The Tonearm
@thetonearm.com
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celebrating music journalism + putting a needle on the cultural wax an online journal of unexpected music + culture → thetonearm.com
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The Tonearm is an online journal of unexpected music and culture, a shared exploration of what it's like to create cool + meaningful things.

Check out our latest articles + podcasts: www.thetonearm.com/linkinbio/

and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Talk Of The Tonearm ✨
The Tonearm logo — it's a globe but it's also a turntable.
thetonearm.com
"He was now aware that everyone but him had spoken to me for a potential Rolling Stone piece. Time was running out on all fronts. Back home, my parents were beyond flummoxed by the delays. I had been on the road with Led Zeppelin for over 10 days."
‘My Led Zeppelin road trip was counted as a class credit’: Cameron Crowe on the interview that changed everything
In an extract from his new memoir, the writer and film-maker on how as a teenager he managed to bag the exclusive of a lifetime
www.theguardian.com
thetonearm.com
"At 76, cabaret artist Joey Arias' resume reads like the movie Big Fish. The tales are almost too tall to believe, but he's really done them all."

Joey Arias has plenty of art left to give: www.npr.org/2025/10/11/n...
Joey Arias hitting the high notes at Barrel House Cafe and Bar in Washington, D.C.
Reposted by The Tonearm
earlofedgecombe.bsky.social
If you think you know why US newspapers died, this feature documentary now streaming for free on PBS might surprise you. It wasn't the Internet. Newspapers were specifically targeted by vulture capitalists.

I composed the score for the film, which features electric cello & Crowfoot guitars.
Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink
A handful of journalists rebel against a hedge fund that is gutting newspapers nationwide.
www.pbs.org
thetonearm.com
"You can’t swear properly in Welsh. I know this, because I’m having a swearing lesson yn Gymraeg from 55-year-old Super Furry Animals frontman, and solo artist, Gruff Rhys."

Gruff Rhys — ‘Welsh is still being invented as a pop language’:
Gruff Rhys: ‘Welsh is still being invented as a pop language’
The Super Furry Animals frontman is back with his ninth solo album. Before a tour of regional village halls in Wales, he talks creating songs in his first language – and why English is the best for swearing
www.theguardian.com
thetonearm.com
In this clip from the new episode of Spotlight On, organist Hampus Lindwall talks about how the opening of his album 'Brace for Impact' came together and what led him to bring in Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O)))) to play guitar riffs.

Hear more on the podcast:www.spotlightonpodcast.com/hampus-lindw...
thetonearm.com
"Since its beginnings, when jazz was forbidden by the Soviet government, it was used as a form of rebellion against an oppressed society, being played in underground, hidden places."

Introduction to Today’s Unconventional Polish Jazz Scene (Part I):
Introduction to Today’s Unconventional Polish Jazz Scene (Part I)
Free Jazz Collective, reviews of avant garde and free jazz music and media
www.freejazzblog.org
thetonearm.com
"And then there’s 'It’s A New Day:' a side-ending track with an introductory two-measure drum break tighter than a miser’s fist and with a headnod-provoking bounce that practically put an exclamation mark on that year’s inaugural class of future-standard hip-hop breaks."
Loop History: Skull Snaps’ “It’s A New Day”
The story of the Skull Snaps’ influential break “It’s A New Day”
daily.redbullmusicacademy.com
thetonearm.com
After his brother's passing, the English singer-songwriter Jono McCleery channeled profound personal loss into his album 'Reconcile,' weaving together electronic textures, folk sensibilities, and raw emotion in songs that speak to healing and hope.

Jono McCleery — Finding Light Through Loss:
Jono McCleery Transforms Grief on New Album 'Reconcile'
After his brother's recent passing, the English singer-songwriter channels profound personal loss into his latest album, weaving together electronic textures, folk sensibilities, and raw emotion in songs that speak to healing and hope.
www.thetonearm.com
thetonearm.com
"Youssou N’Dour’s own star was undoubtedly on the rise. But for many, this was an introduction to a whole new wave of West African popular music."

Youssou N'Dour Live at the Ritz in New York, 1989:
Afropop Worldwide | Youssou N'Dour Live at the Ritz in New York, 1989
This show showcases Afropop Worldwide's recording of Youssou N'Dour and Le Super Etoile live at the Ritz in New York in 1989.
afropop.org
thetonearm.com
"After focusing on her work with Florist + other projects for the last five years, she’s finally returning with Cloud Time, her fourth album released under her own name – a collection of improvised instrumental synthesizer pieces, edited down from hours of stage recordings from a recent Japan tour."
Emily A. Sprague: Cloud Time
The Florist singer/songwriter returns with a new collection of solo ambient synth improvisations recorded in Japan
www.zensounds.de
thetonearm.com
British-born pedal steel player Spencer Cullum discusses his move to Music City, the organic formation of ambient-adjacent trio Shrunken Elvis, and why staying true to his musical identity matters more than fitting the Nashville mold.

Pedal to the Pastoral — Shrunken Elvis's Nashville Dreams:
Pedal to the Pastoral — Shrunken Elvis's Nashville Dreams
British-born pedal steel player Spencer Cullum discusses his move to Music City, the organic formation of his experimental trio, and why staying true to your musical identity matters more than fitting the Nashville mold
www.thetonearm.com
thetonearm.com
"Depending on how you look at it, Idehen either laughs off life’s seriousness, or feels its weight so deeply he’s propelled to remedy the world’s collective dismay with unapologetic, sunny-side-up hope."

