Posts by Travis Atria

Scott Kannberg isn’t known for baring his soul.  As a co-founder of Pavement, Kannberg – better known as Spiral Stairs – was a major part of the whole tongue-in-cheek, ironic aura that surrounded the band.  With songs like “Date with Ikea” and “Passat Dream,” Kannberg’s music with Pavement was anything but introspective.  And, after Pavement split in 1999, Kannberg started Preston School of Industry, which was a break from his past in some ways, but still relatively light on soul searching.

Ahmir Thompson is a busy man.  It’s not enough that Thompson – better known as ?uestlove – has a nightly gig with the Roots as house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He is also a road warrior, filling practically every free moment from “Late Night” with a quick tour or all-night jam session with the Roots.  So, when Thompson recently agreed to write the score for an upcoming Soul Train documentary, it seemed like the amply afro-ed drummer was going to need a few more hours in the day to fit it all in.

Of course, the 48-year-old singer of the Flaming Lips doesn’t feel very comfortable discussing art.  In fact, every time he uses the word, he makes sure you know that he knows that it’s all just a bunch of bullshit.  But, the fact remains:  Coyne and the Lips are responsible for elevating pop music to the status of art – whether it be an album that requires the listener to play four discs on four stereos at the same time (Zaireeka), or one of the greatest musical creations of the 20th century (The Soft Bulletin).

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Abbey Road, the last album recorded by a small, virtually unknown group from Liverpool called The Beatles. Now that their entire catalogue has just been re-released in re-mastered form, it seems only right to take a new look at the new Abbey Road.

Growing up in South Africa, trumpet player Hugh Masekela used music as an act of defiance against apartheid.  He went into exile in New York City in the 1960s, recorded a number one hit (“Grazing in the Grass”) and watched Jim Crow and segregation crumble in America.  He married the South African singing legend Miriam Makeba and returned to South Africa to play with Paul Simon on the “Graceland” tour.  He watched apartheid crumble, writing music for Nelson Mandela.  In between, he toured the world many times while making music that can be searing, romantic, political and joyful all at once.

Recently, Broken Social Scene began the Broken Social Scene Presents series of albums, where one member takes the reins, starting with front man Kevin Drew’s Spirit If. . .  And more recently, bass player Brendan Canning released the next album in the series, Something for All of Us. . .   The album has all the telltale marks of BSS – the multi-layered sound, the unbridled genre-hopping, the rough edges and spontaneous moments – but also lets Canning step into the spotlight.

At this very moment, in every college town, in every city, in every state, there is at least one functioning rock band with a lead singer/pianist.  Blame Ben Folds.  Like Elton John before him, Folds has redefined the piano as a lead instrument.

Before Nirvana hit, Mudhoney began clearing the way for the new genre that wasn’t quite punk, wasn’t quite garage rock, wasn’t quite classic rock, but was somehow all three at once.  Now, 20 years after their first recording, Mudhoney is back with a new album, The Lucky Ones.  Glide caught up with Turner to talk about his career, the new album, and just what the hell happened in Seattle all those years ago.

Glide contributor Travis Atria made his debut appearance at Bonnaroo this past weekend – not as a member of the pres but as musician. Atria's band Morningbell, was selected to play the Sonic Stage at the premier festival, a gig that he soon won't forget.

Accolades don’t seem to stick to Doug Martsch. The singer, guitarist and songwriting force behind indie rockers Built to Spill has seen his share of praise in close to two decades with the band. He is often touted as one of the genre’s best guitarists, and the group has released six albums to critical acclaim – most recently 2006’s You in Reverse.

On January 15, LBM released Illembe:  Honoring Shaka Zulu, the latest in a prolific career that has included more than 50 albums, two Grammy Awards and performances for the Queen of England and Pope John Paul II.

Real Emotional Trash is Malkmus’ most complete nod to classic rock and the long-form jams of the Woodstock era.  It is a completion of musical ideas he has toyed with before, both in Pavement (see “We Are Underused,” from Brighten the Corners, or “Speak, See, Remember,” from Terror Twilight), and in his solo career (see “No More Shoes” from Face the Truth).

Al Green tours like he’s 45, looks like he’s 35 and sings like he’s 25. At 60, the soul legend is so full of life that it is hard to get him to focus on one topic for very long and so full of songs that he can hardly get a full sentence out without breaking into one.

This January, ten years after their first effort, the brainy indie-pop group Of Montreal released Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? to critical acclaim and the biggest audience of their career. The album is intensely confessional and sometimes cringingly direct, dealing with front man Kevin Barnes’ split from his wife (they eventually got back together) and his isolation in Norway, where he lived while making part of the album.