[contextly_auto_sidebar id="pSiNhPLxRicBfP3m18tXkhFjYiIy7Uxc"] THE other day I almost froze as I heard a song coming out of the radio that sounded both fresh and eerily familiar. It turned out to be a song from the new Elliott Smith tribute by Seth Avett -- guitarist for the rustic, North Carolina-based Avett Brothers -- and the indie singer-songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield. The song -- … [Read more...]
Benjamin Nugent’s "Good Kids"
EVERY once in a while, something – a book, a short New York Times story, an n+1 essay – appears by a mysterious character named Benjamin Nugent, and damn if every time it isn't funny, smart and insightful.Now Nugent – who I’ve interviewed over the years on Elliott Smith, songcraft, and the history of nerd-dom – has a new novel called Good Kids. All I can tell you so far is that its opening … [Read more...]
The Roots of Christopher O’Riley
THE eclectic pianist O'Riley came to my attention a few years ago for his interpretations of music by Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Nick Drake. He's recently teamed up with Matt Haimovitz, the wild-man cellist who cam render Bach and Hendrix with equal skill. (In '05 or so, Haimovitz put on a radical and memorable show at a restaurant in LA in which a fight nearly broke out.)O'Riley, who comes to … [Read more...]
The Late, Great Elliott Smith
YESTERDAY would have been the 40st birthday of elliott smith, perhaps the finest songwriter of my generation, and a musician who killed himself six years ago. my wife -- a longtime music journalist who considers him the deepest artist she's ever interviewed -- and i remember that dark day well.smith, of course, came up through the portland band heatmiser, and released some powerful and very spare … [Read more...]