Texas **Squirrel** Abortion **Squirrel** Roe v. Wade **Squirrel**
... or why the Left needs to stop playing whack-a-mole and actually do something about abortion
HEY….. YOU….. FOCUS! Remember all the cynical, tragically effective “let’s trigger libs” trolling of the Trump era? The bad faith chatter isn’t abating, but…. exhale … it’s no longer coming from a place of power. Even a modicum of focus would allow the left to set the agenda in a way that ensures priorities (including […]
A Note from Wax Atlas' Owner RE RSD
This is the full text of a flyer that I gave out to my customers on RSD 6/12/21. Each was signed by me. Wax Atlas owner Andy Phillips here, adopting the first person to say what an utter dream it is to be part of such a vibrant, supportive, collaborative, and caring record community. Baltimore […]
Lift the Spirit. Psych the Soul: Wax Atlas Celebrates Soul, Jazz, and Spirituality in the 70s
With far-reaching jazz and soul excursions, 60s artists like John Coltrane and Sun Ra laid the groundwork for a new kind of Black representation in art. They rejected European norms, creating innovative soundtracks for a more afro-positive future. By 1970 Free Jazz, Funk and Psych had become mainstays of both pop and the avant-garde underground, […]
Advice to a Young Music Critic
EXCERPT FROM: “What’s the Write Word: 100 Music Writers offer advice to aspiring critics…” To make it as a music critic, you need to consume music at a psychotic pace. Not forever, but definitely for now. Being a music writer isn’t the same as being a music fan. When I was starting out, I would […]
Perhaps the most anticipated album of our age, Guns ‘N Roses’ long-brewing Chinese Democracy broke its 15-year gestation period with a bit of a whimper. While the media’s incredulous exhortations of the album were unrelenting in the weeks before its release, sales and radio response have been somewhat less stunning. The critical reaction is similarly mixed: Paste called the record […]
Björk Plays Dirty Projectors, Live: 10 Anecdotes You Won’t Read Anywhere Else
Everyone knew last Friday’s one-off collaboration between NYC art-rock outfit Dirty Projectors and Icelandic pop institution Björk would be epic. The real question was, HOW big would it be? Brokered by Stereogum’s Brandon Stosuy, the meeting of the (very weird) minds took place after Projectors’ Dave Longstreth composed a piece — an ode to whales and Mount Wittenberg — […]
Plastic People of the Universe: The Dissident Soul of Czech Revolution, Reborn
Your average critic becomes a little uneasy when asked to ventue into the realm of cultural historian, but The Plastic People of the Universe leave us little choice. Founded in the ’60s and playing increasingly underground well into the ’70s, this once illegal Czech act was more than a band; it was revolution incarnate. Not […]
The Jewel Bright Hardness: Thoughts on Support and Understanding While in Recovery
The night is long, and you are all alone. Even snuggled in the softest cotton, a darkness consumes the stream of hospital lights peaking under the door, shadows snickering into the spiked malaise of the sick body below. Drug addicts call the moment of dispossessed terror a “K-Hole,” but I prefer the image of a […]
My Rhymes Come Cold: Jurassic 5's Marc 7 on Drugs, Meditation and Mastery
There’s a dull click, then a soft fuzz. My ear perks as the needle meets wax. Head bowed, unassuming, a man reaches forward. Boom! With a whip of his wrist he sends a sharp stab across the audience. With a smooth lift, the man ushers in a moment of silence. Ears ringing, the crowd stands quietly, anticipating […]
Staying Classic in Trendy Times: Chris Bray of Billykirk on Life and Leather
Clothing trends come and go faster than a super-cute fashion-week freebie. But the prominent leather impresarios behind Billykirk simply aren’t interested. Partnering with the Pennsylvania Dutch, brothers Chris and Kirk Bray create a line of handmade leather products that are simultaneously cosmopolitan and relics of a classic age. Yes, they’ve got a store in Lower […]