Rhett Miller Finds Meaning in the Mistakes on “Wasted Time”
LOS ANGELES, CA- When Rhett Miller lands in my inbox, there is one Blurred Culture contributor I immediately think of: Vivian Wang. Vivian is a longtime fan of Miller and the Old 97’s, and whenever she writes about their music, she has a knack…
Ethan French Turns a Daily Idea Into “reckless and arranged”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I follow a handful of musicians on social media who have committed themselves to the whole “one idea a day” exercise. There’s one guy I’ve been following on TikTok for a while who does more musical theater-type stuff, whose name unfortunately…
Tom Siletto Explores Love, Distance and “american pride”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I was initially drawn into Tom Siletto’s “american pride” by his voice. There’s a delicateness to his tenor that immediately suited the sparse, folk-leaning nature of the song, an intimacy that made me want to lean into the recording rather than…
Joy Oladokun and Adekunle Gold Find Spiritual Release on “Sage”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ve found myself searching for spiritually positive music lately, not necessarily music that preaches or promises easy answers, but music that somehow leaves a little more light in the room than it found. There was something about Joy Oladokun’s “Sage,” a…
Meg Lui’s “Elvis Queen” Is a Beautiful Introduction to Instant Validation, Produced by Sufjan Stevens
LOS ANGELES, CA- I wasn’t familiar with Meg Lui until this week. Although she’d already released two singles from her forthcoming debut album Instant Validation, “Gone Girl” and “Dreams,” it was the announcement of “Elvis Queen” that finally caught my attention. The reason was…
MARIS Doubles Down on Emotional Catharsis with “Losing People”
LOS ANGELES, CA- Earlier this year, I came away impressed by MARIS’ single “MOSH★PIT.” While its title suggested chaos and unbridled energy, what stood out most was the conviction behind it. MARIS wasn’t simply writing glossy pop songs. She was chasing emotional highs and…
Leyla Ebrahimi Sets the Tone for Holly Humberstone at The Fonda
CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE MAIN ARTICLE LOS ANGELES, CA- “…Opening the evening was Leyla Ebrahimi, a Persian-American singer-songwriter whose relatively short recording history belies an already well-defined musical identity. Raised in Virginia before eventually making her way to Brooklyn, Ebrahimi only…
RAYE Celebrates Artistic Freedom and Triumph at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre
LOS ANGELES, CA- Few artists in recent memory have experienced a creative rebirth as dramatic as RAYE’s. For years, Rachel Keen occupied a peculiar position within the music industry. Widely respected as a songwriter and vocalist, she nevertheless found herself held back by a…
Pluralone’s Josh Klinghoffer Discusses A Drop In The Ocean, Grief, Time & Vulnerability
LOS ANGELES, CA- Last year, I had the opportunity to watch Josh Klinghoffer perform before a massive crowd as part of Eddie Vedder’s Earthlings at Ohana Festival. It was a reminder of the unique space Klinghoffer has occupied throughout his career: a musician whose…
Jesse Welles’ “Masks Off” Is A Furious Folk Anthem For America’s Breaking Point
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are protest singers, and then there are artists like Jesse Welles who seem incapable of looking away from the world around them. Over the past couple of years, Welles has carved out a singular lane for himself through stripped-down performances…
