Milo Miles

Festival Au Desert: Music Of Peace Not Silenced By War

Milo Miles — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:48:00 +0000

Long ago, one of my college history professors hammered home a durable truth: "If you love art," she said, "you should hate war." Because some art is always among war's victims.

A case in point is a music celebration called Festival au Desert — held near Timbuktu, Mali, since 2001 — which I will Anglicize as Festival in the Desert. In January 2012, right after the last festival ended, a nationalist uprising began in the north of Mali, which was soon taken over by hardline Islamic fundamentalists.

Yo La Tengo: Decades In And Far From Fading

Milo Miles — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:02:00 +0000

Yo La Tengo wouldn't seem to be very rock 'n' roll, given that it's a very stable and long-lasting operation. Since 1991, the lineup has consisted of a married couple — drummer Georgia Hubley and guitarist Ira Kaplan, along with bassist James McNew — and all three play additional instruments as needed. Yo La Tengo has been with the same label, Matador, since 1993.

Tunes To 'Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard' To

Milo Miles — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:57:00 +0000

The first thing to note about the collection of old-timey music Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard is that it resulted from a record-discovery event that happens less and less often, and soon will likely never happen again. The music was recorded between 1923 and 1936. Most of the sides on the set are taken from 78s collected by the late Don Wahle of Louisville, Ky., and rescued from Dumpster destruction in 2010 by compiler Nathan Salsburg. Nineteen of the songs have never been reissued. Piles of moldy vinyl left behind by the deceased were once commonplace. No longer.

Samuel Yirga Ushers In A Golden Age Of Ethiopian Music

Milo Miles — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:34:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyI7IWtb-NI

Analog Players Society: A Party Cooked Up In A Studio

Milo Miles — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Albums made by collections of professional studio players once had a bad reputation with the traditional rock audience. Such works were supposedly arid and chilly — more like the results of a board meeting than the recorded adventure of an organic group of fabulous friends. Some music fans may still feel that way, but they are few.