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Aaron Lee Tasjan: Pop Goes the Rock
Willie Nelson made Aaron Lee Tasjan throw his guitar away. No, the stoney country legend didn’t request that Tasjan toss his instrument; rather, the singer-songwriter had a petulant pandemic freak-out during an April livestream, marched outside, and dumped his guitar into the trash. “Right before you play [on the Come and Toke It stream], you do a little interview with Willie, then he introduces you; it’s virtual, but you kinda get to hang with Willie,” Tasjan tells SPIN over the phone from his Nashville home. “That’s the coolest gig I’ve ever heard of in my life. I decided to play electric guitar for some reason. This is my first time ever meeting Willie Nelson, probably the only time he’s ever heard my music. During the stream, you can see people responding to whatever is happe...
Five Drum & Bass Artists to Watch in 2021
Though COVID-19 threw a wrench in plans for all things music-related last year, the #DNB2020 movement, spurred by drum & bass’ rising and established talent, still proved to be an important one. Last year saw some of drum & bass’ brightest new artists step into the spotlight. Artists such as Justin Hawkes (fka Flite), REAPER, and Zeal certainly dominated, garnering support from the genre’s biggest names, like Sub Focus and Netsky. But #DNB2020 was just the beginning for others, who are set to explode in the year to come. Here are five drum & bass artists to watch out for in 2021. WINSLOW Winslow got some well-deserved recognition toward the end of 2020, when UKF began to catch wind of the stateside drum & bass producer’s penchant...
History Personified: Lenny Kaye’s Life in Music
The Greenwich Village of the 1960s was a carnival of music, literature, poetry, coffee houses, free love, fashion and great ethnic food. The neighborhood’s heartbeat was Bleecker Street, where one could hear the soon-to-be-discovered Bob Dylan at The Village Gate, or Joni Mitchell at The Bitter End. 1967 saw the arrival of Village Oldies on Bleecker Street, a record store offering doo-wop, disco, rock and roll, blues, garage, and rare overseas finds. This open-all-night mecca of music soon became the late-night hang for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa, and was where an aspiring poet/singer named Patti Smith met store clerk and musician Lenny Kaye. CREDIT: Jonathan Broady Flash forward 50-plus years and Kaye, who spent 46 years with Smith as a founding member and guitarist of the ...
No, Not That EV1: Saab’s EV-1 Wasn’t Electric But It Was Awesome
Half a decade before the GM EV1 electric car burst onto the scene, beginning a saga that would last until the controversial end of the lease program in the 2000s, Saab had its own EV-1. The acronym held a different meaning, and the two cars couldn’t be different in concept or execution. But the EV1 is still remembered, and the EV-1 is as obscure as they come. We think the Saab EV-1 deserves its day in the sun, too. See all 4 photos The 1985 Experimental Vehicle 1 wasn’t driven by electricity, although interestingly enough it featured roof-mounted solar panels that powered a cabin cooling fan—take a look at its solar-oven-like greenhouse and you’ll understand why that was a necessity. Mechanically, it was heavily based on the 900 Turbo, with a turbocharged inline-four powe...
How to Fix Up a Project Car on any Budget, From $50 and Up
It’s done. You’ve pulled the trigger on that project car and dragged it home. Project cars come in all shapes and sizes, so let’s assume you’ve found yourself one that runs, but just barely. Only your true die-hard hot-rod buddies get it. Everybody else thinks you’re crazy. You see what the non-believers can’t, not a rusty junkyard escapee but a soon-to-be cruiser that just needs a little tweaking to become a loyal daily driver. Building it is a moral imperative. There are a hundred things that it needs and a thousand cool parts you want, but you can’t afford them all—heck, you can’t afford any of ’em. You just laid down most of your cash for the right to put your name on the title. But you can still plan. And that’s what we desig...
Before the First Jeep Grand Cherokee, There Was the Concept 1
Before the first Jeep Grand Cherokee drove up the stairs and through a giant glass window at the 1992 Detroit Auto Show, a dramatic entrance for a vehicle that generated huge interest at the time, Jeep had previously shown off the Concept 1. The Concept 1’s lines were a direct preview of the “ZJ” Grand Cherokee to come, but that wasn’t the intent at the time. This was supposed to be the next Cherokee. Jeep wanted its next Cherokee to be roomier, with greater passenger comfort and cargo space. They also wanted to update the Cherokee’s appearance, with a smoother and more elegant look. The XJ Cherokee is a cult classic now, but by the late ’80s it was simply a boxy SUV starting to age. The Concept 1, using the same unibody architecture underneath, brought ...
