Howlin' Wolf in a San Francisco hotel room, July 1968.
(Sandy Guy Schoenfeld/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Howlin' Wolf in a San Francisco hotel room, July 1968.
(Sandy Guy Schoenfeld/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
MUSICREDEF PICKS
The Combat Jack Story, Trap Music Rules the World, Lucy Dacus, Susannah Melvoin, Courtney Barnett...
Matty Karas, curator February 16, 2018
QUOTABLES!
quote of the day
If we don't fix how music creators are paid by digital streaming services, we may never hear the great songs of tomorrow.
music
rant n' rave
rantnrave://

The RECORDING ACADEMY has let its members know that while female representation in the GRAMMY AWARDS is wanting, it's better than the music industry as a whole is doing. Which is a rather defensive way to begin its exploration of its own shortcomings, but it is a start, an acknowledgment that the Academy isn't where it needs to be and can no longer rest on the argument that there simply aren't enough to women to fill up all those categories and all those on-air performance slots. The organization is urging members to read a USC ANNENBERG study that put the Academy and the industry in a critical light and telling them, "Part of music’s power is its ability to raise awareness around important cultural issues and effect change. It is in this spirit that we move forward." It's still not clear the Academy can satisfy the industry that it will be able to move forward with its current leadership. For now, it's simply promising more details in the weeks ahead about its task force on "female advancement"... I know I'm jumping on a bandwagon at this point, but damn, ADAM RIPPON knows how to curate his music. Everybody's favorite OLYMPIC skater did his short program to EDDIE THONEICK's remix of IDA CORR and FEDDE LE GRAND's 2007 house single "LET ME THINK ABOUT IT," and it was as good a match of performance, personality and song as we've seen in a Games that has drawn a lot of attention for its music even if a lot of it has been cheesy, obvious or awkward. Rippon isn't competing for a medal anymore, just the beating hearts of the world... Does anyone have $489,000 I can borrow?... Rap on TV: SACHA JENKINS' feature-length doc about the power of rhyme in hip-hop, WORD IS BOND, premieres tonight on SHOWTIME; it features NAS, RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE and more... And APPLE MUSIC premieres the long-delayed BEFORE ANYTHANG: THE CASH MONEY STORY, narrated by BIRDMAN and a modest one and a half years behind schedule... Please jump off a cliff, DJ MANCOW... It's FRIDAY and that means new music from EVERYTHING IS RECORDED, NIPSEY HUSSLE, SUPERCHUNK, U.S. GIRLS, BRANDI CARLILE, LAURIE ANDERSON & KRONOS QUARTET, I'M WITH HER, MARLON WILLIAMS, CAR SEAT HEADREST (and this, um all-star Car Seat bonus), TYGA, THE REVEREND SHAWN AMOS, FISCHERSPOONER, FELIX JAEHN, TIGRAN HAMASYAN, OUGHT, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, THE PLOT IN YOU, BELLE AND SEBASTIAN, POLIÇA & STARGAZE and WILD BEASTS.

Matty Karas, curator

February 16, 2018