Jazz Monroe: Notes on Process [SPECIAL EDITION]

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: A new Notes On Process with Jazz Monroe.

Jazz Monroe: Notes on Process

Insider Extra: May 13

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

IYKYK

Squinting Really Hard

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Houston rap historian Lance Scott Walker, dance music journalist Sophie Bress, and Chicago jazz and experimental music expert Paul Steinbeck. Plus! Reading recommendations, a documentary about London psychedelia, and more! But first…

The Official Reed Of Serious Jazz Musicians Everywhere

San Francisco may have had its Summer of Love, but London’s Alexandra Palace also witnessed a “gathering of the tribes” in spring 1967. Mixing music, art, and performance, its electrifying energy epitomized what the psychedelic underground was all about: the 14-Hour Technicolor Dream.

Forty years later, Stephen Gammond put together A Technicolor Dream in an attempt at making sense of that giant freeform happening. The documentary tells the story of the fascinating event, originally envisioned as a fund-raiser for underground paper International Times. It somehow evolved into a gigantic concert whose organic production seemed to be in tune with the overall vibe among both the audience and the performers. “I remember it was great to be young and good-looking and play music—and that’s about all I remember,” Soft Machine’s Kevin Ayers confesses.

Frequently marketed as a Pink Floyd documentary due to the band having received headline billing (and with an increasingly erratic Syd Barrett still part of the line-up), A Technicolor Dream is an exciting audiovisual testimony of the absolute peak of British psychedelia, documenting the event that marked the turning point between the utopian “before” and the tainted “after.” As the establishment began its inevitable appropriation of the movement, euphoria would soon begin to wither—and by 1969, as Barry Miles puts it so himself, “everybody had to crash and go to bed.”

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Lance Scott Walker is one of the most foremost historians of Houston hip-hop. His latest book DJ Screw: A Life in Slow Revolution, which will quickly establish itself as the authoritative text on the wildly influential figure. The DJ Screw book follows his essential tome Houston Rap Tapes: An Oral History of Bayou City Hip-Hop. Lance often employs oral histories in his work, but this new book took on a slightly more experimental approach in how it’s organized. It’s one of the many interesting things he talks about in this interview.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

My working background is in printing and graphic design, but to backtrack to where I started writing about music, it would be when I was a DJ at Rice University (KTRU) in the early ’90s. I didn’t go to school at Rice, but I was friendly with people at the radio station and knew enough about music to get myself in the door, so they gave me a shift where you start—in the small hours. One of the responsibilities of DJs there included reviewing new releases that came in, tagging them for profanities so we knew what we could and couldn’t play on the air, so I took my time at night going through the bins and wrote about as many records as I could, giving myself a musical education in the process. This was from ’93 to ’96. I did lots of writing during that time, even if I didn’t really think of it that way. To me it was just part of the world of music—playing in bands, designing flyers, booking shows.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Sophie Bress is a freelance journalist, writing about dance and music with a focus on social justice. In the past, she’s written about fitness, the outdoors, and much more. “With my work, I aim to place the art forms I cover in context with other events that are going on culturally,” she says. For more information on her and her work, you can refer to the bio on her website. For her work history, you can refer to herLinkedIn.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I was a dance major in college. For each of our dance technique classes, we had to see a performance and write a review of the show. During my sophomore year, after a particularly disappointing audition for our fall concert, I realized that I actually enjoyed the writing aspect of my dance classes more than the final exams—where we usually had to perform one-by-one in front of the class. After a tearful phone call with my best friend—who was studying journalism at the time—I picked up a journalism minor and I never really looked back.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Paul Steinbeck is a musician, author, and professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He’s also the author of the new book Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM, a study of the exceptional Chicago jazz and experimental music organization. As Paul puts it, “When I was in college at the University of Chicago, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to become a musician or an academic. For a while, I prepared myself to pursue both careers, studying all day and practicing, rehearsing, and gigging every night. Eventually I discovered that my training as a performer and composer would help me conduct original research about the music I was most passionate about.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

When I was in college at the University of Chicago, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to become a musician or an academic. For a while, I prepared myself to pursue both careers, studying all day and practicing, rehearsing, and gigging every night. Eventually I discovered that my training as a performer and composer would help me conduct original research about the music I was most passionate about. So I got a PhD at Columbia University, then started applying for academic jobs. After working at three different schools in four years, I was hired at Washington University in St. Louis, where I’ve taught since 2012.

Insider Extra: May 6

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Hmm

An Old, Wise Fish

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Jocelle Koh from Asian Pop Weekly, classical music journalist Esteban Meneses, and TikTokker Sonnybabie. Plus! Reading recommendations, a documentary about the theremin, and more! But first…

Disintegration Loops (2022)

Back in the 1920s, the very notion that music could be electronic was revolutionary. Enter Leon Theremin and his game-changing invention, which would not only enjoy an enduring presence in music for decades to come, but also inspire other musical devices such as Robert Moog’s first commercial synthesizer.

Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey tells a story that crosses borders, generations, approaches, and styles. Although it is certainly not the only instrument to achieve this transversality, the Theremin possesses a different, somewhat mystical, aura that comes from being played without any physical contact from the musician. In short, the result looks and sounds like magic.

Two stories are told in parallel: one is the gradual revolution brought about by the theremin in pop, classical, and contemporary music; the other is its creator’s complicated personal and professional life, which includes his forced work in a sharashka and cooperation with the KGB in the construction of espionage tools. Featuring theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore, electronic music pioneer Robert Moog, Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, and many more, this fascinating documentary also includes what is among the last filmed footage of Leon Theremin himself.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Jocelle Koh is the founder of Asian Pop Weekly, and also works as Label Distribution Leader for Singapore/Malaysia at Believe Digital. But more generally, Jocelle likes to think of herself as a “gap bridger and music industry professional.” Asian Pop Weekly began in 2010, arising out of the utter lack of English language resources for music of its kind. Today, it’s one of the most successful Asian music websites of its kind.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I started my media platform Asian Pop Weekly in 2010 when I was in high school in Western Australia, Perth. The need arose because I was trying to get into Mandarin music at the time, but was getting frustrated with the lack of English-language resources available. I’ve always been interested in writing, so it was a natural progression for me to try to create the content myself, and improve my Mandarin in the process.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Esteban Meneses is a classical music journalist and critic who will be among the new fellows at this year’s Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. Esteban currently contributes to Classical Voice America and I Care if You Listen, among other publications.

You recently were announced as one of the fellows at the upcoming Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. Tell me a little bit about why you applied and what you’re hoping to get out of the experience.

Yes, it’s an exciting, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s an honor to be one of the 18 new fellows in the Institute—part music writing workshop, part contest, and an excellent learning opportunity. It’s taking place in mid-June at the new Bowes, Jr. Center for Performing Arts (San Francisco Conservatory of Music). I first found out about it by reading criticism, and about critics. What really drew me in was the panelists (including critics from the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Washington Post), the animated discussion, and the hopefulness the program is instilling in the future of this field, despite the explicit acknowledgement that it’s hard to find paid work in it. (Some of the talks from the previous institutes are still available.) Some time ago I contacted the Institute about possibly getting involved, in some capacity—perhaps attending as member of the audience or just getting access to the content. I found out that for 2022 they were opening the application to non-students, so I jumped at the opportunity.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Sonnybabie is a TikTok music critic who primarily focuses on hip-hop. Each day, without fail, he puts together three videos that offer opinion and analysis on the state of the scene. In addition to his TikTok, Sonnybabie is also working on becoming an engineer / producer / mixer.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

It was a very long journey. To keep it short and simplistic, I’ve always been a massive music head, but things really took off in middle school as my brother in law moved in and got me into music engineering and producing. He set up his own home studio and I’ve been hooked ever since. I also then started my own journey of becoming a music and audio engineer and built my own home studio. I currently have artists come over and record and produce, and I in turn, mix and master their music.

Insider Extra: April 29

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Luckily, There Isn’t A Single Math Major Among Them

Unabashed Geeking Out

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Afrobeats expert Christian Adofo, Canadian music aficionado Michael Barclay, and social media savant Todd Hoover. Plus! Reading recommendations, a documentary about Tower Records, and more! But first…

IYKYK

“In 1999, Tower Records had sales of over one billion dollars. Five years later, they filed for bankruptcy.” The opening lines of Colin Hanks’s documentary sets the tone for a chronological tale of the legendary record retailer that begins in 1941 at the drugstore of founder Russ Solomon’s dad. When they realized used records sold like hot cakes, they also began to sell new ones—and suddenly, they were in the record business.

A first store opened in 1960 in Sacramento, and—from then on—the story is inextricably linked to the history of pop music. Quickly spreading to strategic locations (San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City), Tower Records conquered the country, got big in Japan, and even launched a magazine, Pulse!, which was published monthly between 1983 and 2002.

Christian Adofo is a journalist, author, and cultural curator. He’s had bylines in The Guardian, Mixmag, and more. His latest project is A Quick Ting On Afrobeats, a book that “chronicles the social and cultural development of the eponymous music genre—tracing its rich history from the African continent all the way to the musical center of the Western world.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

So post university as I was in the abyss of No Plan’s Land, I found a great youth publication based in Brixton called Live Magazine. It was a great foundation and felt like a family with a lot of young creatives from London and across the UK who were really eager and equally professional at such a tender age in terms of pursuing a career and their first steps within the creative industries. I wrote my first cover on Rudimental there and also got my first national byline via a takeover we did of the Guardian’s Film & Music section (also note it was the last ever print edition I believe) where I wrote a feature on songs which remind Black British stars of their African heritage.

Can you please briefly describe the book?

