So you own 200gm LP pressings? And test pressings? Even Mobile Fidelity's One-Step 45rpm Santana Abraxas? Vinyl fans, Devialet has now gone one better. The French amplifier and wireless speaker manufacturer is now in the record business, and releasing limited-edition, 180gm vinyl LPs of unreleased live concerts of jazz greats like Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans. and now, Sarah Vaughan. But Devialet is also making and selling lacquer copies that are limited to editions…
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"Crafted out of aluminum and coated with nitrocellulose lacquer, this truly fascinating object is the ultimate analog medium."
If there's one segment of the music business that seems to be surging, ie, selling concert tickets and even some records, it's "Americana." You can argue all day about what the definition of that term actually means. Amongst the many Americana discussions I have had at South by Southwest 2017, two stand out. The first was a heated discussion of why the blues should be included in Americana. The second friendly-chat-turned-oddly-personal spat posited that R&B also belonged in Americana.
While the term is admittedly overly broad and in the end could indeed mean just about anything…
At Friday afternoon's (Hi-Res) Music for the Masses: Going Mainstream panel at SXSW 2017, the consensus was that if high-resolution audio is going to catch fire and become what one panel member called "The New Cool," then the charge needs to be led by an artist who needs to talk up hi-rez tracks and perhaps forcefully nudge or outright insist that their label into release their music in high resolution form.
The panel also examined the issue of people actually paying for high-resolution tracks as opposed to buying or stealing MP3s. Questions were posed about why music fans will pay…
Chuck Berry's passing on Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 90 is the most momentous death in all of American popular music since Robert Johnson's death at age 27 in Greenwood, MS. in 1938. He is, after all, without exception, the man who created rock'n'roll. Berry wrote, often in league with pianist Johnnie Johnson, many of what are now considered the classic songs of rock 'n' roll.
Berry is also the man who confirmed the guitar as the central instrument of rock 'n' roll—he was a perpetually underrated guitar player. Devoted to using a Gibson ES 350 arch top guitar (often in red), Berry…
One of the most talked about acts to play SXSW 2017 was Chicano Batman, a Latino psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles. I caught two of their sets—the best was at the Radio Day Stage at the Austin Convention Center, where they played most of their new record, Freedom is Free, which has just been released on the ATO label. While their instrumentalism and stagecraft was practiced and ready for primetime, their original material had its weak moments. To be fair, their mix of tropical and Latin rhythms, swirling guitar, and organ parts is a challenging mix that's going to take awhile to master.…
Beautiful sound was the order of the day at Tone of Music Audio (1303 Castro Street, Suite D, San Francisco, CA 94114), as the small retailer, headquartered in the heart of San Francisco's Noe Valley, held the first of two spring open houses. Judging from what the 30 or so visitors heard at the first open house, on March 18, those who show up for the second listening session on Saturday, April 1, between noon and 5 pm (RSVP to info@toneofmusic.com), are in for a treat.
How proprietor Tim Nguyen (left, in photo, with Bea Lam, right, and Luke Manley, far right, of VTL) manages to fit…
For me, no South by Southwest is complete without seeing a couple of bands from the creative nexus of the north that is Scotland. This year I found Spinning Coin from Glasgow. Perhaps named after a John Mayall record of the same name, the quartet's dual front men, singer/guitarists Jack Mellin and Sean Armstrong, have chemistry that's obvious. While some of their music can get a bit too wall'o’fuzz guitars for me, they also have the same melodic thread running through their music that has made Scottish bands such fun to watch and listen to over the years.
Spinning Coin records for the…
Last week, at Seattle dealer Definitive Audio's 12th Music Matters, there were six different systems being demonstrated. With the inevitable craziness of such a well-attended event, I wasn't able to get enough footage for each room to have its own standalone minute. I therefore compiled shots from each room to give you a visual overview. For a complete breakdown of each system, please see Jason Victor Serinus's coverage of Music Matters 12 .
Thursday evening, March 23, at 6pm and 7:30pm, The Sound Environment (11021 Elm Street, Omaha, NE 68144) is presenting Wilson Audio's Peter McGrath and the Alexx loudspeakers. Peter McGrath will be playing some of his four-channel master recordings with Wilson Alexias used for the rear channels.
Space at the presentations will be very limited, so if you'd like to reserve a seat, please register by sending an email to eric@soundenvironment.com, including your full name and which presentation you'd like to attend, 6pm or 7:30pm. Peter will also be available Wednesday afternoon and Thursday…
On March 16, audio manufacturer Luxman Corporation, now in their 92nd year, announced the establishment of a new US subsidiary, Luxman America: the first time in 30 years that the Japanese tube-amp specialist has had a corporate-owned presence here.
The announcement was made at the Manhattan showroom of co-hosts Adirondack Audio & Video, a retail and distribution company based in Queensbury, New York. The event doubled as a launch party for two new Luxman products: their LX-380 tubed integrated amplifier ($7995) and D-380 tubed CD player ($5495). On hand were Luxman Vice President…