Music
I Dub New York
By Dominic UmileBecause I’m old and I prefer my living room above all else, I missed NYC’s Drew “Falty DL” Lustman when he headlined the monthly Turbotax party at Hugs in Williamsburg recently. Lustman produces jumbled, sonically riveting electronic music via computer software, keyboards, and a couple of turntables.
THROUGH THE PAST STARKLY
By Guy Patrick CunninghamAs soon as I walked through the door of the Museum of Modern Art’s Looking at Music: Side 2 exhibit, I had to seek out the video for Sonic Youth’s Death Valley ’69.
Grunge Before Grunge
By Todd SimmonsIt happened 20 years ago, a few turbulent years before Nirvana accidentally led “alternative” music’s charge onto mainstream radio and MTV, puzzling record executives everywhere.
Gentle Beauty Spilled
By Tsaurah LitzkyThe poet Steve Dalachinsky, whose writing appears regularly in these pages, has had a monumental book published. Reaching into the Unknown: 1964–2009 (RogueArt, Paris) is a collaboration with the extraordinary French photographer Jacques Bisceglia, who has been taking photos of jazz musicians for 55 years.
ALL AROUND BUT NEVER NEAR
By David ShirleyI first heard Mary Margaret O’Hara’s extraordinary voice in 1992.
Des Roar Unleashes Mad Things
By Megan MartinIt’s Sunday night at the Sixth Ward, a pub on the Lower East Side, and three out of four members of Des Roar are standing behind the bar. Ryan Spoto, the group’s bassist, grabs an opener and runs it across a slew of vodka bottles, creating a tinkling echo of beats.