Michael Barclay is a writer focused firmly on the Canadian music scene. He was a 2021-22 journalism fellow at the University of Toronto’s Massey College, and has worked for the CBC, Maclean’s, Exclaim!, Eye Weekly, The West End Phoenix, and freelanced for many more. His third book on Canadian music is Hearts on Fire: Six Years That Changed Canadian Music 2000-05, which details artists like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Peaches, Kid Koala, The Be Good Tanyas, The New Pornographers, and Arcade Fire.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

In 1990 I walked into my university newspaper in Guelph (Ontario’s equivalent of Chapel Hill/Athens/Olympia), and said I wanted to write about music, which I then did every week. Became arts editor the next year. Started doing campus radio the year after that. Friends started an alt-weekly in university towns west of Toronto, where I was music editor but basically everything else as well (except sales and distribution). We were all dirt poor, all hands on deck, and staking our place in the world: it was exhausting and thrilling. Meanwhile I was also playing in a rock band that put out two records and toured Canada coast-to-coast (only once, but still…).

When that mag went under following a botched corporate takeover in 1999, two colleagues and I decided to write a book about the Canadian music of our youth, called Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance 1985-95. It was about the Tragically Hip, Blue Rodeo, Sloan, Rheostatics, Cowboy Junkies, NoMeansNo, Sarah McLachlan, Daniel Lanois, the Pursuit of Happiness, k.d. lang, Shadowy Men, etc., and came out in 2001. We staged a big release show in Toronto featuring Neko Case, Julie Doiron and others.

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. Click here to subscribe!

Todd Hoover is the self-described “CEO, PR representative, and coffee-fetching underling of Todd’s Top Tens.” Those top tens began life on Facebook, but have more recently found a home on Instagram and TikTok. Todd’s reviews have a distinctive style, always starting out with the line, “Listening to X’s album is like…” It provides a neat pathway into what Todd calls album descriptions. (“I honestly consider myself more of a historian than a journalist, per se.”)

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I started writing album reviews in high school, and even got a few published in my home state’s most popular newspaper. This is part of what inspired me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in journalism; while attaining said degree, I kept writing and publishing album lists and reviews. Shortly after I graduated, I somehow settled on a job reporting on local news that had little, if anything, to do with music. Fast forward through several disillusionments, a master’s degree in worship and music ministry (long story for another time), and several career changes: I am completing my 10th year as a full-time music teacher.

Insider Extra: April 22

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

That’s… One Way To Keep Touring

Rob Tannenbaum: Notes on Process [SPECIAL EDITION]

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: A new Notes On Process with Rob Tannenbaum.

Rob Tannenbaum: Notes on Process

Insider Extra: April 15

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Was… This… Up For Debate? Pt. 1

Appetite For Curiosity

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Uproxx editor Carolyn Droke and Sing for Science podcast host Matt Whyte. Plus! Reading recommendations, a documentary about minimal techno, and more! But first…

So, Uh, That’s A No On Guestlist?

Speaking in Code is a classic tale. Boy meets girl. They get married. Girl and boy decide to make a documentary about the techno scene of the early 2000s. Boy spends most of his time trying to make techno happen in Boston while girl jets back and forth to Germany and Barcelona to film artists on Kompakt and BPitch Control. Boy and girl grow apart. They max out their credit cards. Boy becomes a subject in the documentary more than a producer. Everyone suffers burnout. And they all live ambiguously ever after.

Your mileage with Speaking in Code will vary depending on your interest in the relationship between filmmaker Amy Grill and David Day. The film is a slice of life in the purest sense, with zero history and little cultural context for the music, which is to say the whiteness is strong with this one. The film’s strengths lie in its glimpses into the communal living of the Wighnomy Brothers, the gear infatuation of Ableton Live creator Monolake, and journalist Philip Sherburne’s family history. Speaking in Code is a Polaroid of minimal techno, a time capsule of the years before festival EDM, and a caution sign for following your DIY dreams.

Carolyn Droke has been working full-time at Uproxx for a few years now. As she was graduating from college, she met a site editor at a music festival and “a few months later got hired as a weekend music blogger and have been at Uproxx ever since. Working a 9-5 on the weekends and holding down two jobs fresh out of college fueled my desire to work towards a full-time position.” Three years later, she’s the Assistant Editor at Indie Mixtape, Uproxx’s indie music vertical. In this excerpt from our interview, Carolyn describes how her approach to her work has changed.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

As someone who grew up on a small island in the Pacific Northwest, I would listen to and obsess about music as a form of escapism. My dream had always been to work as a music journalist in some capacity, but the only publication I really knew about/had access to was Rolling Stone at the time. I went to college in Chicago and joined my school’s radio station as a DJ before getting hired as the station’s Music Director. Because I went to college in a city with countless shows and music festivals, I was able to get my start in music journalism by covering local shows and festivals. My school also committed to paying us a wage for our work, which is not common with other university radio stations, so I was able to have the resources to dedicate my time to reviewing albums and shows. I met a former Uproxx editor at a music festival I was attending and a few months later got hired as a weekend music blogger and have been at Uproxx ever since. Working a 9-5 on the weekends and holding down two jobs fresh out of college fueled my desire to work towards a full-time position. Three years later, I’m now the Assistant Editor at Indie Mixtape, Uproxx’s indie music vertical.

