Today music journalist and Jason Molina biographer @erinosmon.bsky.social writes about two transcendent Magnolia & Johnson Electric Co. concerts in Texas, the recently released tribute album, and Molina's enduring legacy among younger bands. www.welcometohellworld.com/i-hear-the-g...

The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum posted a *fantastic* chat with Chris Hillman and Dwight Yoakam moderated by @erinosmon.bsky.social — it’s well worth 75-80 minutes of your time. (Dwight is such a great storyteller, I really hope he’ll get around to writing a book) youtu.be/V-T1N3tqbnw?...

Extending Jason Molina Month into April - this just arrived from *NotAmazon* Jason Molina: Riding With The Ghost by @erinosmon.bsky.social

For the essential Static & Distance newsletter, I reunited with the members of Magnolia Electric Co. + Jennie Benford, Mike Brenner and others, to discuss the making of “What Comes After the Blues.” It’s an album that contains many of Jason Molina’s most beloved and immortal songs.

Clem was a joy to work with on the “Blondie: Against All Odds” boxset and he’ll be sorely missed. A monster drummer (“Dreaming,” “Accidents Never Happen,” etc etc etc). Incredible hair. New Jersey to his dang core. Just a real one through and through. RIP a rock god.

Here’s to the music that gets us through. RIP dear Snock.

Almost nothing better than Waylon singing Bob McDill. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpB9...

Thank you for having me!

Raise your hand if your books were hoovered up by Meta’s AI 🤚. www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Oh, I love this! thetubs.bandcamp.com/album/cotton...

My first cover story for Rolling Stone dropped Friday! I spent 2 days in the Santa Ynez Valley with Lainey Wilson ahead of her performance at the Grammys. We chatted about her new album and tour, her hopes for America, her red-light sauna and more. No paywall. www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/lainey...

Phil Cook’s new album “Appalachia Borealis” is a close companion these days. Soul nourishing, like a hug. philcookmusic.bandcamp.com/album/appala...

In 1967 the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis began teaching at Indiana University where he endeavored to build a machine that could produce dissonant electronic skronk that Genesis P-Orridge would've appreciated. indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofsci...

My latest for the New York Times, a profile of the great Benmont Tench, as he releases his second solo album, “The Melancholy Season." With thoughts from Mike Campbell, Danielle Haim, Don Was, Jonathan Wilson. Look for it in Sunday’s print edition of the NYT. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/a...

“Benevolent billionaire” is of course a fallacy and an oxymoron, like a gorilla peeling a banana as he promises to not eat it. Book lovers seeking release from Amazon’s vice grip should absolutely check out bookshop.org. bookshop.org

Hey, I wrote a big big column on one of the greatest bands of all time: The Kinks. If you know them you love them. If you don't know them allow me to share some of the best songs ever written. uproxx.com/indie/the-ki...

If your bio is an unsightly profusion of hashtags and emojis, I’m probably not following you back.

Had an excellent time talking with my hands at the Frazier Museum in Louisville during its celebration of John Prine last week. Prine people are the best people, full stop.

Louisville friends! I’ll have copies of my John Prine book for sale tonight at the Frazier Museum. Can’t wait to see you there 💙💙💙.

Even if you don’t watch the show English Teacher, hope you'll read this. This is about more than 1 show, 1 guy. FX just renewed a show from a man facing allegations of assault. I have a LOT of questions about the implications not just for FX but for the whole industry www.salon.com/2025/02/12/f...

The Gulf of America is the name of Sufjan Stevens’ next album, not a body of water.

“The scientific nature of the ordinary man is to go on out and do the best you can.”

When I was in high school there were jocks, freaks, rednecks, nerds and posers. It was reductive but at least I didn’t have to try to understand the difference between sigma and rizzler.

The emotional whiplash of hitting 4000 words on a 3000-word assignment.

wow, these photos of the Clash at the Motor City Roller Rink are fucking amazing as are the other early 80s punk photos from Kathleen Hiraga, a photographer who also worked for MTV back in the day, she just launched a Kickstarter for her photo book! i pledged! www.kickstarter.com/projects/kat...

DJT is going to the Super Bowl. This is a great time for Kendrick Lamar to shine and drop a really awesome diss track and it would be amazing if he brought out Dre to sing Arrest the President.

Everything is insane right now but one little ray of sunlight is that I just got a new gig trying to use public policy to create as many local journalism jobs as humanly possible. mattdpearce.substack.com/p/ive-got-a-...

Sonic Youth described right now 30 years ago. m.youtube.com/watch?v=eWzI...

Imagine robotically referring to your family in the third person while a crazed intruder is pushing you out of your house.

The Rolling Stones won Best Rock Album and so it bears repeating that Memphis Minnie is where Mick Jagger got his whole thing. m.youtube.com/watch?v=YebY...

Sierra Ferrell just swept the Americana categories and I’m pleased to say the Academy got it right. Here’s my LA Times profile of her from last year. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

Everything is awful but the exceptional film I just saw, Nickel Boys.

The shelter failed to mention that she’s 33% mini bear

Me on film

I can’t believe she’s gone. I was just listening to Marianne’s sagacious tones in the new Anita doc. RIP to a cultural giantess. I’ll always love her and especially this album.

My heart aches for the Reader and my beloved Chicago media more broadly. Terrible news about the Sun-Times and WBEZtoday, too.

oh man, peace to garth hudson. if you've never heard it, highly recommend his wild solo album, 2001's "the sea to the north," where he plays many of the instruments & includes his version of "dark star." (his only solo album besides a tape for an art exhibit.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uAA...

RIP Garth Hudson, the unique harmonic glue in one of the greatest bands of all time. up now at @rollingstone.com: i chatted with Jeff Tweedy about the genius of Garth and what it was like when he guested with Wilco www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...

Not to pile on, but the next four years are also going to be bonkers when it comes to ivory tower hypotheses about "populism" smh.

RIP Toby Myers, the Indianapolis musician who played in Roadmaster and was bassist for John Mellencamp from 1982-1999. He died last night after a battle with lung cancer and a stroke. Here's his entry in the "Scarecrow" tour book circa 1985, which I have because of course I do.

David Lynch, co-creator of "Twin Peaks" and the visionary behind films like "Eraserhead" and "Blue Velvet," has died at 78.

It's like KRS-One always said: the 5th Element of Hip-Hop is suing your record label for defamation to feebly attempt to convince the world that your career isn't over after you dared to battle the best rapper on earth and lost in the most humiliating way conceivable.

Los Angeles landlords are raising rents by as much as 124% after the wildfires.

Today was one of the most overwhelming experiences I've ever had in nature photography. I'm not ready to share everything yet, as it's an ongoing project, but for now... here's an extremely close look at a bird that no longer exists, the Passenger Pigeon: 📷 🦉

A funny thing that happens is people leave negative reviews on my “John Prine” 33/13 because they think it’s too short. Don’t tell anyone, but mine is actually over the word count.

My first cat’s name was Vincent because…