Paul Robicheau
Free from the stress of leading a major-label band on the road, Mark Sandman could always return home to Hypnosonics, an alternate vehicle for his elastic vision.
It’s rare to find a band that so naturally assimilates its individual voices to strike a collective palette.
This surprisingly seamless record belies its logistical shuffles and players’ cultural differences with a relaxed sonic identity.
The best thing about Holy Calamavote may be that it presents Run the Jewels in a live presentation of RTJ4 that rivals the atmospheric might of the record itself.
Charles Lloyd and Julian Lage and Zakir Hussain served a loose, flowing 65-minute set with complementary facility that belied the novel circumstances.
When Willie dove into “On the Road Again” to close the set, singing of “making music with my friends,” one could envision the same hopes for Farm Aid to resume its annual trek to an amphitheater somewhere in America and stoke the communal cause.
Yes, Newport Folk’s all about the music, but there’s also a collaborative heart at work — and virtual programming spurred donations for the non-profit’s mission to endure.
The solo format at Alexandra Palace recalled his recent “Conversations with Nick Cave” tours, a similar chance for the singer to deconstruct his songs at the piano, except that he never addressed an imagined audience beyond his lyrics.
Too many hip-hop artists stick to defined lanes, but Run the Jewels aspire to run rampant, with a growing sophistication as well as heart, wit, and rage.
Arts Remembrance: Eddie Van Halen
Not since Jimi Hendrix had there been such a game-changer for the electric six-string.
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