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1 The 2011 book Graphic USA: An Alternative Guide to 25 US Cities is exactly that! Essentially a travel guide, each city included is written about by working artists, musicians, bicycle enthusiasts, etc. who live and work in that city. It’s the direct line to the cool part of town from exactly the person you’d want to go up and talk to when you’re visiting a new place. Tested and approved in DC! Available at Left Bank Books. 2 Anyone who’s ever worn heels to a rock show will appreciate this handy new Dr. Scholl’s creation: Fast Flats. They’re a foldable pair of flats in a little gold bag that you can roll right up and throw in your purse. The best part is they’re ten bucks and you can get them at any Walgreens or CVS if
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you find yourself in a situation where you need increased mobility—like walking home, loading gear, or reckless dancing. Great for musicians; you gotta dress for the stage, but you still have to carry your amp at the end of the night. 3 Made from vintage suitcases, Artpentry’s Gentleman’s Boombox has got to be the most stylish way to enjoy an mp3. Each case has a built in subwoofer and 1/8” connector that plugs right into your iPod, computer, etc. They’re all made in Chicago (our Radius feature this month) by artist Floyd A. Davis IV and he does custom orders as well! Pricing starts at about $300. Check out his gallery at 1827 S. Halsted, Chicago or floyd@artpentry.com.
A chronicle of musical encounters by Thomas Crone
A Simple and True Pop Quiz Recently, I asked my Mass Communications class to give a personal, impromptu bit of feedback. Made up of 24 students (23 of them in the traditional undergrad age), the group was asked to sketch out a list of three artists who are culturally relevant today, those that are necessary to know in order to have a sense of what’s popular, interesting and on-the-way in American music. This wasn’t an “assignment,” per se; nothing was graded. I was just wanting to compare notes with a youthful sensibility. The follow-up questions came immediately. “Do you mean popular music only?” “Are these only American acts, or all artists?” Trying to assure them that they didn’t need to overthink it, I stressed that I only wanted a sense of what counts today, what resonates, what helps explain the moment. And, it was personal. “Help an old person discover some new music,” I suggested. It’s obvious that today’s pop charts are more diffuse than ever. And it’s also possible that the record collections many of us built up over time, and at considerable cost, are dwarfed by the iPods of a music-hungry kid versed in downloading music from multiple platforms, quickly. The common wisdom holds that today’s young adults are less bound by a single type of sound; self-affilia-
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tion as a fan of just rock, just reggae, or just glitch-hop is less appealing, more limiting than it used to be. Or so went my theories heading into this little experiment.
What’s your list of three artists who are culturally relevant today? Here are the three artists listed on the first response sheet: Beyonce, Psy, Nicki Minaj. Here’s the second list: Maynard James Keenan, Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying. (Would it impress or depress this student that I avidly enjoyed Tool’s first St. Louis shows, at the old American Theatre? Probably safe to say “depress.”) Here’s the third: fun., Foster the People, Lady Gaga. This one! This is the response that kinda knit things together. If any artists ran through a few responses, the choice repeaters were Gaga, Minaj, fun. and Taylor Swift. While reasonably familiar with three of those acts, fun. had escaped me, even though “We Are Young” had skittered across
my consciousness countless times over the last year. So this is learning: putting together a song title with a band’s name and then hearing them both referenced in casual conversation within 24 hours. The one-liners accompanying the lists veered between educational and amusing. “Gucci Mane: the downfall of western civilization.” “Alicia Keys shows people that you can literally come from nothing if you set your mind to it.” “Frank Ocean: My Mom and I were driving through town listening to his new record when we pulled up next to a car full of gangsters playing the exact same song.” “Ariel Pink: Lo-fi godhead.” Some of the artists on the list are surprising. Love me some Rush, but culturally relevant? Mmm, not sold. Pink Floyd, these cats I’d argue the same. It’s interesting to see Animal Collective, Coldplay and Bright Eyes, as acts with some staying power. My own homework is right there in front of me. Have to call up some Brand New and Odd Future. Need to do some YouTubing on Since Antarctica and Streetlight Manifesto. Maybe I’ll give Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (or Mumford & Sons) another shot. And, maybe, I’ll find a new favorite in the search. Gotta keep that mind open.