Did you have any mentors along the way? What did they teach you?

Matt Whyte is the host of Sing For Science, a science and music podcast produced with Talkhouse where musicians talk to scientists about their most famous songs. Matt says that his work with musician/activist Toshi Reagon was the catalyst for the project: “Through my exposure to her application of the transformational power of song and that of her godfather, Pete Seeger, I looked to how I could use music to help effect change. From there I set my sights on combating science denialism and began by writing songs celebrating the work of scientists (Sing For Science: Volume 1). The Sing For Science podcast turned out to be a natural outgrowth of the project’s activist beginnings.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

Starting out, I made a small but meaningful dent with my former band, Earl Greyhound—we recorded 2 albums and toured a fair amount in the late aughts. When that had run its course, I turned to composing and producing—I’ve contributed music for the last 3 Chris Smith Netflix documentaries—Jim and Andy, Fyre, and Tiger King. I continued to perform throughout this second chapter and had the good fortune to participate in a few events with musician/activist Toshi Reagon. Through my exposure to her application of the transformational power of song and that of her godfather, Pete Seeger, I looked to how I could use music to help effect change. From there I set my sights on combating science denialism and began by writing songs celebrating the work of scientists (Sing For Science: Volume 1). The Sing For Science podcast turned out to be a natural outgrowth of the project’s activist beginnings.

For those who aren’t familiar, please describe the podcast and talk a little bit about why you decided to start it.

Insider Extra: April 8

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Worst Twitter Day Ever

Make Your Little Riot Happen

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Jamaican scholar Larisa Kingston Mann; freelance journalist Vuyokazi Mtukela; and musicologist Emily Ruth Allen. Plus! Reading recommendations, DIY Portuguese music, and more! But first…

Yes

“Make your little riot happen and do it yourself” was the main motto of Bee Keeper, a Lisbon-based DIY label run by Elsa Pires and Luis Futre in the mid-’90s. It might have started as a “joke,” but in a landscape dominated by majors that left virtually no room (or money) for the alternative scene, Bee Keeper managed to cause a decent-sized stir in the underground of the Portuguese capital.

Fifteen years later, Bruno Simões decided to preserve the story of Bee Keeper and some of its bands for posterity through a series of short documentaries that detail the labor of love and dedication of Pires and Futre. Bite-sized and informative, the short films are a marvelous little time capsule of the indie ’90s in Portugal with the bands themselves at the center of the narrative. The inaugural episode is about Portuguese riot grrrl band Everground, an all-female quartet fronted by Suspiria Franklyn (later of Les Baton Rouge, Kiute Loss, and Suspicious), whose self-titled EP and Acid Candy cassette were among Bee Keeper’s first releases.

Review by Ana Leorne. Check out the full archive of the Stuff You Gotta Watch column.

Larisa Kingston Mann is Assistant Professor of Media Studies & Production at Temple University and is also known as DJ Ripley, performing as part of the Subversion_PHL. Larisa’s new book is Rude Citizenship: Jamaican Popular Music, Copyright, and the Reverberations of Colonial Power. As Larisa puts it, “finding the right publisher took a minute—you might call it an interdisciplinary book, which faces the same kind of challenges as does a multi-genre or genre-less artist when trying to find a label!”.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I’m the daughter of a poet/composer/musician/professor and an activist/organizer/professor so I suppose that set me up pretty well for my current professional life as a scholar/DJ/activist/organizer, but it seemed pretty circuitous as I was going through it!

Musically, I was in hardcore bands in high school in suburban Massachusetts, early in college got into the rave scene (gravitating to jungle pretty quickly) while also doing a bit of radio. After college I started DJing and organizing events with various collectives in the Boston area, then decided I wanted to go on to grad school and did a master’s at the London School of Economics. (I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the prospect of living in London in 1999 wasn’t also appealing as a DJ and music lover!)

Vuyokazi Mtukela is a freelance journalist who does a lot of related work on the side, including social media, events organising, and project management. This month, she’ll be joining JournoResources part-time. “It’s a great organisation looking to make the journalism industry more accessible,” she says. Vuyokazi has worked as an editorial assistant at HUCK, as well as participating in initiatives like the BIPOC Critics Lab.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

My music education grew out of me spending evenings after school perched on my living room floor (still in my school uniform, mind you) looking up at this clunky silver television set that in retrospect should have been on the appropriate stand. Those box TVs and antennas are pretty much obsolete now and they rarely ever received signals consistently, but I remember what having that in our household meant. The access to another world it provided. I’d spend hours just gazing up, elbows sore from friction of the rug beneath me.

