Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
My Yuletide Picks of 2017
Each year, I deliberately count the days as they gradually morph into weeks and months of seasonal changes. I watch with great anticipation as the calendar eventually progresses towards the beginnings of the holiday season. Like clockwork, new Christmas albums miraculously appear annually. I readily look forward to adding something novel to my holiday music collection, which has gradually, but incessantly, increased per annum. This December is no exception with the following titles earning a permanent place within my musical library.
By Eric Allen8 years ago in Beat
The Best Tech Gifts for Music Lovers
The kind of music tech product you want to get depends on the audiophile you're shopping for. For example, is this person serious about recording or their home studio? Or would they rather have something that improves their listening experience? We came up with some great gifts for both.
By Taylor Markarian8 years ago in Beat
The 'List: "Saturday Night Fever" 40th Anniversary
Hello one and all. As a child of only five years living in Brooklyn NY, I remember living next to a professional club disc jockey who had a killer sound system and whose collection was pretty vast with all types of music genres; salsa, merengue and pop being the main choices. But, around December of 1977, I distinctly remember being at his house as he unwrapped the latest album he was supposed to sample. The soundtrack to the new John Travolta movie, Saturday Night Fever. The film about young teenage ruffian Tony Manero, played by Travolta, who worked at a Brooklyn, NY, paint store by day; but danced like his life depended on it at a local discotheque on Saturday nights.
By Carlos Gonzalez8 years ago in Beat
Taylor Swift's "LWYMMD" — The Comeback Anthem We Need in 2018
A year ago Taylor Swift disappeared. After a very public break-up and rebound she made a song with her friend Zayn and then melted into the background. Since her first album came out, Taylor Swift has been in the spotlight as a serial monogamist and has been praised and lauded for her open diary policy displayed in her albums. Fans will defend the songstress to their graves while critics will take apart her every action to prove their point, that she's an attention seeking, flighty girl with little patience. She's a lightning rod for just about every kind of gossip. It is no surprise, then, that her latest album got either applauded or criticized by just about every person and news outlet I know.
By Samantha Kemp8 years ago in Beat
Changing of a Decade
Scott flips through the vinyls sitting on a shelf in his room, dusty old Chuck Berry albums mixed with a new Stones record and everything in between. There’s a few odd ones, like the Beach Boys and Shirelles, more of his mom’s music than his own, but they act as a nice break sometimes from the regular Hendrix riffs or gruff vocals of Black Sabbath. His parents are gone for the next few hours, giving him the perfect amount of time to blast his music uninterrupted for a while. He pulls off a 7” “Stairway to Heaven” single he found back when he was probably ten or so with his dad. The album art is relatively bland, but the song definitely made up for it. He also picks off "Road to Ruin" to listen to as well, especially considering his dad’s hatred for the Ramones meant he couldn’t listen to them when he was at home. He finds them dirty, ill-mannered, and unkempt with their matching shaggy hair and ill-fitting jeans.
By C.K. Milton8 years ago in Beat
Fickle Reputations
Signing a record contract is like accepting admission to college. Artists are forced to declare a major; a genre that will be the focus of their musical projects for at least the next four years. However, artists today are very fickle—not many have remained loyal to the genre of music that they began their careers with.
By Sophie Stekel8 years ago in Beat
Late Night Beats
It is dark outside. The weather is starting to go down. You're in your car, alone, riding on the freeway. Or you're in your bed and your head is starting to wonder. All you're missing is the perfect playlist to accompany you in this midnight adventure. Here are your late night beats.
By Elo Campeau8 years ago in Beat
8 Reasons to Go to a Music Festival
Just imagine driving down the road with the aux cord plugged in and your music library on shuffle. Now imagine being able to smile to yourself and say, "I've seen this song live." It's an absolutely wonderful feeling. Think about how music can bring out so many different emotions inside you, just imagine what it would do if you got to experience the magic in person!
By Lily Pitts8 years ago in Beat
'Tell Everyone on This Train I Love Them'
On Saturday, May 27th, I sat in a Portland coffeeshop and read that Gregg Allman had passed away. Then I read that two men had been stabbed to death on a Portland train the night before. One of them was Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche. I didn't know him personally, but I saw that I had over a dozen mutual friends with his mother, Asha Deliverance. As I drove the three hour drive back to Bend over the mountain pass, I thought about Gregg, and of Taliesin and Rick, the two victims who had been stabbed by Jeremy Christian for standing up to the hate and bigotry he was directing towards two teenaged girls, one wearing a hijab.
By Victor Johnson8 years ago in Beat
Big Sean & Metro Boomin - 'Double Or Nothing' Review
Social media exploded into a firestorm when Big Sean and Metro Boomin dropped Double Or Nothing. Many have been quick to dismiss this project as “trash,” and quick to label Big Sean as a sub-par rapper. Joe Budden was even quick to assert that this project shouldn’t exist at all.
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
