There was “a tear in every word,” is how longtime producer Billy Sherrill once described Tammy Wynette’s singing voice. It was the first lady of country music’s signature: a trembling, anguished voice that seemed to hold a teardrop in each note. Wynette had the ability to sell songs like “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” or “I Don’t Wanna Play House,” ’60s suburban melodramas as …
Tom Verlaine, guitarist and singer of influential rock band Television, dies at 73
Tom Verlaine, a founding father of American punk and a fixture of the 1970s New York rock scene, died Saturday in Manhattan as the result of a brief illness. He was 73. His death was confirmed to NPR in a press release from Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Verlaine collaborator Patti Smith, who also once dated the artist. “I …
Hamish Kilgour, founding member of New Zealand’s The Clean, has died at 65
Hamish Kilgour, co-founder of influential New Zealand indie-rock band The Clean, was found dead Tuesday in Christchurch after being reported missing on Nov. 27. Merge Records, which released and reissued much of The Clean’s catalog, confirmed the reports of Kilgour’s death in a public statement posted on social media, but no cause of death has been announced. He was 65. …
Go | Australian punks The Chats at Underbelly
Even Dave Grohl is a fan!
Quotable Australian punk sensation The Chats are on tour in support of their latest album Get F*cked and are set to stop in Jacksonville on Wednesday, October 26 at Downtown’s Underbelly. Surfacing first from the Sunshine Coast, the band has repurposed their deranged sound in Brisbane, going completely rogue with vicious rebellion by means of gruff vocals and blitzkrieged guitar …
Bob Mould Crams a 40-Year Career of Alternative Noise into a Solo Electric Show
Alt-rock pioneer Bob Mould, who founded both Hüsker Dü and Sugar (among other projects), performs a solo-electric show at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on Friday, October 14. He recently spoke with First Coast Connect host Melissa Ross about the gig, his 40-year career and his latest work. Listen to the interview below. Bob Mould performs at the Ponte Vedra …
Mexico’s Son Rompe Pera Bang the Marimba at the Crossroads of Cumbia and Punk
In celebration of Latinx Heritage Month, NPR Music is spotlighting a series of artists across Latin America who are engaging with their musical heritage in unique ways. From reworking conservative genres for new eras, to teasing out modern sounds from old-school instruments, these artists represent the wide range of experimentation that makes up contemporary Latin music. Earlier this year, in …
Against the odds | How Blondie shattered the conventions of punk and pop
By the early 1970s, the Greenwich Village folk scene had faded, and a new sound was wafting up from the street. New York Dolls frontman David Johansen says it found a home just north of Bleecker Street and east of Washington Square. “I was friends with Eric Emerson, who had a band called Magic Tramps, and he said that he …
August 16, 1974 | The Ramones Play First Show at CBGB
"1, 2, 3, 4..."
Sometimes it can feel like the entire history of classic rock — every new direction, every iconic performance, every paradigm shift — was condensed into a little more than a decade. From The Beatles on Ed Sullivan (1964) to Pet Sounds (1966), Woodstock (1969) to the Sex Pistols on The Ed Grundy Show (1976), the cultural zeitgeist moved from “Her …
Pigeon Pit | Tiny Desk Concert
A song by Pigeon Pit has gotten me through this year. Chugging a punk twang with the sun at its back, “milk crates” recognizes the relentless churn of life, but still seeks freedom from tyranny, exhaustion and the everyday nonsense that drags us down. The first time I heard the song performed live was at the band’s Tiny Desk sound …
Local Spotlight | 3 fresh tracks from Jacksonville artists
New music from Leo Sun, Ducats and Left on High
We’re always keeping our ear to the ground in order to put the spotlight on the beautiful noise emerging from Northeast Florida. This week, Jacksonville Music Experience contributors share three new songs by local artists that we think you’ll really dig. Let’s dive in. “Tomorrowland” by Left On High Duval punk overlords Left On High have wasted no time in …