Back then of course, music videos used to play on a loop and it would be mostly in an order that, if you spent enough time watching and paying close attention, you could eventually predict what would come next on that particular channel/tele-radio station’s cycle. Weeks would go by like that and if an artist had a particular album charting, or a few artists even were releasing that month, the replay time on those records allowed you to spend enough time memorising lyrics, dances and deconstructing the individual eras of artists you enjoyed. So, it was a lot of consumption: Janet Jackson, Amerie, Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, Eve and Missy Elliot videos were my lifeblood.

Emily Ruth Allen holds a doctorate from Florida State University and completed her Master of Music degree in Historical Musicology at FSU in April 2016. Prior to that, Emily received a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Music with Elected Studies in Specific Outside Fields (mathematics) from the University of South Alabama. Emily’s master’s thesis is about a Florida-based klezmer ensemble called the Holocaust Survivor Band, while her dissertation focused on 19th- and 20th-century Carnival brass bands in Mobile, Alabama. She is currently preparing a book manuscript about parade musics in Mobile’s Mardi Gras history, and also serves as a podcast host on the New Books Network.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I started my journey to become a musicologist when I did a senior thesis as an undergraduate student at the University of South Alabama (USA). While doing research for it, I thought, “Wow! This is something I’d love to keep doing.” I hadn’t heard much about musicology before that, as there wasn’t a musicologist on faculty at USA. So, pursuing that thesis opened my eyes to the field.

That motivated me to pursue a master’s degree in musicology at Florida State University, where I learned about ethnomusicology for the first time. That was another “lightbulb” moment for me, as my research trajectory completely changed after learning about ethnomusicological methods and theories. Since then I have felt much more “at home” with those approaches.

Insider Extra: April 1

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Need A TA?

Psychedelic Weirdos

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Rolling Stone editor Christian Hoard; Elephant 6 historian Adam Clair; and Richmond music expert Doug Nunnally. Plus! Reading Rainbow on TikTok, Klaus Nomi, and more! But first…

There’s Really No Following That Up

When David Bowie performed “The Man Who Sold The World” on Saturday Night Live in 1979, many were hypnotized by a bizarre mise-en-scène that consisted of Bowie, dressed in a plastic tuxedo, transported down the stage by two robotic cabaret-like backup singers. One of these singers was New York-via-Berlin countertenor Klaus Nomi, who had been introduced to Bowie at the Mudd Club—one of many places where Nomi performed his operatic, vaudeville-like covers of pop classics and originals.

The story of Klaus Nomi is a tragic one, not only due to the lack of visibility customary for those ahead of their time, but also for having his career cut short due to his death at the age of 39, of AIDS-related complications. His legacy, however, would extend beyond the East Village art world, inspiring musicians such as Soft Cell’s Marc Almond and Ernesto Tomasini.

Andrew Horn’s The Nomi Song, which the director describes as “part documentary, part music film, part sci-fi,” is greatly responsible for Nomi’s posthumous recognition. Gathering interviews, live footage, and other seemingly unrelated visual references, the 2004 film is a fitting portrait of an artist who left an indelible mark on the early ’80s New Wave/punk scene.

Christian Hoard is music editor at Rolling Stone. He’s been involved with the magazine in one way or another for nearly two decades now, and overseeing the music department for the last five. He got his start writing about music at his college newspaper, the Michigan Daily, and then went from an internship at The Village Voice to writing at Rolling Stone. As he puts it, “for the son of a truck driver from Michigan, all of this has been pretty exciting.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I was an English major loosely planning to become an academic or a lawyer. But I also wanted to write. Late in college, 1999 I think, I started reviewing records and doing interviews for the school paper, the Michigan Daily. By that point I was a pretty obsessive music fan; I spent a lot of time and what disposable income I had at Ann Arbor’s many used record stores. Around then I started reading a lot of rock criticism, first to figure out what I should listen to and then because it was eye-opening to see people do it so well. Robert Christgau’s Consumer Guides were very influential, as were Greil Marcus’s books. Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone, Greg Tate, Ann Powers, Ellen Willis: all big for me. I read everything in the Village Voice’s music section back then.

Not quite knowing what to do after college, I did in fact apply to law schools and grad programs, and eventually decided to go to grad school at Columbia for ethnomusicology, which was partly an excuse to move to New York and see if I could write. Before leaving Michigan I applied to an internship at the Voice, and a few weeks after 9/11, Chuck Eddy, who was then the music editor, called to offer me the gig. It was a lively, old-school place; they had a smoking lounge. Christgau, Michael Musto, Richard Goldstein, and J. Hoberman were around. Nat Hentoff was friendly and had a cluttered office. They let me write record reviews even though I didn’t quite know what I was doing.

