Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Beat.
Arif Erdem Ocak: Turkey’s Breakout Musician of the Year
Moonlight on tight shorts and bikini tops… A secluded beach lapped by hot Aegean waves… The dark green of woods within which stalk predators hunting furry prey... And then— a rainbow of lights cross each other like sniper beads seeking targets as a boom of unnaturally amplified guitars disrupts the ambient airwaves.
By Matt Cates9 years ago in Beat
New Years Eve Mini Mix
The new year is almost upon us, and thank fuck for that. 2016 has been, in a word: Horrific. Between the turbulent bullshit going on all over the world and the deaths of so many beloved stars (largely Prince and Bowie… those two hit me like a ton of bricks) this year has sped past at an electric rate, dropping hideous stinks as it went. That being said, I have had some amazing moments and thank god for music, which is one of the only things that helps to pull me through dark days and even darker nights.
By Samantha Bentley9 years ago in Beat
Bands That Time Forgot
Their dilated eyes peered out at you from under coiffed bangs and shoulder-length curls. They wore loud paisley Sgt. Pepper jackets, Indian print shirts or tangles of suede fringe. They looked vaguely menacing and rather spaced-out behind their clear plastic guitars, like some alien invaders or refugees from a psilocybin laboratory.
By Will Vasquez9 years ago in Beat
Movie Soundtracks That Changed Alternative Music
If you thought movie soundtracks were just noises in the back that worked up movie plots, think again. Sometimes, they change lives, make teens practice music in their garage and turn out to be music legends like Nirvana or Billy Holiday. Sometimes, the thrums of those like Slash's guitar solos and Joe Satriani are inspired by more than drugs and booze. Sometimes, it is these movie soundtracks that instill the idea to make a difference, to make music the likes of which have never existed before. From the blues and hip-hop of old jazz movies to the present-day electronic and grunge solos, movie soundtracks continue to reshape the music world every day.
By Beat Staff9 years ago in Beat
Most Famous Music Break Ups In History
Everyone loves one form of music or another, and every person has a band they love, and every person has a music breakup they never forgot. Bands come and go, but their music can last forever. When you hear a band you love, it can change everything for you. When that band breaks up, it can seem like your own family is breaking up.
By Adam Quinn9 years ago in Beat
Christopher Makos' 'White Trash' Book Review
The organic and semantic problem of decadence is its capacity to bore; an absence of vitality, no matter how stylishly served, puts one on the nod faster than a freshly rolled one right before bedtime. Christopher Makos, photographer to the beautiful catatonics of the 1970s, assembled a not-uninteresting and widely selling collection of New Wave photo scenes.
By Arnold Seleskey9 years ago in Beat
Unmasking The Punk Underground
He's tough tonight, with a non-filter cigarette dangling from his soft, adolescent lips as beads of warm sweat run down his hairless chest. Standing in front of the New York rock club, CBGB, he's imagining himself as Brando, flexing his self-image, imagining knife fights in alleys or plugging chicks like there's no tomorrow. Tough, real tough, like the rock band inside, the Ramones, who are the essence of the emerging rock trend, punk rock.
By Adam Quinn9 years ago in Beat
'Rock N Roll Is Here to Pay' Book Review
Steve Chapple and Reebee Garofalo's Rock 'n' Roll Is Here To Pay, together with Geoffrey Stokes' equally outstanding Star Making Machinery, should be considered required reading for anyone with a serious interest in either popular music or American methods of merchandising culture. It contains an incredible amount of information pertaining to the rise of pop music as the dominant force in the entertainment industry, far too much to even attempt to describe here. But this look back on the origins of marketing in the music industry is a relevant lesson for those interested in navigating a world where Spotify has usurped the power of big labels.
By Arnold Seleskey9 years ago in Beat
Elvis Costello's Classic 'My Aim Is True'
For a while, at the beginning of his journey especially, some thought he was another Elvis Presley rip-off. That was, of course, before they heard him. He had his name long before the King died. Elvis Costello initially broke out in England, and remained a mystery in America for the first few years of his success.
By Frank White9 years ago in Beat
