thin mustache and bowler hat, Tutmarc looks like he could be the star of a 1930s European film. But when he opens his mouth to sing, out comes a brass twang halfway between Dwight Yoakam and a young Steve Earle.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
06-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Andrew Oliver Impresses With 'Just 4 U'new
The Andrew Oliver Kora Band's debut is one of the better world-music releases to come out of the Northwest all year.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
06-08-2009 |
Reviews
Ziggy Marley's Family Businessnew
The reggae heir tapped the likes of Willie Nelson and Jack Johnson for a record aimed at toddlers, tykes, and their 'rents.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
06-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Seattle Hip-Hop Act Merges Old-School Swagger with New-School Appealnew
Dyme Def lives on that thin line between cockiness and confidence. They fully embrace rap's boasting tradition, but they're comical enough with their punch lines and prose that it works.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
04-27-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Light in the Attic Releases the "Sgt. Pepper's of French Music"new
Seattle-based Light in the Attic Records has become the first label to release Serge Gainsbourg's Histoire de Melody Nelson in the United States. Knowing this, the question is: Why didn't anyone else ever think of doing it?
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
04-06-2009 |
Music
Branford Marsalis: King of Kingsnew
A revered jazz saxophonist's life with Leno, Sting, and a decade-old quartet.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
03-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Manilow Buries Christopher Cross, Rick Astley, and the 1980snew
There's nothing ironic about the crooner's latest covers collection.
Seattle Weekly |
Mike Seely |
03-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
K’naan: The 'Dusty Foot' 'Troubadour'new
The 30-year-old artist is one of the most buzzed-about figures in hip-hop, based on the strength of his latest album, Troubadour. K'naan's sound is rooted in East African rhythms with lyrics so vibrant and piercing that it's as if Bob Marley and Che Guevara were ghostwriters on the project.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
03-09-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Raphael Saadiq Sees No Need to Update the Old R&B Playbooknew
Raphael Saadiq just wasn't made for these times. Then again, maybe he was. Out of step he may be, but not out of touch.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
03-09-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Leon Hendrix Experiencenew
Leon's become accustomed to getting the short end of the stick. A former drug addict and small-time crook, he was famously cut out of his father's will -- and in turn, his brother Jimi's estate -- before Al Hendrix's death in 2002.
Seattle Weekly |
Mike Seely |
03-09-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Is Hip-Hop in Seattle Being White-Washed?new
Just like electric blues, hip-hop reaches a vastly broader, and whiter, audience than ever before. The difference in Seattle is that some of the most recognizable figures are by and large non-black, a fact that makes rappers like Silas Blak concerned.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
02-23-2009 |
Music
206 Zulu Keeps the Principles of Hip-Hop Alivenew
One of the Northwest's most respected hip-hop organizations, 206 Zulu is based in Beacon Hill and is the local chapter of the legendary Universal Zulu Nation, a grassroots hip-hop advocacy group first formed in the Bronx in 1974 by rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Cunningham |
02-17-2009 |
Music
Neil Diamond Taps Los Volcanoes for Grammy Partynew
How an obscure local tejano band came to share a bill with Coldplay and Tim McGraw.
Seattle Weekly |
Mike Seely |
02-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