Adam Clair is the author of the new book Endless Endless: A Lo-Fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery, which shines a light on the beloved Athens, Georgia, label associated with bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, and Olivia Tremor Control. As Adam explains in the interview, it’s anything but a straightforward history.

Can you please briefly describe the book?

The book is about the Elephant 6 Recording Company, a music collective that formed in the early ‘90s and eventually amassed a cult following and massive cultural significance. The most notable work the collective produced came from one of its founders, Jeff Mangum, and his band, Neutral Milk Hotel, whose 1998 album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of the most beloved and influential indie rock records ever made. What’s especially captivating to people about Jeff is that after releasing that record and touring on it, when it was showing up toward the top of lots of year-end rankings and A&R people from major labels began sniffing around, Jeff dropped out. He stopped performing. He stopped releasing music. He stopped doing interviews. He didn’t even tell his bandmates why he was stopping, or even that he was stopping. Within a year or two, his bandmates all had new bands, and it was growing clear that something was up, though nobody could say what or why.

Since then, that mystery has burned, with Jeff offering no corrections to the growing rumors and myths, and his own friends and collaborators just as confused by his absence. My book answers the questions about his disappearance conclusively. But mystique is a big reason for the passionate following that Jeff and his Elephant 6 colleagues cultivated, so while I think I solved a few mysteries, I also tried to provoke at least as many questions as I answered.

Doug Nunnally is a journalist based in Richmond, Virginia. He’s the founder of The Auricular, a publication that seeks to cover anything and everything having to do with the city’s music scene. Earlier this year, he also brought local folks together to launch the Newlin Music Prize, an award given to Richmond’s best album of the year.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

Originally, my life goal was to become a music teacher, hopefully in middle or high school. I did band all through school and tried to do a new instrument or two every semester for the various groups and classes. Band geek was a distinction of honor for me back then. Maybe it still is. I don’t know. I was never particularly talented, but I worked hard at it and felt connected to it. Sometime towards the end of high school though, I began to write some columns and reviews… not about music, but professional wrestling. Completely by happenstance. Just saw a job posting for columnists on a website I frequented and took a chance. It worked somehow. I could post up to 5 or 6 columns a month if I wanted so I got to work. Match ratings, opinions on how the quality of various shows and events were, random musings. It was rough work, very unrefined and aimless, but it hooked me. I was writing as much as I could, even branching out by doing interviews and starting a “podcast” or whatever they were called in 2004.

Pretty soon, writing became a passion of mine and I tried to double major in college in music education and journalism. Neither panned out and music education, in that sense, faded away. But writing stuck around. I started my own site, collaborated with a ton of other writers, got to work on a lot of cool projects, interviewed and made connections with some people who would make a big impact 5, 10, 15 years later, ended up on MSNBC randomly, and just kept looking for more to do. Pay was miniscule, but I was having a blast and felt myself getting better with each article and project. By mid-2007, I began to get burnt out. I had taken on too much, the pay wasn’t improving, and a lot of unfortunate things had occurred in the pro wrestling scene. My interest plummeted and I wrote very sparingly over the next two years without a “scene” to cover. But the itch to write was still there as strong as ever.

Insider Extra: March 25

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

Yep

Nonsense Or Nietzsche

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with Uncut editor Michael Bonner; Nigerian freelance writer Oris Aigbokhaevbolo; and Joel Heng Hartse, author of the new book Dancing about Architecture is a Reasonable Thing to Do. Plus! Noise pollution in India, Amazonian sound mysteries, and more! But first…

Amen

The circling threat in Curupira, Creature of the Woods is rarely seen but reliably heard. Directed by Félix Blume and featuring members of the Tauary community in the Amazon rainforest, there’s no on-screen dialogue, just subtitled voice-overs sharing stories of encounters with the titular mythological creature, while villagers listen on headphones to recordings that may or may not contain clues to its existence.

Unseen characters seem to track the creature, though there’s no equivalent to the Patterson-Gimlin footage to further convince or debunk. We only hear stories of the Curupira’s sirenic power, causing men to get lost in the forest and never return. People share contradictory claims about her sonic signatures, appearance, and modus operandi. It may be short like a child, with backwards feet, a face like a monkey and screaming from their belly button, which is—shades of the Death Star’s exhaust port—also the precise place it must be shot in order to die. It could live inside a tree trunk, or might manifest as a bird or woodpecker, mimicking elements of their song and rhythm to lure people deeper into the jungle. There are beautiful, inhuman sounds—growls and thwacks, whispers and hoots, trees and wind and birds. But what do you need to see to believe, and when are your ears enough?

The focus is on people as they listen, some with furrowed brows and closed eyes of locked-in attention, others bored, and some occasionally scanning the treeline, stressed and anxious. One sings about “The Pearl of Brazil,” and wonders whether the creature is an agent of anti-deforestation, ensnaring those who seek to exploit the forest for their own gain. In the end, it’s something like a Francisco Lopez recording mixed with suspense thriller, a climate crisis morality tale of environmental protection.

