Ryan Dembinsky, Author at Glide Magazine

Athletes Who Would Make Great Front Men

Ryan Dembinsky July 14, 2010 5 Comments

Just like in music, athletes and their elaborate personae are a big part of the fun of being a fan. Sure, it’s important to appreciate the skills first and foremost, either on the field or on the stage, but it’s also fun growing up watching these guys as they let their egos run wild and become larger than life. Love ’em or hate ’em, they are entertaining to watch and more fun to pick on, so we’re glad to have them. So, since it’s a bit of a lull this week in the music world, we thought it’d be fun to compile a list of some of the professional athletes that could make for great front men in a music group.

Julius Winfield Erving II

Does Dr. J really need an introduction? Dude was so cool, you could hand him a bass and he’d lay you down a bassline. Shit, you can hand him a business and he’ll make you money. The Doc invented style in the NBA, playing above the rim, getting the first shoe endorsements, and even starring in his own video game on the Apple IIE. Dr. J’s afro alone deserves its own room in the Basketball Hall of Fame. There’s no question he’d make a mean front man to a ’70s soul troupe.

In the Vein Of: Earth Wind and Fire

READ ON for more Athletes Who Would Make Great Front Men…

Friday Mix Tape: 2010 Favorite Songs So Far

Ryan Dembinsky July 9, 2010 2 Comments

Admittedly, it feels like an awfully quiet year thus far for finding new music that really strikes a chord. I know that generally means you’re just not looking hard enough,

Phish Summer 2010 Leg One: From A to Z

Ryan Dembinsky July 8, 2010 17 Comments

In keeping with our big wrap-up week of Phish’s fun-filled first leg of their summer tour, today we bring you an A to Z rundown of the highlights, songs, venues, jams and surprises which added to an overwhelmingly positive reception to the 18 show extravaganza.

[Photo by Adam Kaufman]

A is for Alpharetta – To one of my new favorite summer venues, thanks for a great time. Nice lot scene, easy-in easy-out traffic management, decent bathroom set ups, a nice lawn with trees for shade, and oh baby, that Pit! With a pretty well-functioning wristband system to keep it from getting too crowded from folks getting stubbed down, yet a remarkably easy pavilion, the Pit feels like the Hampton of summer. Even the hotels kind of have that Hampton feeling (and the Marriott is the crown jewel).

B is for the Best Shows – The whole second half of the first leg really knocked it out of the park: the second night of SPAC kicked things in to high gear, Camden dropped the hammer, and the rest of the shows took it home. If forced to make a top three list, it’d all about the Sunday shows. In first place, the 4^th of July show took home top honors as it hit both the surprises and improvisations for a perfect combination of fun, energy, and rarities. In second place, the second night of Merriweather proved to be the hottest show of the tour in terms of actual temperature, but second best in terms of playing, and then finally, SPAC II takes third.

READ ON for more on Phish Tour: From A to Z…

HT Interview: The Ramblers

Ryan Dembinsky June 22, 2010 No Comments

It’s hard to believe that 18 months have past since we last touched base with one of our first Blips acts here at Hidden Track, The Ramblers. Not surprisingly, it’s been a busy year and half and an whole lot has changed since then for the Brooklyn-based Americana band.

[Photo by TR Smith]

The group underwent a large-scale reshuffling of members, yet with “trudge on” approval of all parties involved, the Ramblers kept at it: growing by leaps and bounds; expanding their reach; and most recently, releasing a knock out second album, Getting There. Fans of The Band should definitely give this album a spin as it’s the real deal. Hidden Track recently caught up with the Ramblers’ guitarist/lead vocalist Jeremiah Birnbaum and keyboardist/vocalist Scott Stein to chat about the new record and the band’s progress.

Hidden Track: To start off on a light note, if you could characterize The Ramblers as a cast of movie characters, who would you guys be?

Jeremiah Birnbaum: Back to the Future meets The Warriors. Now what exactly Doc and Marty could have done with The Warriors is beyond me, but they had a time machine. Anything could have happened there. Plus, our drummer looks good in a vest.

Scott Stein: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have an inkling as to who would be Master Splinter, but I don’t want to put it in print in case someone feels it unflattering to be compared to an oversized rat. That could cause a rift in the band, and I’m pretty sure that’s why Oasis broke up.

READ ON for more of our chat with Jeremiah & Scott of The Ramblers…

Writer’s Workshop: Aaron Kayce

Ryan Dembinsky June 21, 2010 8 Comments

After a successful and storied tenure (ten-year) establishing the editorial department at one of our most respected peers, JamBase, the site’s longtime, esteemed Editor-in-Chief, Aaron Kayce (aka Kayceman), recently announced his decision to step down from that position.

