Steve Bronski, who was part of the 1980s British synth-pop trio Bronski Beat, whose members were openly gay at a time when this was unusual, and who brazenly addressed homophobia and other gay issues in his first songs, died after a fire in his home on December 7. A building in London’s Soho section, British …
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As Terence Wilson, alias Astro, tells the story, he and reggae band UB40 didn’t even know whose song they were covering when they decided to record perhaps their biggest hit. They were attracted to the ska version of the song “Red Red Wine” recorded by the Tony Tribe in 1969. Seven-inch vinyl, “N. Diamond,” said …
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It was an extraordinary time, but not exactly a golden age. Haynes has too much respect for art to idealize artists or impose a retrospective fit on their dissonance. The blatant brutality and menace of the music—the buzz and distortion behind lyrics about addiction, sadism, and sexual exploitation—came from nowhere. Film critic Amy Taubin, who …
Continue reading “‘Velvet Underground’ Review: And I’m In A Rock ‘n’ Roll Band”
After catching the show, Puerto Rican musician and bandleader Rafael Cortijo invited Mr. Roena, aged 15-16, to join his orchestra, Cortijo y Su Combo, as a dancer and choir member. Mr. Cortijo, a percussionist, began to teach him bongo, and soon Roberto became part of the band. When Mr. Cortijo’s band disbanded, Mr. Roena became …
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New Orleans tuba player Bennie Pete, who founded and led Hot 8, one of the city’s high-profile brass bands, and dedicated himself to preserving the musical traditions of the Big Easy after Hurricane Katrina, died September 6. there is a hospital. He was 45 years old. His wife, Lameka Segura-Pete, said the cause was sarcoidosis, …
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HONG KONG – They fill public squares, shopping malls, and form lines that run for several blocks. They bend over the barricades struggling to hold them down and ignore the police officers trying to surround them. The crowds that have filled Hong Kong in recent weeks are not protesters fighting for democracy. They are devotees …
Continue reading “Mirror, Hong Kong Boy Band, Cheers the Gloomy Chinese City”
Paul Cotton, lead guitarist and frequent lead singer and songwriter of the country rock band Poco, died near his summer home in Eugene, Ore, on July 31. He was 78 years old. His wife, Caroline Ford Cotton, said he died unexpectedly, but did not give a reason. It came less than four months after his …
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After months of criticism by award-giving group NBC, which led to the cancellation of next year’s Golden Globe Awards broadcast, Hollywood Foreign Press Associationannounced on Thursday that it has launched a series of reforms. As a nonprofit, the group has adopted a new set of charters aimed at renewing its leadership, increasing and diversifying its …
Continue reading “While the Golden Globes Darken, the Band Behind them Harmony”