Michael Bonner is the editor of Uncut, a UK-based monthly music magazine currently celebrating its 300th issue. Michael began as the magazine’s film editor when it launched in May 1997, eventually moving to features editor, and finally editor at the start of 2018. As he puts it, “I’m very proud of—and probably a little sentimental towards—Uncut, which has been my home for 25 years. I’m endlessly grateful that I’m still doing the job that I love.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I started out in comics in the late ‘80s. I wrote for Deadline, Marvel UK and other publishers—it was (paid) hobby writing, essentially, while I finished my A levels. I did a year at University, before realising I could have more fun and possibly make a living writing full time. By then, I’d begun freelancing for Melody Maker—this is 1989. I was a lowly freelancer at the Maker, until around 1995 when I was invited to edit Preview, the paper’s entertainment section—films, TV, books. Even though the section only covered two pages, we’d have interviews with (subversive genius of UK TV shows The Day Today and Jam) Chris Morris next to the Coen brothers or (Guardian newspaper cartoonist) Steve Bell, so it felt like we covered a lot of ground every week.

Then I moved to Uncut as film editor when we launched in May 1997. This coincided with the ascent of filmmakers like Tarantino, Linklater, Soderbergh etc. At the same time, the industry was beginning to grasp the value of anniversaries. The DVD was taking off—The Godfather making its DVD debut to coincide with its 25th anniversary, etc. Over the years, my role shifted and I became features editor. Then I became editor at the start of 2018. I’m very proud of—and probably a little sentimental towards—Uncut, which has been my home for 25 years. I’m endlessly grateful that I’m still doing the job that I love.

Oris Aigbokhaevbolo is a freelance writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. He was previously the West African editor for Music in Africa, and is currently putting the finishing touches on a book that “gives an account of the evolution of Nigerian music and film over the past decade.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

It started with a love of books and writing. For some reason, I liked words: the sound of them, the meaning of them, even the look of them. So I was one of those kids who would read a dictionary. But it never occurred to me that it was possible to write until I got into the university. I was studying pharmacy, but buying way too many literary books at a second-hand bookstore whose owner would bring cartons and cartons of books to my school. It was from that store I bought I bought the second volume of Writers at Work, the series published by The Paris Review. One of the interviews was with Hemingway. I read it and it changed my life. It is a cliché these days but it is true. It ruined my life as a pharmacy student and remade it into the person responding to your questions.

Around the same time, I started buying old issues of Time magazine. Mostly bootlegged copies because the front page would be ripped off or the part with the words TIME torn off. The culture pages were fascinating. I had always been into learning lyrics of songs but now I was thinking about them. I was also thinking about films. One evening I saw a Kanye West video and I think it was that moment I said I was going to have to write about Nigerian songs. American songs had their critics. I should try to do the same with my own culture.

Joel Heng Hartse is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, where he teaches courses in academic writing, TESOL, and education. His academic work has appeared in a variety of journals, and he’s the former editor of the journal Discourse & Writing / Rédactologie and incoming president (2022-2024) of the Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing. His music criticism, meanwhile, has appeared in Image, Geez, and many more. His latest book is Dancing about Architecture is a Reasonable Thing to Do. If you’d like to check out the book launch event, you can register here.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

I’m primarily an academic (technically my job title is “Senior Lecturer” but I’m basically a professor) who does music writing on the side, but I’ve been trying to find a way to bring those two things closer together for years. I’ve been in love with pop music and language for as long as I can remember, and 25 years ago thought I’d either become a rock star or a journalist, not realizing there are various degrees of things in between one can be.

I started writing about music when I was a teenager who was obsessed with Christian rock—which was the subject of my first book, Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll, which is a sort of memoir of 90’s Christian rock fandom—I wrote a fanzine that I never published; it just sat on my dad’s computer in the basement. I was an avid reader of music magazines and just devoured and absorbed everything I could get my hands on, from Christian rock websites to CMJ to Rolling Stone to the Rocket (RIP).

Insider Extra: March 18

I’m Todd L. Burns, and I put together Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. The newsletter collects some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; highlights news about the industry; and features interviews with writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com.

In this edition of Insider Extra: Reading recommendations, job listings, and more!

A True Investigative Reporter

Gradually Mechanized

I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you’re not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.

Today in the newsletter: Interviews with The Bridge executive producer Jayson Rodriguez; podcasters Matt Linder & Krystal Nylle Roberts; and musicologist and historian of technology Nikita Braguinski. Plus! Lots and lots of recommendations for things to read, listen to, and watch. But first…

May I Recommend Tequila Shots To “Into Dust”?

Four years were more than enough for dance and theatre group Dzi Croquettes to make their mark in Brazil. From 1972 until 1976—with the country under a strict (and often violent) military dictatorship—the androgynous troupe defied Brazil’s traditionalist system and a strangling censorship that menaced each and every alternative cultural paradigm.

