Looking back through the annals of rock journalism, just three publications carry the historical clout to be considered in the upper crust of music scribble: Rolling Stone, Creem, and the Village Voice. Rolling Stone, of course, wielded(s) the biggest brand name and Creem threw its weight behind being the badass on the block. The Village Voice on the other hand, while bohemian, paved its way relatively quietly with great writers, a careful focus on the written word, and of course, the best location.
When current shopkeep of the Voice’s storied music department, Rob Harvilla, took over for Chuck Eddy back in 2006 (shortly after the New Times bought the paper), he slid into a pair of rather large shoes. Not merely did he face filling the void left behind by the beloved Eddy, but also followed in a long line of Mohinder Surresh-caliber verbose superheroes like Greil Marcus and Robert Christgau. And perhaps most challenging, he came into the leadership fold right in the thick of the changeover between old and new media. In other words, Harvilla had his work cut out for him in carrying the the Village Voice’s high standard for musical credibility into the digital age. Fortunately for longtime Voice readers, he’s done a tremendous job and taken it all in stride.
Hidden Track: I read somewhere that you discovered your passion for music journalism while sitting in the waiting room at the dentist reading a Rolling Stone. Do you remember what article you read?
Rob Harvilla: Orthodontist, actually. Dr. Pfister. P-F. No specific article, but I can remember covers (first of my own subscription: Eddie Van Halen), specific features (Cosmic Thing B-52s), a few reviews (how can this guy not like They Might Be Giants?), etc. From that period I also remember that either Time or Newsweek did an Alternative Rock! cover story that broke the genre down into different categories and alleged that if I liked TMBG, I’d love Butthole Surfers, which remains to this day the single worst piece of advice I have ever received.
READ ON for more with Rob Harvilla of the Village Voice…
Earlier this spring, we reported that Jay Lane was leaving his gig as part of the two-headed drum attack in Furthur to rejoin Primus to reform the band’s original lineup
The summer concert season is quickly approaching and there’s no clearer sign of its pending arrival than the lineup announcements for NYC’s Central Park SummerStage and Celebrate Brooklyn! at the
Widespread Panic, Washington DC, April 21
The more time I spend with Widespread Panic’s forthcoming Dirty Side Down, the more it sounds to me like the most comfortable album Panic’s recorded in a decade. If it’s taken this long for Panic to finish a document that feels lovingly stitched together, not “assembled,” and truest to their live mojo, so be it –- for me, it’s taken almost as long for Panic the live band to be as reliable as they once were.
No, it’s not that I haven’t had epic, soul-nourishing Widespread experiences in the post-Houser era of the band, it’s just that it’s taken a long time to be able to depend on them again. Catching the band early in the tour in mid-April, the second of two nights in the capital’s lovely Warner Theater, was affirmative. To JB, Jimmy, JoJo, Dave, Sunny and Todd: I’m buying.
It was a haphazard show with some marvelous moments – part of Panic’s appeal, oddly, are the groovy, ragged edges that contrast the fiery peaks and soulful zeniths – and it was enough to keep me convinced. It’s not a “the band is back” type of feeling, either; Panic never went away and recovered pretty quickly, all told, from a personnel tragedy that would have derailed, or at least neutered, a lesser band. It’s more that I’m not convinced Panic’s best days are in the rearview mirror. They have miles to go, mountains to climb. Nearly 25 years in, that’s pretty impressive.
READ ON for more from Chad on WSP in Washington D.C….
One week from today, on May 11, the debut album from Brendan Bayliss (UM) and Jeff Austin’s (YMSB) 30db project – One Man Show – finally hits record stores nearly
Wade “Wyllys” Wilby has been contributing to Hidden Track since our early days, so you’ll excuse us for getting a little verklempt as our favorite turntablist hits the road this
Here’s the latest update in the Biscuits’ “As Barber’s Wrist Turns” saga… After careful deliberation, we have decided the best course of action for this weekend is to stick with
Remember that engineer who left behind the prototype iPhone in the public bathroom? Maybe the act was intentional, maybe it wasn't. Either way, the event sparked a free p.r. firestorm. The same might be said for James Murphy, the man behind synthpop dance group LCD Soundsystem. Murphy ranted and raved last month when his latest album leaked via the Internet. Careless or otherwise, the same kind of whodunit buzz prevailed for the premature exposure of This is Happening.
Umphrey’s McGee have unveiled their complete summer 2010 tour schedule. The band’s summer plans include stops at festivals throughout the country: Bonnaroo, Summer Camp, Wakarusa, Summerfest, and All Good, among
