Howlin’ Wolf Best of the Sun Records Sessions Are you serious about music? We are. So much so that we consider it homework. It’s not enough to enjoy the music, but also to understand where it came from: to trace it and pinpoint references. Forget what people say about appropriation: good art is all about combining influences and making something new; it’s all about bottom-up expression. This is why it’s important to go back and understand the sources....
Mike Watt Contemplating the Engine Room All artists are defined by one piece: the one thing that defines their work the best, has the most appeal, or has made the greatest impact. Few bands are lucky enough to have their One Work actually be good. But “luck” isn’t something that comes to mind when thinking of Mike Watt. Contemplating the Engine Room is Mike Watt’s One Work. The man has had an incredible history and is beloved by many. He’s...
Ben Webster Gone With the Wind I think it says a lot that I can go from listening to GG Allin to Ben Webster in the same day. But that’s what being a true punk rocker means: your music world is constantly expanding and your appreciation for different genres is elevated. The punk and jazz connection is there in some form or another and I’m sure entire articles and even books have been dedicated to the subject. But, let...
Albums like these are both exciting and scary to review at the same time. Exciting because I love Thelonious Monk. Seriously, I don’t know much (or anything really) about jazz, but I do know that nothing sticks to me quite like his music. It’s scary to review an album like this exactly because I am NOT a jazz guy. I guess you could say I’m a punk. I prefer drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. I just don’t have the...
Mike Watt Ball-Hog or Tugboat? The juggernaut that is Mike Watt hasn’t always been the unstoppable force we know him as now. The death of his best friend and Minutemen comrade D. Boon made him a broken man, pondering what was next for him. On the documentary We Jam Econo, Watt chokes up when he thinks about D. Boon’s death. “That was a tough day for Watt,” he says. Mike Watt has certainly come a long way since his debut...