5 Amazing Musical Collaborations

Jack White/ image: Teresa Sedo via Flickr CC

Musical collaborations, although sometimes offbeat and seemingly random, have yielded some of the most highly acclaimed albums. Some critics call them “supergroups” – collaborations between members of already incredibly popular bands. Here are five amazing musical collaborations:

1.   The Raconteurs. Anyone who pays even the slightest bit of attention to contemporary rock music is familiar with Jack White. His first band, The White Stripes, is still ridiculous popular, and fans were beyond excited after he announced the creation of a side project, The Raconteurs. With the help of singer-songwriter Brendan Benson and some members of the Greenhornes, their debut album Broken Boy Soldier was greeted with tremendous acclaim.

Seattle "supergroup" Childbirth/ image: via Seattle Weekly

2.   Mad Season. Mad Season was the collaboration between Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and resulted in the heavy, grungy, prog-rock awesomeness that was 1995’s Above. Mad Season only released the one album, much to the dismay of fans and grunge rockers everywhere.

3.   Childbirth. Childbirth is a feminist, lo-fi punk rock band made up of musicians from three Seattle-based bands: Bree McKenna of TacocaT, Stacy Peck of Pony Time, and Julia Shapiro from Chastity Belt. Together, the three bring an energetic, pro-woman sound to Seattle’s famous music scene, and their musical chemistry is obvious.

4.   Elvis Costello and Questlove. What seemed like the most unlikely pairing of all time actually turned out to be a phenomenal musical collaboration when Elvis Costello and Questlove recorded Wise Up Ghost together in 2013. Both Costello and Questlove have garnered enormous fame individually, and their mix of rock and hip-hop is an example of a cross-genre collaboration that really works. Wise Up Ghost was met with wide acclaim by fans and critics alike.

5.   Temple of the Dog. Another grunge-driven collaboration that wowed fans is Temple of the Dog, made up of Seattle’s Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Reportedly, the two bands came together after their mutual musician friend – Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone – died suddenly of a drug overdose. The band’s dark sound tackled issues surrounding drug abuse, death, and mortality, while simultaneously immortalizing the collaboration as one of the best of all time.

What are your favorite musical collaborations?

Sorry ‘Beliebers’: Your Favorite Pop Star Might Be Getting Deported

Image: NRK P3 via Flickr CC

By now you’ve probably heard about the newest scandal surrounding pop star Justin Bieber. If you’ve been lucky enough to evade the barrage of news reports on the issue, a brief recap: Bieber was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida last week after getting busted for drag racing in the early hours of the morning. The singer was subsequently charged with a DUI, resisting arrest, and having an expired driver’s license, details The Hollywood Reporter. And the latest news? Due to a major petition to deport Bieber, signed by more than 100,000 people, the White House is now reportedly being forced to issue a response.

It seems like it was just yesterday that Justin Bieber emerged on the music scene. You remember, right? The wholesome, young singer with the signature long blond ‘do delighted tweens worldwide, gaining fame as rapidly, and mysteriously, as his entrance into pop stardom. Fast forward to 2014: Bieber joins the brigade of young stars that are caught acting publicly reckless, erratic, and, as many have pointed out, coddled by the limelight. Miley Cyrus, Brittney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Amanda Bynes have all been part of this media-spun “downward spiral” of young stars. And really, it’s like what they say about car crashes, you just can’t look away.

From a legal standpoint, there just isn’t any chance that Bieber would get deported from the United States for a DUI offense, or any of his other crimes, and as legal analyst Kendall Coffey points out, Bieber’s charges make him both “a lawyer’s dream and a lawyer’s nightmare.” Miami-based Coffey also explains that Bieber’s case will stir up a lot of public scrutiny. “On the one hand, you don’t want to punish him worse than some crazy kid from a local junior college,” Coffey told Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV. “On the other hand you don’t want the public to think, yeah, the rich people can drive like crazy and get away with it.”

Obviously, the public is already very much invested in the charges against Bieber. More than 100,000 people want the pop star deported, and many more are engulfed in the dramatic media portrayal of the whole mess. According to The Hollywood Reporter, once a signature goal on a petition is met, the White House is required to issue a response, adding another layer to the Bieber drama. The White House (unsurprisingly) has yet to comment. 

Best and Strangest New Artists of Grammys Past

The Grammy Awards, although arguably the most esteemed of all pop musical accolades, aren’t for everyone. Music is such a subjective thing; it holds a deeply personal meaning for everyone who listens to it, and nobody likes every single genre out there. In past years, the Grammys have honored many of the biggest names in pop music, a fact that in and of itself alienates anyone who prefers more alternative bands.

