Astoria Music & Arts

Journeys of Sonic Discovery: How to Alienate Yourself in High School

Back in high school I really liked listening to music that would make everyone around me think I was an asshole. Some of the most effective stuff was on the World Serpent/United Dairies label-cum-distro. 

It all began with Nurse With Wound. NWW is basically a guy named Steve Stapleton, who writes extended dadaist noise anthems. This is half of "A Sucked Orange":

Journeys of Sonic Discovery: Genesis is Cool, No Really

When I was in high school I must have looked like such a tool, wearing oversized t-shirts with pictures of Frank Zappa on the shitter and talking to everyone who would listen about why New York hardcore and prog rock were the two best genres of music. In retrospect I feel like an ass.

Journeys of Sonic Discovery: Ry Cooder is Super Terrific

Often when I was a little kid I would listen to albums with my dad. Once he played a copy of Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music and explained that Cooder was great because he mastered so many different styles of traditional American music, and was able to arrange them for a listening public who would otherwise never had heard any of it. He also allowed the music to retain its integrity. At the time I thought C&C Music Factory was the best thing on the planet, so I didn’t give two shits. But in my older and wiser years I have come to love Ry Cooder’s work. The guy is incredible.