James Brown and Prince Were Uptight As Funk
James Brown and Prince’s music was loose, wild, and emotional. Yet they knew that you’ve got to be uptight if you want to do funk right.
james brown
You Can Feel the Venue’s Heartbeat on Every Page of ‘Showtime at the Apollo’
How do we measure the status of a performer's Holy Grail like the Apollo Theater in 2019? Ted Fox and James Otis Smith's beautifully realized, updated graphic history brings this rich history to life.
‘Working for the Man, Playing in the Band’ Works Hard at Its Story
The difficulty of balancing brief but numerous accounts of James Brown's mental instability with the thrill of playing in his band makes for an inconsistent reading experience.
Time Out of Minds: Interview with Author Ryan Walsh on Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’
Ryan Walsh chronicles the making of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and the chaotic Boston scene that gave birth to it and tells us all about it in this expansive interview.
‘Astral Weeks’ and the Making of a Van Morrison Classic
Ryan H. Walsh's Astral Weeks beautifully captures a not-so-distant era of free-form radio playing the "boss-town sound", people living communally, thriving underground newspapers -- and a 22-year-old Van Morrison coming into his own.
You Say You Want A Revolution: André Cymone Talks Merging Poetic, Personal
After a 25-plus-year hiatus, Anqdré Cymone has begun speaking his mind. In so doing, he's providing a much-needed missive about the state of the world.
Various Artists: Afterschool Special: The 123s of Kid Soul
A collection of kids, pushed by parents or teachers or by their own dreams of pop stardom, aspire to follow in the path of the Jacksons.
KaiL Baxley: A Light That Never Dies
Baxley clearly commands the groove and there’s no reason to think that further triumphs aren’t left to come.