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thetonearm.com
The Tonearm
@thetonearm.com
5K followers 860 following 4.9K posts
celebrating music journalism
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putting a needle on the cultural wax

an online journal of unexpected music + culture → thetonearm.com
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thetonearm.com
a black and white photo of Kramer with his eyes closed and leaning his head against a mirror … overlaid is the quoted text: "I'm a spontaneous composer . . . I simply sit down and begin. It's like breathing, it just happens."
January 12, 2026 at 9:30 PM
thetonearm.com
"We know that so many people are just now starting to come up for air through this disaster. They're just now starting to figure out what they need and what kind of assistance they might benefit from."

After the LA wildfires, musicians still face a long road to recovery: www.npr.org/2026/01/09/n...
A year ago, Rich Mouser's home recording studio burned to the ground in the Eaton fire.
January 12, 2026 at 6:45 PM
thetonearm.com
… Patricia explores her unique system of superimposing astronomical patterns onto the circle of fifths, how her engineering family shapes her music, and the way she bridges Mexican marimba traditions with contemporary chamber music.

Be sure to tune in: podcast.thetonearm.com/patricia-bre...
Patricia Brennan plays vibraphone in a recording studio.
January 11, 2026 at 1:55 PM
thetonearm.com
“And these cats would be like, ‘You’re a real live drummer? Yo, that shit is crazy,’ And I was like, ‘Wait a second, I’m playing for the wrong people.’”

Finding Your Sound — Makaya McCraven: tidal.com/magazine/art...
A black and white photo of Makaya McCraven
January 10, 2026 at 3:00 PM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white portrait photo of the musician Sessa and the quoted text: "Something gets lost in translation, but it becomes yours. Those things are really exciting for me. That's part of my process."
January 9, 2026 at 9:30 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, jazz drummer Phil Haynes discusses the inspiration behind Free Country's album 'Liberty Now!' and its dialogue with Max Roach's 'Freedom Now Suite.'

Don't miss the full conversation on the latest episode of our podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/phil-haynes-...
January 9, 2026 at 5:19 PM
thetonearm.com
"Roeg was convinced he’d found the alien lead for his new sci-fi epic, The Man Who Fell To Earth. 'I didn’t want an actor,' he later explained, 'but someone who had the possibility of being unique.'"

The untold story of The Man Who Fell To Earth: www.uncut.co.uk/features/dav...
David Bowie flanked by TV screens in a still from the movie The Man Who Fell To Earth
January 9, 2026 at 12:45 PM
thetonearm.com
horror movie pitch: it's like The Substance but more Americana
headline: Inside John Mellencamp's Long Battle to Escape 'Johnny Cougar'
January 9, 2026 at 2:15 AM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white photo of Phil Haynes behind the drum kit and the quoted text: "While [the album] has all these political undertones, both meant and subconscious, there's also the side that it's just good music. Oh, we need that so desperately."
January 9, 2026 at 1:22 AM
thetonearm.com
"We were working as a live band and David was recording with us. It was all very intimate. That was good, because you can hear that it’s recorded in a live room. It makes it feel real."

The making of David Bowie’s final masterpiece, ★: www.uncut.co.uk/features/dav...
A photo of David Bowie in a cool gray paisley shirt
January 8, 2026 at 11:45 PM
thetonearm.com
by the looks of it the Broadway version apparently
the caption: Stephen Pearcy Says Ratt's Demise Was Like "Mutiny on the Bounty' and a photo of the members of Ratt decked out in glam rock gear
January 8, 2026 at 2:52 PM
thetonearm.com
"Great Grandpa writes lullabies for the restless. The indie rock band's thoughtful intensity remains intact at the Tiny Desk, just at a quieter volume."

Great Grandpa — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2026/01/07/g...
Great Grandpa perform on the Tiny Desk Concert
January 7, 2026 at 11:45 PM
thetonearm.com
a black and white artistically blurry photo of Kirin McElwain standing next to a fence and the quoted text: "There is an inherent discomfort that comes with continuing to keep pulling a thread, to keep turning towards something."
January 7, 2026 at 9:30 PM
thetonearm.com
In this excerpt from our latest podcast episode, jazz drummer Phil Haynes reflects on how he learned to contextualize sounds in music and gained his passion for elevating the art of percussion. #JazzSky

Listen to the full conversation on The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/phil-haynes-...
January 7, 2026 at 5:15 PM
thetonearm.com
"I would blast Sinéad O’Connor’s music in my bedroom. Her voice was a shudder, her songs evocative enough to lend a cinematic vastness to my sadness, resonating long past the age of crossed wires and slammed doors."

Universal Mother: granta.com/universal-mo...
A stark black-and-white portrait photo of Sinéad O’Connor from the 1980s.
January 7, 2026 at 10:30 AM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from the new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, jazz drummer Phil Haynes reflects on the journey of his quartet Free Country, the creation of their album 'Liberty Now!', and the personal challenges during recording.

Tune in to the full conversation: podcast.thetonearm.com/phil-haynes-...
January 6, 2026 at 1:30 PM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white photo of the three members of Faetooth and the quoted text: "We didn't intentionally strive to make a huge musical departure or anything, we really just wanted to write more songs."
January 6, 2026 at 1:03 AM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white photo of Arnold Dreyblatt and Horse Lords, along with this quoted text from Dreyblatt: "… we came to the same conclusions about what we were doing, the shared vocabulary of just intonation . . . in a driving, highly rhythmically articulated way."
January 5, 2026 at 9:30 PM
thetonearm.com
"An upright piano, a guitar and Daniel Caesar, lifted by a 12-piece choir. The presentation is simple, but the effect is transcendental."

Daniel Caesar — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2026/01/05/g...
Daniel Caesar performs on the Tiny Desk Concert
January 5, 2026 at 3:01 PM
thetonearm.com
… Haynes's conversation with host Lawrence Peryer explores how grief and political uncertainty entered the music, the spiritual influence of Herb Robertson on Haynes's understanding of free improv, and what it means to make art during fragile times.

Tune in: podcast.thetonearm.com/phil-haynes-...
A smiling Phil Haynes sits behind his drum kit.
January 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM
thetonearm.com
"We always tend to work better when we’re all in the room at the same time. We’ve made a few weak attempts at working remotely and it just doesn’t happen."

Finding Your Sound — Tortoise: tidal.com/magazine/art...
A promotional photo of the five members of Tortoise.
January 3, 2026 at 3:00 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, composer and violinist Bryan Senti recounts his early introduction to the violin, the intense demands it placed on him, and his transition from soloist to composer.

Hear more on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
January 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white photo of Bryan Senti standing on a beach and holding a violin, with the quote text: "If you do want to connect with music and write music for its original purpose, which is self-expression, you're going to need to work on what that narrative is."
January 3, 2026 at 1:27 AM
thetonearm.com
In this excerpt from The Tonearm Podcast, Bryan Senti discusses his struggle to reconcile elite classical training with his family's humble roots, charting his evolution from classical violinist to exploring Latin American folk music.

Listen to the full chat: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
January 1, 2026 at 5:02 PM
thetonearm.com
"In 2025, we crammed rap and rock legends, instrumental virtuosos, Broadway musicals and, well, puppets and robots behind a desk in the NPR Music office. Never forget: Tiny Desk has the range."

The Best Tiny Desk Concerts of 2025: www.npr.org/2025/12/29/g...
31 Minutos performing on the Tiny Desk Concert.
January 1, 2026 at 3:01 PM