Stephen Mejias

The April 2010 issue of Stereophile is now on newsstands. For the cover, we selected the Monitor">http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/monitor_audio_platinum_200/">Monitor Audio Platinum PL200 loudspeaker. Like Bob Deutsch, I was impressed by this speaker when I heard it at the 2009">http://blog.stereophile.com/ssi2009/">2009 Salon Son & Image, so I was especially pleased by John Atkinson’s decision to highlight it. Our cover photographer, Eric Swanson, and designer, Natalie Baca, were also pleased by the speaker’s great looks: The fine-furniture finish of its Santos Rosewood cabinet, the silvery ceramic-coated aluminum magnesium drive units, the handsome Strathspey leather front baffle, and, ooh, that sexy rear port (see the extreme close-up on page 109!) all worked to win over our design team.

John Fahey cites Bill Monroe’s “Blue Yodel #7” as the song that changed/destroyed his life. After hearing that song, he knew he had to play guitar.

I assume you’ve been in a situation like this before, too.

Corrina sent me a link to this video for "70 Million" by Hold Your Horses, a band I know nothing about. It must have been so much fun to make this.

Coaster for Guinness Float!

I’ve also been digging the debut LP from Gongasufi, A Sufi And A Killer, on Warp">http://warp.net/records/gonjasufi/debut-album-a-sufi-and-a-killer#0">Wa… Records. You listen to the first track and you’re like, “Hmm?” Listen to the second track and you’re like, “Oh.” Listen to the third track and you’re like, “What the hell is this?” Listen to the fourth track and you’re in love, you’re on your way to the record store even though you swore off buying records for a month, or at least until the next payday, but whatever, you have to have this record now. Now.

Make it real, make it real, make it real. Make it real what? Make it real good. Make it real hard. Make it real long. Make it real.