The name, of course, says it all: drawing inspiration from the San Franciscan legendary Cockettes, 13 men regularly put on outrageous shows that mixed musical revue, Broadway, and a great dose of humour in order to bring much needed colour to Brazilian society. Their contagious energy spread abroad, too: “I was knocked out!,” exclaims Liza Minnelli, who later supported the group during their exile in Paris, where they wowed Josephine Baker and collaborated with Claude Lelouch in his film Le Chat et la Souris.

Gathering testimonies from almost every living member of the group, as well as several well-known names from the Brazilian artistic universe such as Ney Matogrosso, Betty Faria, Gilberto Gil, Miguel Falabella, and Cláudia Raia, this documentary details the spectacular rise and fall of Dzi Croquettes, from their Rio de Janeiro beginnings to unexpected glory in Europe and a disgraceful ending involving drugs, AIDS, and even murder.

Jayson Rodriguez is the showrunner and executive producer of The Bridge. Hosted by Nas and Miss Info, the podcast features “candid conversations with legendary figures who developed [hip-hop] culture and the new generation of voices carrying hip-hop forward.” He’s also the man behind the excellent newsletter Backseat Freestyle, an essential read for anyone looking to gain insight into the hip-hop landscape.

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

My family is very into music, so it was always around the house in ways that weren’t just background purposes. My father listened to Latin music and toiled around with a guitar as a hobby; we also had extended family nearby and the men would come together for jam sessions. My mother played a lot of Motown on the weekends and oldies from the 60s on the radio during the week. And maybe most foundational is that I have three older brothers whose tastes overlap but there’s enough of a distinctive identity for each of them and I wanted to be like all of them. From my brothers I got into everything like Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Prince, Billy Joel, Wham, Young MC, Tone Loc, Madonna, Rick James, INXS. Then it was me finding where my interests lie in music and gravitating to different sounds, which went from boy band stuff to movie soundtracks to novelty tunes.

The game-changing thing for me was when I traded a friend some 45 vinyl I can’t even remember for Musical Youth’s “Pass The Dutchie.” From there the floodgates opened when I discovered my tastes. I stole Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel cassette from one of my brothers. While sneaking into that same friend’s older brother’s room, I saw he was watching Yo! MTV Raps and when Big Daddy Kane’s “Ain’t No Half-Steppin” music video came on it was like breathing air for the first time.

Matt Linder is a hip-hop scholar, freelance podcast producer, and the creator of Flickers, a podcast exploring the work and lives of musicians who incorporate spirituality in their music. The newest season is all about Lauryn Hill, which is why Matt brought on Krystal Nylle Roberts, a writer and self-described “Lauryn Hill researcher.”

How did you get to where you are today, professionally?

Krystal Nylle Roberts: I left to go to college at age 17 with the idea of majoring in business so that I could start my own recording label and write songs for my artists. Four years later, I came out with a degree in business administration from Florida A&M University expected by everyone to enter corporate America, and that’s what I did—begrudgingly. The dream of my label and a songwriting career was dead because I had to make money and I hadn’t learned enough about entrepreneurship to sustain myself and build a damn record label.

Instead, my songwriting became just a hobby, but writing poetry and performing spoken word became a passion. I spent time on the spoken word scene in Atlanta where I developed confidence in my voice, and where I really regained my burning passion for writing. Over the past 17 years, I’ve worked in corporate America on and off as I’ve quit many jobs periodically to pursue different things. I was an open mic host for a while. I quit to try to start my own digital marketing company. I quit to attend graduate school at the Savannah College of Art and Design where I got my MFA in professional writing. I quit to become an Adjunct English teacher for a year and a half before COVID hit. That’s just to name a few. I’ve published some poetry and an essay in between and traveled the East Coast by Amtrak, just to document life and figure out my path.

Nikita Braguinski is a musicologist and historian of technology. He studied musicology at the University of Cologne and wrote his PhD in media theory at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He was a visiting postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, a postdoctoral fellow in the music department at Harvard University, and most recently a postdoctoral researcher at Humboldt University. His new book is Mathematical Music: From Antiquity to Music AI.

Can you please briefly describe yourself and what you do?

I am a musicologist with a special interest in connections between music, technology, and mathematics. I studied musicology in Cologne, Germany, wrote my PhD in Berlin on early video game music, and now continue to study the many things that make music for us (or maybe instead of us).

When people hear I study music technology, they first of all think of recording technology, like the vinyl record or an mp3. But this is in fact not at all what I study most. Instead, I personally find it much more interesting to look at technologies that create, or seem to create, what we call music. So, I look at how artificial intelligence (AI), and especially machine learning or deep learning, is used to generate music. But I also find it equally fascinating to look at the ways people ingeniously employed all the other possibilities that they had before the computer came, like shuffled stacks of cards, slabs of wood, paper circles, and, of course, the famous rolling dice.