Music
-

The Rumpus Interview with Steve Koester of Two Dark Birds
A few years ago Steve Koester, the frontman of the band Two Dark Birds, cut a considerable amount of static out of his life, started spending more time with his wife and daughter and thousands of trees, and wrote and…
-

Ellen Willis Came Up with the Term Pro-Sex Feminism
It seemed to me that most contemporary rock magazines were propagating an artless scorecard-genealogy version of criticism, treating music in isolation from other art, culture, and political realities. And I had certainly never read Bangs, whose irascible, rambling rock-crit from…
-

Hooray for Katy Henriksen!
Rumpus Music editor Katy Henriksen will join KUAF 91.3 FM Public Radio in October as the station’s classical music and arts producer. In addition to shaping an hour long daily classical music program, she’ll be contributing arts and culture stories…
-

The Rumpus Interview with Jolie Holland
In July I speak to Jolie Holland on the phone the morning after she plays Norman, Oklahoma, two weeks into her tour to support her new record, Pint of Blood.
-

The Rumpus Interview with Oakland Artist Ise Lyfe
The recent controversy between Ise Lyfe and the white Oakland rapper V-Nasty using the N-word in her songs has sparked much debate
-

Swinging Modern Sounds #31: Reunion Fever
Like other people who once had a childhood, I sometimes give in to fits of longing for the music I cared most about when young. In particular, I give in to reunion fever.
-

Albums of Our Lives: The Sonic Youth Mixtape a Friend Gave Me
In the early ’90s, when I was in high school, I listened to songs from bands that got played on the radio.
-

Happy Feet and the Mbaqanga Rhythm of the Boyoyo Boys
“Gumboots” is what inspired Paul Simon to break out the accordion and kick-start Graceland.
-

Albums of Our Lives: Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis
Once I dated the son of a preacher man. Later, I dated the son of a preacher woman.
-

The Rumpus Interview with Madeline Adams
Madeline Adams, best known by her stage moniker “Madeline” sings sweet, soft country-influenced folk, with a voice that emits the passion of Joni Mitchell
-

Rumpus Sound Takes: Ominous Ambience
Tasseomancy Ulalume (Turf Records) On the Tasseomancy song “Healthy Hands (will mourn you),” twins Sari and Romy Lightman repeat again and again the refrain, “All is lost.” The track is from their debut LP Ulalume, and the album – like…
-

Albums of Our Lives: Arkadelphia’s Untitled and Never Released Album
He sounds so young on the recordings now. After all, he was young when he wrote most the songs.