Music
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Song of the Day: “For the Longest Time”
Billy Joel’s long career has garnered him perhaps more accolades than are possible to enumerate. In 2013, he received a Kennedy Center Honor—the equivalent of the French Legion of Honor or the English Knighthood—after a reception dinner hosted by President Obama…
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The Soundtrack That Made Twin Peaks
“If an idea carries with it a mood, sound is critical to making that mood.”
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Sound & Vision: Hannah Haugberg
Painter and letterer Hannah Haugberg discusses the art of designing custom guitar pedals.
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Song of the Day: “Try Me”
The resilient R&B singer Esther Mae Jones adopted the stage name of Little Esther Philips at the age of 14, allegedly taking it from a gas station sign in Los Angeles. She had a rough-and-tumble career, a tumultuous relationship with the…
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The Rumpus Interview with Christian Kiefer
Writer, musician, and poet Christian Kiefer discusses his literary influences, the “beautiful, beat up, and weird town” that is Reno, and writing from the perspective of beasts in his new novel The Animals.
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Song of the Day: “Shoo Fly Marches On”
The distinctive drum beat behind The Meters’ funky classic “Hey Pocky A-Way” did not originate there. In fact, their influential drummer, Joseph “Ziggy” Modeliste, first came up with the beat when he recorded “Shoo Fly Marches On” for Dr. John’s…
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Seeking a Literary-Minded Music Editor
The Rumpus Music Editor oversees all aspects of the music section, including the ongoing series Albums of Our Lives and Songs of Our Lives. We are looking for someone who is savvy and knowledgeable in the intersection between literature and…
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The Rumpus Interview with Shawna Virago
Musician and songwriter Shawna Virago discusses her trajectory as an artist, deciding to use Kickstarter to fund her new album, and what it’s like to be top Google hit for “San Francisco dominatrix.”
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Song of the Day: “Hey Pocky A-Way”
The loose and infectious melody of “Hey Pocky A-Way” has been covered and re-recorded many times since its first release in 1974 by New Orleans funk heavyweights The Meters. The highly recognizable chorus–which reputedly stems from early Native American dialects…
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Swinging Modern Sounds #64: Ack! Ack! Ack! Ack!
Many of you will not want to believe that “Ack! Ack! Ack! Ack!” by the Californian punk band the Urinals, is the greatest song ever written, but that is simply because there is some kind of vise or blood-occluding mechanism…
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The Saturday Rumpus Essay: Shameless
I’ve always been somewhat prone to obsession, but my years of intense Britney fandom were the first time that I felt that strongly about an individual person.
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Song of the Day: “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo”
Road trip songs occupy a plush seat in the American canon—right underneath the fuzzy dice. They are often harbingers of summer, and “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo” is no exception. This prototypical Tribe Called Quest track from their first album features…