As everyone here at Hidden Track can attest, we’re saddened to see him leave JamBase, but meanwhile impressed by how long he managed such a stressful role. From coordinating the gigantic team of contributors and responding to hundreds of emails daily to scheduling a massive amount of content and somehow finding time to write, the task seems nothing short of monumental. Hence, we’re excited both for Kayceman to embark on the next phase of his writing career as well as to keep tabs on what’s next for JamBase.

Hidden Track: To the extent you feel comfortable talking about it; what led to your decision to part ways with JamBase after ten years?

Aaron Kayce: For starters, as you mentioned, I had been at JamBase for almost ten years. I built the editorial department from the ground up and I more or less had done all that I could there. Things change a great deal over the course of a decade and as my life and dreams evolved it became clear that I needed a new set of challenges. It was the right time for me to enter the next stage of my career.

HT: What did a day in the life as Editor-in-Chief of JamBase typically entail from start to finish?

AK: A lot of emailing and content creation. I had a very small editorial team, myself and the wonderful Dennis Cook, but we pumped out a ton of content. A lot went into making that happen and it wasn’t the same every day. But there were certainly some consistencies.

My day generally began by publishing fresh news on the site and scouring the web to be sure I wasn’t missing any breaking stories that would be pertinent to JamBase users. Then I’d be in touch with Dennis to be sure the schedule (show reviews, features etc) I set was still on track for the day. Sooner or later I’d have to start dealing with emails, of which I’d get between 100-200 a day from publicists, bands, writers, and photographers about various things.

READ ON for more of our Writer’s Workshop with Kayceman…

Video: PS 261 Third Graders – Let Me Lie

Ryan Dembinsky June 17, 2010 4 Comments

Some of you may have caught this video on PT the other day, but you have to see this if not. Two of my favorite people in the world, Scott

Friday Mix Tape: Guitar Monsters

Ryan Dembinsky June 11, 2010 No Comments

This week’s mix tape goes out to all the folks out there to whom words like phyrigian, humbucker, and “Ingvay” actually mean something. That’s right, this week we’re paying dues

Hidden Track Interview: Mumford & Sons – Brothers from Another Mother

Ryan Dembinsky June 9, 2010 4 Comments

Something about Mumford & Sons raises an air of curiosity. It’s not just the obvious question regarding the roots of the staunchly American brand of music with its firm roots in bluegrass & folk – despite emanating from four English lads – but there’s also the question of how they got so big, so fast? At face value, folks tend to credit their success to being a U.K. version of the Avett Brothers or sounding like a bluegrass Dave Matthews, but the more you dig in; it becomes evident that there is an intangible element in their friendship that serves as the tie that binds. There exists this natural chemistry that makes this band instantly likable, brothers from another mother.

By now, we’ve talked a lot about Mumford & Sons music around these parts, so in chatting with double bassist and vocalist, Ted Dwane, we focused this particular conversation around the dynamics of the bandmates’ relationships and their emphasis, first and foremost, on friendship.

“We met in a very strange way, through friends and other people’s music. In West London, there are a lot of singer/songwriters and we used to play all the time. Back then, Marcus was usually the bass player and I was usually the drummer. Eventually, we just wanted to play music that we wrote, so that led us to become friends before we were thrown into everything,” Ted explains. “The one thing we never let ourselves forget is that before anything else, we’re friends really. I’m so thankful we get along as well as we do. They are my best friends; we’re all each others’ best friends.”

READ ON for more of Ryan’s chat with Mumford & Sons…

B List: Proposed World Cup Fight Songs

Ryan Dembinsky June 3, 2010 3 Comments

Music and soccer go together like fish and chips; like birds eye and chili; like rock and lobster. Whether it’s the jolly crowds singing their team’s chants or famous performers putting a twist on one of their own tunes, the World Cup brings out the tone-deaf in merry droves like none other.

While we don’t know much about soccer here at Hidden Track (read: Jack %$#%), we do know our music. So, with the festivities kicking off in but a week’s time, we thought we’d offer up some suggestions for theme songs for some of the early favorites for the 2010 World Cup. Rumba La Mundial!

Greece – Can I Borrow a Feeling? (Kirk Van Houten)

While we all patiently wait with bated breath in hopes of a recession-themed Weird Al album containing such hits as Highway to the Eurozone and The IMF is Gonna Rock You, Greece will have to settle for the hit single off Kirk Van Houten’s debut, Can I Borrow a Feeling? It’s quite fitting really, as it touches upon both of the two looming outcomes for the Greeks: a) borrowing and b) divorce. Fortunately, the Greeks have their footy team to liven up their spirits, who come in at a respectable #13 FIFA ranking.

READ ON for more of our World Cup preview, Hidden Track style…

Friday Mix Tape: Silent Lucidity

Ryan Dembinsky May 28, 2010 1 Comment

With a festive weekend ahead and most people cutting out early today, this week’s mix tape is designed for the poor suckers who get stuck in the office this afternoon.

Ryan Dembinsky

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