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Journal Thursday, August 28, 2008

  • John Adams: Hallelujah Junction [book]
    Monday, August 18, 2008
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    The New Yorker Previews John Adams's Forthcoming Memoir

    John Adams's long-awaited memoir, Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life, is set for release in early October, and this week, The New Yorker has published an excerpt from the book in the article "Sonic Youth: A Composer Finds His Voice." In the magazine's podcast, John discusses the topic, from his early years as a composer in San Francisco through his 1981 breakout piece, Harmonium. In conjunction with the book's launch, Nonesuch will release a two-disc retrospective of the same name featuring some of his best-known works. Adams's latest opera, A Flowering Tree, is available for pre-order now.

  • Randy Newman: Harps and Angels [cover]
    Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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    Rolling Stone: Newman's New Album "A Welcome Return to Form" for "One of the Greatest Songwriters of the Rock Era"

    Randy Newman recently spoke with Rolling Stone for a feature article in the September 4 issue, in which Harps and Angels, Randy's first album in nine years, is described as "a welcome return to form for Newman, one of the greatest songwriters of the rock era—though his songs rarely rock and often have more in common with Tin Pan Alley and show tunes."

  • The Wire
    Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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    HBO's "The Wire" Nominated for Humanitas Prize

    The Wire, the Peabody Award-winning HBO show that ended its five-season run earlier this year, has been nominated for the 2008 Humanitas Prize, an annual screenwriter's award honoring stories that "affirm the human person, probe the meaning of life, and enlighten the use of human freedom."

  • Wilco, by Frank W. Ockenfels
    Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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    Wilco, The Black Keys Rock San Fran's Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands

    Wilco and The Black Keys were among the highlights of the Outside Lands Festival this past weekend, with tens of thousands of music fans flooding San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. SPIN captured two songs from The Black Keys' opening-night performance on video. The San Jose Mercury News writes of Wilco's set: "Guitarist Nels Cline is a monster, and this lineup brilliantly balances the gentle, reassuring music Jeff Tweedy could make with his eyes closed and the challenging, difficult elements that have endeared Wilco to critics and urban hipsters."

  • Randy Newman
    Monday, August 25, 2008
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    NY Times: Randy Newman's Blend of Humor, Politics in Song a Rarity

    Randy Newman helped open this week's Democratic National Convention in Denver yesterday, performing for delegates at a pre-Convention kick-off event. The New York Times says of Randy: "He prefers to wield a lyrical scalpel rather than a hammer, and he blends humor and politics in ways few songwriters would dare." The Knoxville News Sentinel calls him "one of modern music's true treasures" and credits him with having written "some of the most viciously hilarious and biting songs of the past 100 years."