Jeep Grand Cherokee: MotorTrend’s 1993 Truck of the Year
The MotorTrend ’93 Truck of the Year competition proved that intensity isn’t a function of quantity. Although only three trucks answered the call this year, there was no shortage of talent. Each entrant is a standout in its own class. The Ford Ranger, for instance, has been the best-selling compact pickup in America for the last six years. The Isuzu Trooper is the all-time sales champ for import SUVs. And the Jeep Grand Cherokee, of course, is Chrysler’s sequel to the popular Cherokee, the vehicle that almost single-handedly built the four-door SUV segment. Naturally, other new trucks were introduced over the past year. But the new Land Rover Range Rover County LWB and Defender SUVs, and Chevrolet and GMC turbodiesel extended-cab pickups couldn’t meet...
Buick’s Big, Bad V-8 Engines: The Nailhead, 430, 400, 455, and More
When Buick replaced its overhead-valve inline-eight in 1953, the Nailhead became the company’s first pushrod V-8. The engine took its name from the small valve covers mounted on top of the heads. Under the valve covers, the vertically mounted valves created an almost hemispherical combustion chamber. With a massively oversquare design (4-inch bore, 3.2-inch stroke), the Nailhead liked to rev. Combined a narrow design and good torque, early hot rodders in the 1950s found favor with the Nailhead. See all 6 photos The head design ultimately created exhaust-flow problems, but those first Nailhead tinkerers tried all manner of fuel-and-air delivery. From Strombergs to four-barrels to triple-twos, the Nailhead saw it all. Of all the Nailhead tuners in the world, none could be more popular ...
Why Access to Technology is Critical for Farmers in Africa
The African continent is home to an estimated 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, an abundance of fresh water and about 300 days of sunshine each year, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the reality is that the agriculture industry is mostly made up of the older African generation — who often discourage their children from working with the land. So despite seemingly ideal farming conditions, African nations spend close to $65 billion importing food — a number that is expected to grow exponentially within the next decade. The African Development Bank (ABD) believes that this is unsustainable and unaffordable — noting that the secret to the continent’s economic viability and growth is to equip farmers, as well as the next-generation, with training, advice an...
Sweet 16 (Cylinders): Three V-16 Classic Cars Hit the Auction Block
Sick of the wheezy four-cylinder in your family commuter? We don’t blame you. With gas still (relatively) cheap and internal combustion still legal, it just might be time to let your quarantine-length hair down and upsize to something a bit more Jurassic. We say skip the Scat Pack and to hell with the Bimmer V-12; it’s time to quadruple your cylinders with one of three V-16 flavors available at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Arizona sale. Behold—the first and only V-16 supercar ever made. Yes, ever-ever. Don’t cite the Bugatti Veyron and Chiron, either—those billionaire bruisers rumble around Monaco with a “W-16” cylinder configuration that’s conceptually a bit like two inline-fours smashed together on each cylinder bank rather than two V-8s welded down the...
Sam Jayne and the Plight of Indie Musicians Amid the Pandemic
Artists often go unnoticed until they inspire you. Until they lead you by the hand into a brand new understanding of the world, they could just be the louder-than-life character sitting next to you at the bar. Hell, they could even be serving you your next beer. Last month, we lost an unsung talent in the indie-rock world: Sam Jayne, songwriter of the influential Olympia, Washington post-hardcore band Lync and, later, Love as Laughter. Jayne grew up in Seattle and relocated years ago from the Pacific Northwest to Brooklyn, where he followed a trajectory that many blue-collar musicians easily caught up in: record music, tour and find service jobs that will be waiting for you when you get back home. Jayne lived that life, becoming a bartending fixture at local bars like Clem’s in...
6 Digital Tranformation Trends for 2021
Thanks to 2020, predictions for the new year might not be so unrealistic. But predictions are one thing, trends are another. Here’s a quick look at six technology insights for 2021: 1. Accelerated Adjustment to the Pandemic COVID-19 shocked all businesses last year. However, enterprises are becoming used to the new normal “and digitisation should return to previous levels of growth in 2021,” says Peter Mülders, Customer Success Manager at Synthesis. /* custom css */ .tdi_3_4fe.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_3_4fe.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } 2. Continued Growth of Cloud There was substantial growth in cloud this past year. AWS Revenue grew 29% year-on-year in quarter three to $11.6bn and Microsoft Azure Revenue increased by 48% year-on-year in quarter three to an estimate...
