“The creative process,” says jazz bassist Esperanza Spalding, “is all about trying to make these big, imaginary ideas feasible.”
America: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
For those of us who have loved and valued the precious freedoms that America has offered — freedoms that were hard-earned for Americans who have been denied them in previous darker times — the decision is pretty clearcut: We can try to live under a certain dictatorship or say goodbye to our beloved country.
Linda Thompson: Fashionably Late
The legendary British folksinger’s comeback after 17 years away from the spotlight is a long-overdue gem from one of rock & roll’s finest voices.
The Happy Hollow String Band: Bluegrass and ’70s Feminism
An all-girl, all-teen string band in rural North Carolina was making a powerful feminist statement when they formed amid the male-dominated bluegrass scene of the early 1970s. Contemporary outfits like Della Mae can thank them for paving the way.
Jimmy Buffett: Sail on, Sailor
When I was music editor at Rolling Stone in the ’90s, I was asked — well, told — to do a Q&A with Jimmy Buffett. Not being a fan of his music, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed talking to him. Buffett died today at 76.
Introducing … Cyanca
The choice was between music and track. Fortunately for all of us, this Charlotte-based hip-hop R&B singer chose music.
The Beatles, Reconsidered
In 2009, EMI issued remastered versions of The Beatles’ entire back catalog. Instead of sending advance copies, though, the company asked writers to come to New York City and listen to the recordings at Electric Lady Studios. Off I went, having been given the extraordinary task of reviewing music that had been reviewed a million times since the band’s heyday.
Charlotte: Hip Hop City
For the cover of the April 20, 2018, issue of Creative Loading in Charlotte, we recreated an iconic Village Voice hip-hop cover. The idea was to prop up the Charlotte hip-hop scene and to acknowledge 420 — the international annual Weed Day celebration. We had a blast doing the cover shoot.
Frampton Comes Unplugged
From today’s vantage point, it’s difficult to get across just how ubiquitous Frampton Comes Alive! was in 1976. Forty years later, Peter Frampton recorded acoustic versions of some of the hits from that album. I wanted to talk to this man whose music had played such an integral part of my high school years.
Mercury Rises
Kevin “Mercury” Carter released a homemade six-song EP that reveals a vocalist of uncommon abilities. Not only does his extraordinary range rival those of Prince, Mariah Carey, and Queen’s Freddie Mercury, but Carter’s nuanced sense of tone and dynamics, the melodic creativity of his arrangements, and his mature lyrical abilities are as remarkable as his voice.