Eric R. Danton
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erdanton.bsky.social
Eric R. Danton
@erdanton.bsky.social
1.5K followers 230 following 2.9K posts
Writer of Freak Scene, about music in #WesternMass and CT. Bylines in the Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Paste and more. IWWFJU. Ex-Hartford Courant. Knows it's only rock 'n' roll, but likes it.
https://buttondown.email/freakscene
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erdanton.bsky.social
Any lawyer friends here know a trademark attorney (maybe in MA) who could speak about trademarks in the context of band names for a story?
January 23, 2026 at 1:03 AM
erdanton.bsky.social
When Freak Scene gets as big as The Free Press, I can promise no interviews, ever, with JD Vance or Sam Altman
newyorker.com The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 3d
Bari Weiss’s embrace of a press free from élite bias—what she might call woke politics—has taken her to the top of the media establishment. It has also aligned her with a billionaire class more willing than ever to indulge Donald Trump.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me/AwAwXX
Inside Bari Weiss’s Hostile Takeover of CBS News
The network’s new editor-in-chief has championed a press free from élite bias, while aligning herself with a billionaire class more willing than ever to indulge Donald Trump.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
January 19, 2026 at 4:27 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Why not subscribe for weekly updates on what's happening on the local music scene?
erdanton.bsky.social Eric R. Danton @erdanton.bsky.social · 6d
It's Friday, so there's a new Freak Scene newsletter. This week, Amherst's Corey Cash wrestles with his own sliding doors moments on a pair of new EPs, one solo and one he did with his Bubble Scary bandmate:
buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #101: Corey Cash Explores What-Ifs on New EPs
Plus, James MacPherson of Connecticut trio Bonsai Trees has a new solo project
buttondown.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:41 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
It's Friday, so there's a new Freak Scene newsletter. This week, Amherst's Corey Cash wrestles with his own sliding doors moments on a pair of new EPs, one solo and one he did with his Bubble Scary bandmate:
buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #101: Corey Cash Explores What-Ifs on New EPs
Plus, James MacPherson of Connecticut trio Bonsai Trees has a new solo project
buttondown.com
January 16, 2026 at 12:57 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Of course it all comes back to a self-interested billionaire. Great story by @theguardian.com:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
How a billionaire with interests in Greenland encouraged Trump to acquire the territory
US president’s friend Ronald Lauder – who first proposed Arctic expansion – is now making deals in the island
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:39 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Real Madrid crashing out of the Copa del Rey by giving up a last-minute goal to lose 3-2 to Albacete seems like an excellent way to begin the Arbeloa era
January 14, 2026 at 10:00 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Rank incompetence?

"Part of the debate inside CBS News is whether Ms. Weiss’s early stumbles are a symptom of partisanship, inexperience or something else."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...
‘We Need to Be the News’: Inside Bari Weiss’s Bumpy Revamp at CBS
www.nytimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:15 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
You could even subscribe for weekly installments about music in Western MA and CT!
January 12, 2026 at 3:36 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Good to see the guy in the Mandalorian suit at yesterday's anti-ICE protest. This is the way.
January 12, 2026 at 3:18 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Western MA musician @cheercaptain.wang has some sound advice on the song "Jerk Off Instructions," from their new album "A Painting You Can't Afford to See." This week's Freak Scene newsletter has more:
buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #100: Cheer Captain's 'A Painting You Can't Afford to See'
The Western Mass. singer's new album is an act of resistance through irreverence
buttondown.com
January 10, 2026 at 8:21 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Got a text from an Amazon HR recruiter named Angelina Jolie. What are they odds? I'm sure it's fine to give them my SSN
January 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Eric R. Danton
cheercaptain.wang
A really wonderful piece about my album from @erdanton.bsky.social. Please check it out and the rest of his cool blog about Western Mass / CT indie music.
Freak Scene #100: Cheer Captain's 'A Painting You Can't Afford to See'
The Western Mass. singer's new album is an act of resistance through irreverence
buttondown.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Eric R. Danton
cheercaptain.wang
I didn’t tell Eric but he was my local rock critic I read in high school and college when he wrote for The Hartford Courant. What an honor!
January 9, 2026 at 1:50 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
In the latest Freak Scene newsletter, we dig into the new album from @cheercaptain.wang, who uses irreverence as a tactic of resistance:
buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #100: Cheer Captain's 'A Painting You Can't Afford to See'
The Western Mass. singer's new album is an act of resistance through irreverence
buttondown.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Eric R. Danton
amyanajones.bsky.social
Did the Yard Goats just
Skeet from the Hartford Yard Goats that says "Safe to say, we are all tired of ice" with a picture of a frozen baseball field.
January 8, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by Eric R. Danton
wired.com
We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · 14d
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
This afternoon’s entertainment
The pitch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London a few minutes before kickoff against Sunderland
January 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
I’m on vacation in London, but Freak Scene is hard at work. This week, CT band Northfield takes us back to the ‘90s:

buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #99: Northfield Embrace the '90s on 'Lost and Found'
Plus, there's a great newsletter about Latin freestyle you really ought to read
buttondown.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Reposted by Eric R. Danton
erdanton.bsky.social
Rounded up my favorite music from 2025 in this week’s Freak Scene newsletter:

buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #98: My Favorite Albums of 2025
Many of the albums I listened to most this year had a maximalist theme
buttondown.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Rounded up my favorite music from 2025 in this week’s Freak Scene newsletter:

buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #98: My Favorite Albums of 2025
Many of the albums I listened to most this year had a maximalist theme
buttondown.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:17 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Merry Christmas! @bostonglobe.com posted its 2025 best-albums list. I contributed three blurbs, including one about @golddust.bandcamp.com:

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/24/a...
From Geese to Karol G, these are the 30 best albums of 2025 - The Boston Globe
We checked in with Globe critics over the summer to find out which albums had already impressed them this year. Here are 30 more from 2025 you won’t want to miss.
www.bostonglobe.com
December 25, 2025 at 8:24 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Think I'll need to see the family tree
lawrencehurley.bsky.social Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · Dec 19
If immigrating from England makes you a "heritage American" then I guess I'm one too.
December 20, 2025 at 6:49 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Good for "Earnest," and eff these grifters who are making it harder for legit critical voices
imleor.bsky.social Leor Galil @imleor.bsky.social · Dec 19
A writer publishing under the byline “Earnest Graham” fabricated a restaurant to ask food influencers about how much they charge for posts they purport to be honest reviews. Twenty-four influencers took the bait.

thehunger.substack.com/p/eat-pay-love
Eat, Pay, Love!
A story of how food influencers are committing legal fraud
thehunger.substack.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:14 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
This week in Freak Scene, we hear the latest from "alt-Irish" band Dicey Riley, plus there's a Northampton rapper who goes by the name Dome Lettuce. Check it out:
buttondown.com/freakscene/a...
Freak Scene #97: Dicey Riley Blend Old and New on 'The Curse'
Plus, Northampton rapper Dome Lettuce is amassing quite a discography
buttondown.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
erdanton.bsky.social
Great, when do these dinners start actually informing his columns?
capitolhunters.bsky.social capitolhunters @capitolhunters.bsky.social · Dec 18
The NYT imperiously declined to provide details, just declaring their op-ed columnists must of course attend dinners with "noted and important business leaders". But it's not hard to find. The Silicon Valley pantheon was there: Musk, Bezos, Brin, Mayer, Wojcicki, Mundie & Myhrvold of Microsoft... 3/
December 18, 2025 at 8:00 PM