Bursting At The Seams
You don’t have to be a religious demographer like Ryan Burge to notice the decline in church attendance over the past few years. The trend was going south before the Covid-19 pandemic, but that event proved to be a major accelerant. Even my wife, who had faithfully attended our
One Way Or Another
Every year, at Halloween, the mostly covers Spanish band Broken Peach puts out a new video with a spooky take on a rock standard. In 2023, they infused Blondie's "One Way Or Another" with a scary basketball motif. Their trademark elaborate costuming and synchronized jerky dance
Shareholder Value
People are expecting too much from corporations.
Running Up That Hill
A few years ago, Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" experienced a resurgence of interest following an appearance on the Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things. It's probably safe to say that a new generation who had never heard Bush'
100%
The lead track and first single off Sonic Youth’s album Dirty felt like a big deal when it dropped. By 1992, the decade already had the makings of a dramatic cultural break from the previous one, and videos like the one for “100%” played a big part in setting
Merchandising
Commercial music packages may be getting out of hand.
Breakout
Every day this week, I've listened to the sophistipop landmark It's Better To Travel by Swing Out Sister. Some may consider the British group to be a "one-hit wonder" after their massive success in 1987 both locally and in the US with the song
Light, Raking
This week’s Saturday Night Video comes to you from Chapel Hill rockers Polvo’s last album, Siberia, released in 2013. I was reminded of the brilliance of Polvo by this gushing review of their Celebrate The New Dark Age ep that was just posted in Bandcamp’s irregular I
A Life Affirming Hunt
Growing up in Northern Virginia, I had a pretty full suburban existence. We weren’t very close to any stores, but you could make it to the necessities and more without too much of a drive. If you wanted something obscure, though, you had to venture into the big city.
Like A Flame To A Moth
When we first moved to North Carolina, I was a rising fourth grader. As soon as I arrived at school, my fellow students peppered me with questions about whether I was a UNC or NC State fan. The context was basketball and this was back in the days of Jim
