By MIKEL TOOMBS “Tony Randall. Mary Tyler Moore. Molly Ringwald.” “Molly Ringwald, Cordelia, King Lear, Godard.” The first reference is to Bikini Kill’s great riot-grrrl…
Read Full ArticleSinger-songwriter Courtney Jaye adopts a country-pop vibe on her new CD
By GENE STOUT Singer-songwriter Courtney Jaye has made many journeys in her musical life, beginning in her hometown of Pittsburgh and later in Georgia, Texas,…
Read Full ArticleFormer ‘American Idol’ runner-up Crystal Bowersox tours behind her 2nd CD
By MIKEL TOOMBS The late, great rock critic Lester Bangs, portrayed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous,” once dubbed an LP by…
Read Full ArticleJustin Timberlake releases arty video of his second single, ‘Mirrors’
By GENE STOUT Justin Timberlake’s new video for “Mirrors” spans decades, tracing a couple’s lifelong relationship with a sweeping, cinematic storyline. There’s also a lot…
Read Full ArticleBuenos Aires’ 34 Puñaladas quintet draws from tango’s dark past
By MIKEL TOOMBS Seattleites know that there’s much more to Argentina than the new pope. Notably, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra rang out 2012 with a…
Read Full ArticleMolly Ringwald pays homage to the Great American Songbook
By MIKEL TOOMBS Molly Ringwald became famous, of course, as the late film writer-director John Hughes’ muse, starring in “Sixteen Candles” (1984), which explored the…
Read Full ArticleNew York Times Magazine profiles Grammy nominee Frank Ocean
By GENE STOUT R&B singer Frank Ocean has received six Grammy nominations, putting him numerically in the same league as Kanye West and Jay-Z, each…
Read Full ArticleThe Not-Its! throw a party for ‘dance-happy kids’ and their parents
By MIKEL TOOMBS The Not-Its! will put the Vera Project’s “all ages” designation to the test when they appear there Saturday, Feb. 9. Performing at…
Read Full ArticleLeni Stern’s new CD, ‘Smoke, No Fire,’ was recorded in war-torn Mali
By MIKEL TOOMBS “My last album before this one, ‘Sabani,’ was a really happy album. Times were good in Mali,” Leni Stern explained in a…
Read Full ArticleRapper Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis top the Billboard Hot 100
By GENE STOUT In their 16th week on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Seattle rapper Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis have reached the top of…
Read Full ArticleSession musician Petra Haden goes ‘Psycho’ on new soundtrack album
By GENE STOUT Petra Haden, a talented session musician who has worked with Beck, Foo Fighters, The Twilight Singers and The Decemberists, among many others,…
Read Full ArticleCanada’s Steph Macpherson opens her West Coast tour in Seattle
By GENE STOUT Up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter Steph Macpherson, who made an appearance at the 2010 Lilith Fair and has opened concerts for such artists as…
Read Full ArticleThe Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary DVD is just in time for Christmas
By GENE STOUT For the Beach Boys fan in your household, don’t forget to add the new DVD “The Beach Boys: Live in Concert –…
Read Full ArticleRandom ‘Acts’ of discovery inspired Jeff Ament’s latest side project
By GENE STOUT A “random” meeting by Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur in New York more than a dozen years ago…
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