As the year winds down, December is a time when I generally become pensive. Looking back on the past twelve months, I can safely say that 2012 has been an excellent year musically. There have been solid releases in all genres of music. Artists like Chromatics, Kendrick Lamar, Wild Nothing, Japandroids and Tame Impala have […]
A.C. Hawley
A.C. Hawley is around town. He rides a red bike. If you need him, he's reachable.
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The Tube: Fall Lineup Report Cards
With the fall in full effect, TV watchers are moving toward mid-season, the time when some shows get their walking papers while others get a vote of confidence. This serves as an excellent time to check in with the old television box and see what shows, new and returning, have risen to the top of […]
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On the Beat: Chill Wave
If one thing becomes clear in November, it is that the winter is not too far away. The trees have lost most (if not all) of their leaves. The days have become shorter while the nights have gotten colder. The natural reflex is to stay at home, watch movies and wear sweatpants. While that is […]
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Listening at Night: An Interview with Brandon Summers of The Helio Sequence
On November 7, The Helio Sequence, a Portland-based indie pop band, will be playing at The Mill. The duo of Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel recently released their fifth album Negotiations on Sub Pop. I got an opportunity to catch up with Summers before The Helio Sequence starts their fall tour to discuss various music […]
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The Tube: Television Flow Trips
It all began with a British tourist’s trip to Miami. The man noticed the movie he was watching one night was actively connected to two other movie trailers that played during commercial breaks. The man’s name was Raymond Williams, and the way he made sense of this would come to be recognized as one of […]
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Bands To Watch: Like Pioneers & Love Songs For Lonely Monsters
On October 6 at the Mill, I saw one of the better indie pop shows I’ve seen in a very long time. The two bands that I saw that night were Like Pioneers and Love Songs for Lonely Monsters. Like Pioneers is a Chicago-based quintet that makes melodic, fast paced noise pop. The band merges […]
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On The Beat: In Defense of Homework
I’ve been sitting on this for awhile, but with some of the people I’ve seen getting deals recently, I think it has to be said. I believe that the internet is killing hip hop. It’s fundamentally changed the game in a way that I’m not sure it can fully recover from. It was the $3 […]
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On The Beat: September 5-19, 2012
Whenever I travel, I find music ends up being a very large part of my trip because I am frequently thinking about the connection between music and geography. Wherever I am, I am on the lookout for different ways the flow, pulse and vibe of that place comes out in its music. Take Washington, D.C., […]
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Review: THEESatisfaction w/ Cuticle & DJ Rich Rok 8/27/2012
In thinking about THEESatisfaction, it is hard not to make comparisons between them and their collaborators–and Seattle brethren–Shabazz Palaces. This isn’t because of their music since both groups take different approaches towards hip-hop. It is because of their stage performances. I am still thinking about this, so I will talk about the openers first. When […]
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On the Beat: Searching for the summer jam
Although it is my least favorite season for any variety of reasons such as boredom, I do look forward to the summer. It’s the traveling season as well as a time to enjoy all the city has to offer. Unfortunately, this summer brought no relaxation at all. Instead, this season has bred a seeming insanity […]
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Review: Destroyer & Sandro Perri at Blue Moose Tap House – June 11, 2012
In a column I wrote a couple months ago, I talked about taking a chance on live music and how more people should. For this particular concert, I took my own advice because I went to see Destroyer and Sandro Perri knowing only three things about both acts: they’re Canadian, both are internationally known, and […]
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On the Beat: Redemption songs
As I watched Shabazz Palaces repeat “black is you, black is me, black is us, black is free” at their excellent concert at Gabe’s on April 25, I got a nice reminder of something that I have been thinking about for a while: the political power and hope of music. This is something that can […]