Spoken-word artist Joshua Idehen on fighting hate with hope:
‘We’ve all done stupid things but we’re all capable of redemption’: spoken-word artist Joshua Idehen on fighting hate with hope
His poem Mum Does the Washing went viral – but he started out parroting conservative talking points online. Now the British-Nigerian vocalist preaches a message of radical positivity
www.theguardian.com
thetonearm.com
"Street sweeping by night in Mexico City and writing music when he could and where he could, Macario Martínez turned his longing into songs with beautiful lyrics and simple guitar picking."

Macario Martínez — Tiny Desk Concert:
Macario Martínez performs on the Tiny Desk Concert
thetonearm.com
"There is a direct link between Anamanaguchi’s return to the series and the new voice they’ve found. 'Doing the soundtrack for the new game allowed us to see what it would be like to dampen that aspect in our own record world, knowing that we were going full in, soundtrack-style, on the game.'”
Meet Anamanaguchi, the band behind the last Scott Pilgrim video game’s soundtrack – and the next one
Chiptune alt-rock band Anamanaguchi are having a bumper year, culminating in an opportunity to create the soundtrack they’ve always wanted to make – for a new Scott Pilgrim game
www.theguardian.com
thetonearm.com
“[Jim McNeely] transformed the art of writing music for big bands. He writes so fluidly for big band, creates these wonderful colors and textures, and makes the structures feel so natural and inevitable.”

Jim McNeely, Innovative Composer for Jazz Big Bands, Dies at 76 (gift link):
Jim McNeely, Innovative Composer for Jazz Big Bands, Dies at 76
A Grammy-winning pianist, he was renowned for works that created “new ideas about line, harmony, rhythm, sound and musical architecture,” one admirer wrote.
www.nytimes.com
thetonearm.com
Mexican-American musician Joshua Josué discusses his debut 'Beneath the Sand', recorded at a solar-powered Mojave studio — where years of grief found release through bilingual songs written during motorcycle trips across Mexico and Central America.

The Chicano Rock of Joshua Josué:
Two Hearts, Two Languages — The Chicano Rock of Joshua Josué
The Portland-based musician discusses his debut 'Beneath the Sand', recorded at a solar-powered Mojave studio where years of grief found release through bilingual songs written during motorcycle trips across Mexico and Central America.
www.thetonearm.com
thetonearm.com
"Three new hip-hop releases show a way forward for mid-level artists: albums the length of a network sitcom, and committing to the audience you already have."

In an age of streaming excess, cult rappers master the mini-album:
Mick Jenkins' A MURDER OF CROWS, a collaboration with the producer Emil, is one of a handful of recent rap releases that prize concision and focus over algorithmic strategizing.
thetonearm.com
"The young trumpeter was highly opinionated and highly quotable, and from the beginning the music press, sniffing a possible feud, gave Marsalis’s venting about Miles—he even critiqued the outlandish outfits Miles had taken to wearing onstage, calling them 'dresses'…"

The Icon and the Upstart:
The Icon and the Upstart: On Miles Davis’s Legendary Feud With Wynton Marsalis
In March 1989, I found myself riding an elevator, heart knocking, to the fourteenth floor of the Essex House on Central Park South to interview Miles Davis. It was an assignment I’d lucked into thr…
lithub.com
thetonearm.com
After a decade of musical soul-searching, Puerto Rican bassist Alex ‘Apolo' Ayala found his voice by embracing his cultural roots and the jazz tradition. His sophomore album reveals an artist now "unapologetic" about his musical message.

The Afro-Puerto Rican Fusion of Alex ‘Apolo' Ayala:
Bomba Meets Bebop — Alex Ayala's Afro-Puerto Rican Fusion
After a decade of musical soul-searching in New York, the Puerto Rican bassist found his voice by embracing his cultural roots and the jazz tradition. His sophomore album reveals an artist now "unapologetic" about his musical message.
www.thetonearm.com
thetonearm.com
"It’s his trombone playing that gives the Skatalites their heart – a large part of their repertoire comes from him. Everybody knows who Bob Marley is. But I’m going to stick my neck out and say Don was a greater musician than Bob."

The shocking tale of Jamaican ska pioneer Don Drummond:
‘He was greater than Bob Marley’: the shocking tale of Jamaican ska pioneer Don Drummond
Inspired by a boxing, DJing nun, the trombonist laid down the foundations of reggae – but he also had schizophrenia and killed his girlfriend, Jamaica’s ‘rhumba queen’ Margarita. A new graphic novel retells their stories
www.theguardian.com
thetonearm.com
"For decades, college radio championed underground artists before they hit the mainstream. Against all odds—COVID shutdowns, FCC regulations, and the long decline of FM radio—college radio is thriving again."

Gen Z's College Radio Revival:
Gen Z's College Radio Revival
Reports say Gen Z isn't discovering new artists. But college radio stations are overflowing with new DJs. As young listeners reject algorithms for analog—the industry should pay attention.
emwhitenoise.substack.com
thetonearm.com
Canadian composer Andrew Staniland discusses how his JADE technology transforms EEG data into sound, turning six dancers into living instruments for his spatial audio album 'The Laws of Nature.'

Dancing to Brainwaves — Andrew Staniland's Mind Music:
Dancing to Brainwaves — Andrew Staniland's Mind Music
The Canadian composer's JADE technology transforms EEG data into sound, turning six dancers into living instruments for his spatial audio album 'The Laws of Nature.'
www.thetonearm.com
thetonearm.com
"Fearless, reckless, and probably involving psychedelic drugs—the vital elements percolating throughout Someday All the Adults Will Die!, a remarkable story of becoming that plays out in a bygone era of weird Austin, told by much of its original cast."

A New Book Documents the Birth of Texas Punk:
A New Book Documents the Birth of Texas Punk
A remarkable tale of becoming amid a bygone era of weird Austin, as told by its original cast.
daily.bandcamp.com