Notes From Middle America is contributor Danny R. Phillips’ monthly column. You can read past installments here.
Being a long jaded follower of many musical genres, it’s hard for me to be leveled by a new live band; rare is the evil smile on my face or the slow climb of a shiver up my crooked spinal column. Since I’ve become a “professional” music critic as opposed to just another wiseass amateur arguing about music with anyone within earshot, few acts have issued a response in my mind higher than “they’re ok.”
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Like many of you out there, we’re totally excited to see Silversun Pickups back in the news for their highly anticipated April 14 release of Swoon on Dangerbird Records. It’s already getting a lot of love for the debut single “Panic Switch”, which is currently the number one most added single at modern rock radio this week (note: not college). But why are they overlooking their real first show of 2009?
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Posted in News
Notes From Middle America is contributor Danny R. Phillips monthly column. You can read past installments here.
In light of Touch and Go’s recent decision to shut its doors, Bloodshot Records may not be Chicago Illinois’ longest standing label, but at 15 years old, it might now be the “new” reference point for venerable Chicago indies for years to come. Founded in June of 1994 by Rob Miller and Nan Warshaw, the label is home to many acts and genres; whether it be surf lounge (The Dex Romweber Duo), rock (The Detroit Cobras, Firewater), Latin (Cordero), country (Justin Townes Earle) and nearly every other music type you can think of. But while Bloodshot could be called many things, there’s one tag in particular that seems to bother Miller.
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Notes From Middle America is contributor By Danny R. Phillips monthly column. You can read past installments here.
St. Joseph, Missouri. Good God, there just doesn’t seem to be much worthwhile in this poor, forgotten north-central Missouri river town. Our town (eighth largest in the state) began life as a trading post, the Black Snake Trade Post to be exact, by the trapper and trader extraordinaire Joseph Robidoux.
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Posted in Blog
By Danny R. Phillips
The Heartland of America has given fully to both respected culture and pop culture. Missouri, the literal “heart” of the Heartland, can lay claim to the old-West Robin Hood Jesse James, writer Mark Twain, painter Thomas Hart Benton, The Pony Express, the world’s greatest barbecue, Brad Pitt, Walter Cronkite and now, a rock band known throughout our land as The Architects.
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