Email Author Mark Keresman

2008 Stories by Mark Keresman

• Wayback Machinists

  published December 3, 2008

  With music, a popular descriptive-yet-damning delineation is “retro.” It’s reserved for performers drawing upon “roots”... More >>

• Tipsy

  published December 3, 2008

  For Tipsy's third album — the first in seven years — the San Franciscans offer another spiffy exercise in retro-avant instrumental... More >>

• Holly Golightly

  published November 26, 2008

  Accompanied by the Brokeoffs — actually Texan multi-instrumentalist Lawyer Dave — Holly Golightly draws upon... More >>

• Strings Attached

  published November 26, 2008

  Hilary Hahn was already a featured soloist with the Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh symphony orchestras (plus that lil' New York... More >>

• The Doe Duet

  published November 12, 2008

  Singer-songwriter and actor John Doe is, of course, a founding member of X, one of the first punk bands to explicitly embrace American... More >>

• Ravi Coltrane's ascent into history

  published October 29, 2008

  Ravi Coltrane was but 2 years old when his father, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, one of the greatest (and most controversial) figures in... More >>

• The Dead Science

  published October 15, 2008

  Seattle-based Dead Science is either a pop band with experimental inclinations or an avant-garde combo disguised with contemporary mannerisms.... More >>

• They Fought the Law

  published October 8, 2008

  Next time you hear a musician bellyache about the strenuous rock 'n' roll life, recall the Plastic People of the Universe. Formed in... More >>

• Protest Staple

  published October 8, 2008

  Protest music" isn't always a guy or gal with an acoustic guitar, singing pointedly topical songs. There's a parallel tradition in America... More >>

• The Australian Evangelist

  published September 10, 2008

  The Go-Betweens were one of the classiest, most literate new wave combos of the 1980s. The Australian act was led by Grant McLennan and... More >>

• The young and the accomplished: Nico Muhly

  published August 13, 2008

  It's people like Nico Muhly who make you realize how little you've accomplished. He has worked with Philip Glass (as an assistant,... More >>

• The Baseball Project

  published August 6, 2008

  Long before sports strikes, steroids scandals, and Madonna trysts reared their homely heads, baseball was considered to be America's great... More >>

• El Vez Is King

  published July 30, 2008

  American icon Elvis Presley inspired many emulators. But El Vez is matchless, drawing upon the King as a point of departure for singing... More >>

• Seun Kuti contends with complicated family ties

  published June 18, 2008

  When a son enters the family business, there's sometimes a built-in price tag. While some folks are proud of the kid for maintaining a fine... More >>

• New disc and tour celebrate Miles Davis’ Indian influence

  published May 28, 2008

  Miles Davis remains one of the planet's most influential musicians and bandleaders. From the 1940s until his death in 1991, the trumpeter... More >>

• Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra

  published May 14, 2008

  Jazz bassist Marcus Shelby is a composer, bandleader, and Bay Area educator. He combines these talents on the magnum opus Harriet... More >>

• Long Island Rhymes

  published May 7, 2008

  The latest release by Long Island ladies Northern State features a smart mélange of old-school hip-hop (think Public Enemy, whose... More >>

• Ramsey's Roots

  published April 30, 2008

  If it weren't for the Americana tag, North Carolina's Tyler Ramsey would be almost any record label's marketing nightmare. Heck, even the... More >>

• Colin Meloy’s heartfelt approach is Donovan-esque

  published April 30, 2008

  Live performance skills separate the truly talented from those just getting by in a studio or band context. Take Colin Meloy, frontman... More >>

• Giant Sandcastles

  published April 23, 2008

  If one takes a step back for perspective, Howe Gelb is something of a focal point for a great deal of post-1984 Southwestern alterna-rock... More >>

• Enon

  published April 9, 2008

  Formerly a noise-rock vehicle for John Schmersal, Brooklyn's Enon is now a coed trio mixing shards 'n' sheets of noise with fuzzy production... More >>

• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

  published April 9, 2008

  The lads comprising Tulsa's Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey — none of whom are named Jacob or Fred — are jazz musicians of a generation for... More >>

• Forget Shelter, Gimme Asylum

  published April 2, 2008

  Texas is a cradle of civilization. After all, the Lone Star State gave the world Bob Wills, Wes Anderson, Danny Elfman, the Butthole Surfers, and... More >>

• From Russia with Love: Auktyon's avant-rock

  published March 26, 2008

  The latest wave of introspective songsters (Feist, Kate Nash, etc.) sounds so very fastidious, all glaringly shiny-pleasant with studio sheen.... More >>

• Justin Time

  published March 19, 2008

  One of the most poignant scenes in The Godfather Part II is brothers Michael and Fredo Corleone drinking at an outdoor Cuban cafe. Fredo... More >>