The “Best New Artist” category at the Grammys is particularly polarizing; the awards have a somewhat unusual history of selecting winners for this category that are one-hit wonders, to say the least. Essentially, being the best new artist out there doesn’t ensure a long and fruitful career, which Grammy winners of yesteryear can surely attest to. “But that’s why ‘Best New Artist’ is everybody’s favorite Grammy category,” explains Rolling Stone Magazine, “it’s the one with the most bizarre picks.”

For instance, in 1976, Starland Vocal Band took home the Grammy for “Best New Artist,” presumably for their extremely popular hit single, “Afternoon Delight.” The band ended up being a one-hit wonder though, and vocalist Taffy Danoff famously called winning the “Best New Artist” category the “kiss of death.”  Previously unknown Tracy Chapman was dubbed “Best New Artist” in 1988 after hitting it big with “Fast Car,” but didn’t create another popular album or single until 1996’s “Give Me One Reason.” Other unusual “Best New Artist” winners include Hootie and the Blowfish, Milli Vanilli, and Arrested Development, the latter which completely fell off the radar shortly after their win.

This year, the nominations for the “Best New Artist” category include James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Kacey Musgraves, and Ed Sheeran. These artists span multiple genres and so far, there isn’t a clear winner. Here’s to hoping that these talented new musicians all have long and successful careers, not fifteen minutes of fame like “Best New Artist” winner of Grammys past. 

Against Me! Releases ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’

Politically charged Florida punk band Against Me! has just released its latest studio album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues. This is the first record the band has released since frontwoman Laura Jane Grace, formerly Tom Gabel, announced that she would be living as a woman back in 2012. Fans may have been initially surprised by Grace’s coming out, but those closest to the musician know that she has been struggling with gender dysphoria for years. 

Transgender Dysphoria Blues is an album that encapsulates the intense emotional experiences that the band has endured throughout Grace’s transition. As Stephen Thompson for NPR explains, Against Me! has been around for nearly two decades, but this record “can’t help but feel like a debut.” It is a coming-out album, one that honors Grace’s identity but also tackles the pain, doubt, rage, fear, as well as relief and joy, that comes with such a remarkable life transition. Many music critics are calling this record the most personal and poignant of her career.

Thompson explains how Laura Jane Grace “still barks her lyrics with fiercely assertive intelligence,” and that Gender Dysphoria Blues “doesn’t let up for 29 brisk minutes, but real tenderness and vulnerability surfaces in the melee,” of the album’s sound. MTV agrees, explaining how in certain moments Gender Dysphoria Blues displays a level of vulnerability that completely separates it from the rest of Against Me!’s work.

Since coming out in 2012, Grace has been under a lot of public scrutiny, but has remained strong, transparent, and ready to move forward. One of the best outcomes of the singer’s transition has been the immense outpouring of support from her bandmates, fans, and loved ones. Though not all of Grace’s relatives have been supportive, her wife Heather has been steadfastly encouraging throughout the transition process. Transgender Dysphoria Blues is Grace’s debut album as a woman; it is unapologetic, raw, and everything that you’d expect from the seasoned frontwoman.

Stream the album and learn more at NPR’s First Listen.

Image: lauragracejane via Instagram

Warm Your Winter Blues With Thoughts of SXSW

Image: sxsw.com

With northern U.S. temperatures dropping to record-low numbers, I know that my thoughts are drifting towards warmer climates. I’ve been daydreaming of Austin, Texas, specifically, a city that will soon play host to one of the largest festivals in the country. South By Southwest (SXSW) was founded in 1987, and has grown in popularity and range of offerings each year since, becoming one of the most beloved of the annual music festivals.

"SXSW’s original goal was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas,” explain the event’s founders. “That continues to be the goal today whether it is music, film, or interactive technologies,” the other components to this massive gathering. Austin has long lived in the literal center of the east and west coast music scenes, and has acted as the perfect meeting place for bands, musicians, artists, filmmakers, and technology innovators from around the world.

Say the SXSW organizers, “The classic problem facing Austin musicians was being isolated from the rest of the world here in the middle of Texas. SXSW was a way to reach out to the rest of the world, and bring them here to do business.” Even back in 1987, when Austin hadn’t yet gained its popularity among both seasoned artists and musical up-and-comers, it became a place that was universally embraced, with an immediate global response. From “cosmic cowboy” to punk, to blues, and experimental, Austin’s is known for embracing all kinds of musical creativity, an attitude that out-of-towners adopt when flocking to the area for SXSW.

Yet another layer of new musical acts has been announced recently, adding to the initial lineup that was revealed in November. Some of the newly released lineup includes: Action Bronson, Charli XCX, Dum Dum Girls, Ryan Hemsworth, Small Black, King Louie, Big Freedia, Twin Shadow, and hundreds more.

For more information about SXSW and the massive lineup of shows and events, visit the official festival website.