Graceland wants to require Elvis Tribute Artists to have official licensing. This isn’t a good idea. It’s a great idea. That’s the difference between an Elvis impersonator and an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA) Graceland has been cracking down on ETA’s, especially at Vegas wedding chapels. The sacrament of marriage is…

The best thing about playing someone else’s song is the unwavering faith in its brilliance. At least that is taken care of. If people are booing, it’s not the song’s fault. Also, the chance to take a trip in someone else’s skin. Recreating someone else’s work is frowned upon in…

1–2–3–4! The Ramones took the 60’s bubblegum pop of their childhoods and gave it teeth with distortion and lyrics about lobotomies, sniffing glue, and male prostituion. Johnny and Dee Dee played their guitars using all downstrokes at lightning speeds. “Never bore us. Get to the chorus!” Playing drums in the…

Owning a studio, even a modest basement one, is as expensive as owning a boat. Just a dynamic mics, a computer, and an interface can set you back a couple grand. Here are some cheap hacks that won’t break the bank, so you can go back to saving up for…

I semi-sincerely apologize to anyone who thought this image was a real upcoming event. To be fair, this fantasy concert kinda/sorta happened for me with just a couple months’ wait between bands. (Just like your standard metal show. So many bass drums and full stacks.) Shannon and the Clams w/…

Dyngus day is a Polish tradition celebrated on the day after Easter Sunday. Men dump water on women or dunk them in a river. The women retaliate by hitting them with pussy willow switches, throwing crockery at them, or least interesting of all, giving them gifts of hard boiled eggs…

Paul Smith cut his teeth mixing front-of-the-house sound for the holy trinity of Philly clubs: The Theater of the Living Arts, The Trocadero (RIP), and the Electric Factory. He has fiddled the faders for everyone from Guided by Voices, The White Stripes, Fantômas, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Misfits…

Mormonism Representative: The Osmond Brothers Band Song: Crazy Horses Check out a young, presumably uncaffeinated Donny Osmond crushing it on keys! All his brothers look like recessive prototypes of him, just like with me and my older brothers. Islam Representative: Mdou Moctar Song: Afrique Victime They don’t call this…