Sarah Bennett

Yesterday marked 20 years since the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the videotaped beating of Rodney King incited several days of violence and looting in South Central Los Angeles. But it's also been 20 years since a similarly motivated uprising erupted in nearby Long Beach, resulting in numerous arrests and causing extensive damage throughout the central and northern parts of town. This rarely gets mentioned in reports of the infamous L.A. Riots.

Chuck D of Public Enemy once famously said that rap music is the black CNN, but in the case of this civil unrest in oft-forgotten Long Beach, it was local ska/punk/reggae/hip-hop/everything band Sublime's song "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" that became the city's own news network.

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GZA performing Liquid Swords
August 24, 2011More >>

​While no record label has come forward to release the follow-up to Morrissey's Years of Refusal, fans of The Smiths can anticipate Rhino Records UK's upcoming Deluxe Collectors Boxset featuring the complete Smiths discography on vinyl, CD and MP3. The limited edition box set includes eight albums on 12" vinyl and CD, 25 7" singles, DVD containing the band's music videos, art prints, poster and high-quality MP3 downloads.More >>

Javier Cabral

Brian Brannon of JFA has been around the punk-rock block a couple of times

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Gnarmageddon Fest 2011
June 18, 2011
The Glass House

The American Hardcore scene has produced (and destroyed) lots of amazing punk-rock legends. Darby Crash of The Germs, Stevo of The Vandals, John Macias of Circle One will all be remembered forever through their fundamental vocal contributions, after all, legends never die right?

But amidst the fallen, there are still a few of those rebel constituents that have persevered and play just as 'gnarly' as they did thirty years ago. And this last Saturday night at The Glass House in Pomona, a handful of those punk-rock protagonists came out to play.
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Groups like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin have demonstrated the volatility of creative partnerships with their dramatic break-ups. They each defined a decade of American music before disbanding and are now remembered as part of a developing rock canon. Hip-hop has had a shorter history than rock, but it does have its share of groups whose music demands a similar canonization. Few acts have avoided the sophomore or late-career slump like A Tribe Called Quest, whose five albums released across the '90s lack the kind of gradual decline often experienced by groups with a long history.More >>

Mozart: Not on the list, but doesn't he look like a hipster in this picture?

​It seems like every other week I come across people who have a budding tendency within themselves to be more enthusiastic about classical music. Whether a hipster, rocker, or person somewhat regretting that he/she never continued playing the violin or piano from a young age, classical music (according to the masses) brings a sense of peace and sensibility to our fist-pumping and head-banging world.

It has been said that classical music is a dying sport of sorts, for the well-to-do and culture snobs, but I say "hooey" (with the gravity of a middle finger) to that. Classical music is for everyone who looks for drama, introspection, a dizzying array of interesting sounds, and of course, a gold lining of refinement.

The following list will serve well as a guide for those looking to explore the awesome repertoire of sounds that is the music of the heavens. BONUS: A handy-dandy pronunciation guide!
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Got Miles?
Looking for miles of Miles? Miles for days?
Look no further than The Complete Columbia Album Collection, which, like the title says, compiles all of the albums jazz legend Miles Davis released on Columbia during his tenure from 1955-1985.
Before I go any further, reader, take a second and guess how many CDs are included in this boxed set?

OK, that would be 70. All of Miles' 52 officially released Columbia albums are included, as well as a previously unreleased 1970 Isle of Wight concert and lots of bonus tracks--all packaged in Japanese-style mini-LP jackets.

Far and away Miles' most significant work was done for Columbia, and includes his mid-'50s post-bop phase; his landmark venture into modal experimentation, which culminated in the historic Kind of Blue (1959); his eminently fruitful period in the mid '60s with his Great Quintet (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter); the entirety of his sometimes messy electric period, beginning in the late 1960s with the sublime In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew and ending with the barely listenable Agharta and Pangaea.There's also his final, uneven spell of six 1980s records, which took a decidedly commercial direction.

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