FEATURES
Found Out About Youth: How Gin Blossoms Became My Small-Town Alt-Rock Saviors
I was 13 going on 14 when I started working at a family-run supermarket in Whitehorse, Yukon called Food Fair. It was the summer of 1995; Toy Story was a new movie that challenged our expectations of animation and Randy Newman; we were beginning to grapple with the reality of the Frappuccino; and we flirted with Pogs as the next Marbles. But I remember Gin Blossoms the most. Yes, the “Hey Jealousy” band. But to me, they were so much more. At a time in my life when the grocery store’s overhead PA system was my lifeline, Gin Blossoms were my alt-rock radio saviors — raining down hard truths about lust masquerading as love as I sat on a milk crate, turning cans so all the labels faced the same direction, always English side out. (There was a secret war being waged on the French-spe...
For His New Film ‘Reminiscence’, Hugh Jackman Takes A Look Back to Wolverine
Only a few years ago, Hugh Jackman wrapped up 17 years of sporting fake claws as Wolverine for the long-running X-Men franchise, and he has since shot down any speculation of a reprisal. But for his role in the upcoming film Reminiscence, the actor tapped into some of the same characteristics he developed when acting as the beloved Marvel superhero. Released later this month, Reminiscence sees Jackman as an anti-hero on-screen once again — albeit, this time without the superpowers. Jackman plays Nick Bannister, a veteran living in a near-future version of Miami flooded by rising sea levels, and who is tasked with aiding those seeking to escape the bleak present-day by reliving the memories of their choice. But when his newfound lover Mae (played by the Mission: Impossible star Rebecca Ferg...
Up Yours! The Black, Queer, and Feminist Artists That Revolutionized Punk
Consequence’s Punk Week continues with an essay on the “outsider” artists who have succeeded in and revolutionized the genre, despite the odds being stacked against them. Keep checking back throughout the week for interviews, lists, editorials and videos — it’s all things punk, all the time. Flip through the annals of punk history, and consider the bands often cited as icons: The Clash, Sex Pistols, X, Black Flag, Fugazi, Ramones, Green Day, Rancid, blink-182. These artists certainly deserve their lofty status and every plaudit thrown their way, although you might notice that these acts (largely) feature lineups dominated by straight, white, cisgender men. On the surface, this seems counterintuitive. Punk is often positioned as a reaction against the mainstream, a way to include marginaliz...
How It All Started: Dance Music’s Most Influential Labels Reflect On Their First-Ever Release
Dance music wasn’t always this popular. In fact, the sights and sounds we now associate with the genre were once considered taboo. They were the emblems of a counterculture forced to blossom not out in the open, but in the safe confines of arcane nightclubs and warehouse raves. So how did electronic music break through the glass ceiling? Before the songs of Above & Beyond, Roger Sanchez, Armin van Buuren, and other legendary producers rattled the world’s biggest festival stages, they were auditory ugly ducklings on a quest to reach their full potential. The music always had the potential to fly, but without the help of the gutsy independent record labels willing to back it, its wings would forever remain clipped. And after all these years, those indies have proven...
Remembering ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill, who passed away on July 28, was born Joseph Michael Hill in Dallas on May 19, 1949. He and his older brother Rocky were raised by their mother, Myrl, who moved the family to Memphis when Dusty was five. By night she was a nightclub singer and by day and she worked in a café that was frequented by a talented youngster named Elvis Presley. As Dusty tells it, “When I was about seven, we moved back to Dallas. My mother brought one of Elvis’ 45s with her and put it in the jukebox where she worked as a waitress. So I started to get influenced by Elvis right away. “I started singing professionally when I was about eight – in front of the jukebox and people would give me money.” Soon after, Rocky learned to play guitar and Dusty picked up the bass when he was 13. He explained, “Rocky p...
Remembering Dusty Hill
Dusty Hill, who passed away on July 28, was born Joe Michael Hill in Dallas on May 19, 1949. He and his older brother Rocky were raised by their mother, Myrl, who moved the family to Memphis when Dusty was five. By night she was a nightclub singer and by day and she worked in a café that was frequented by a talented youngster named Elvis Presley. As Dusty tells it, “When I was about seven, we moved back to Dallas. My mother brought one of Elvis’ 45s with her and put it in the jukebox where she worked as a waitress. So I started to get influenced by Elvis right away. “I started singing professionally when I was about eight – in front of the jukebox and people would give me money.” Soon after, Rocky learned to play guitar and Dusty picked up the bass when he was 13. He explained, “Rocky play...
Song of the Week: Lizzo and Cardi B Confidently Confirm All of the “Rumors”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Lizzo and Cardi B team up to set the record straight with “Rumors.” Stop the presses: Lizzo has finally returned with new music for the first time since 2019. “Rumors” is a bop featuring Cardi B, who sails in with one of her best verses in recent memory. Neither of these women can be bothered with people trying to tear them down, silence them, or make them smaller in any sense, and the song fits neatly into Lizzo’s discography as an unapologetic anthem. The accompanying music video could serve as Lizzo’s audition for one of the ic...
Rap Song of the Week: Denzel Curry Plays “The Game” on Expert Mode
Our newest feature, Rap Song of the Week, breaks down and talks about the rap and hip-hop tracks we just can’t get out of our head each week. Check out the full playlist here. For our first installment, Denzel Curry returns with his first solo release in over a year. With one of the most versatile and technical flows out there, Denzel Curry has a multitude of ways to approach production like G.O.O.D. Music affiliate Charlie Heat’s lowrider beat on “The Game.” Choosing a carefully measured flow so listeners can hear every word, the Carol City rapper assesses the current state of hip-hop culture and tips off his contemporaries to lessons he’s mastered over time. Zel comes in hot from the start, setting the record straight to people who call him a sellout (“I told the hood that I’ma come back...
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EDM.com Playlist Picks: Tiësto, Kygo, Said The Sky and More [8/13/21]
The electronic music community is constantly evolving with new sounds every week, as artists become more innovative with their compositions. EDM.com’s weekly “Playlist Picks” series highlights the top releases in the genre, helping uncover the latest tracks that will soon dominate the dance music scene. Don’t By Shy – Tiësto & KAROL G Love Me Now (feat. Zoe Wees) – Kygo Treading Water – Said The Sky Green Lights (feat. Kate Wild) – AC Slater & Bleu Clair hate u cuz i don’t (feat. Bea Miller) – Louis The Child Recommended Articles Holiday Hills – Loud Luxury OUT OUT (feat. Charli XCX & Saweetie) – Joel Corry & Jax Jones Colorblind (feat. Dayseeker) – Adventure Club & Nurko Sheesh – ...
The Top NBA Teams to Watch Out for This 2021-22 Season
2021’s NBA free-agency definitely didn’t disappoint, as the offseason has proven to be a summer of seismic shifts. Though several teams appeared to lack significant cap space to acquire major players, there have been a few stand-outs that have seen a significant shift in fortunes. The basketball community was hit with a series of major moves including seeing players like Russell Westbrook, Jonas Valanciunas, Kyle Kuzma and Steve Adams amongst those who were traded and shaking up the power rankings in the league. While some deals made were not a surprise, including Kawhi Leonard‘s decision to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers for a four-year $176.3 million USD contract and Luka Doncic agreeing to a five-year, $207 million USD extension with the Dallas Mavericks, some moves have proved t...
The Re-Heating of Fueled By Ramen: 25 Years Later, Artists Still Come First
When Chloe Moriondo was in middle school, listening to favorite bands like Panic! at the Disco and Paramore on YouTube, she noticed that they belonged to a certain cool record label, Fueled By Ramen. Ten years earlier, a teenage Joe Mulherin — better known by his stage name, nothing,nowhere — was daydreaming about his chance to be on that same label; after all, it housed two of his idols, Fall Out Boy and The Academy Is. A few years and perhaps a pinch of destiny later, Moriondo and Mulherin are performers in their own right — and they’re two of Fueled by Ramen’s most promising rising stars to boot. Fueled By Ramen has been a driving force in modern pop and alternative music for 25 years. It began when John Janick (now Chairman/CEO of Interscope Records) launched the label out of his colle...
Artist of the Month Meet Me @ the Altar on Creating Their Own Success: “Why Wouldn’t It Work?”
Artist of the Month is an accolade awarded to an up-and-coming artist or group who we believe is ready for the big time. In August 2021, we turn our attention to rising trio Meet Me @ the Altar as they release their major label debut EP Model Citizen. When talking to Téa Campbell, Ada Juarez, and Edith Johnson, the three members of pop punk group Meet Me @ the Altar, it quickly becomes evident that they are delightfully, inescapably Gen Z. As the trio huddles around a laptop for a conversation — one that touches on their musical journey to date, how finding each other was “fate,” their DIY sensibilities, and more — it becomes clear that they operate within a simple principle: If no one is going to do something for them, they can just do it themselves. The idea of aspirational instrumentali...
