Larry Jon Wilson, Columbus bands in Spin

I reviewed the new Larry Jon Wilson album for the August edition Spin. You can check it out on pg. 93 in print or the digital edition.

Also in that issue: Spin's list of the "100 greatest bands you've (probably) never heard of," which is a good read, especially because it includes four legendary Columbus bands: Gaunt, Great Plains, Royal Crescent Mob and Scrawl.

Staying relevant

Neko Case has a new album out, and if you liked Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, you'll like this one. Same vivid, bizarre songwriting, same terrific voice. Same electric-red hair, too, judging by the album cover and features in Paste and Spin. In fact, she graced the cover of Paste's February issue.

Before hearing the album, I was pretty excited to read about Neko, the making of Middle Cyclone, etc. But, to my disappointment, Paste decided to do a "50th Issue Lovefest"-themed issue, which I guess was also some sort of Valentine's day tie-in. This also meant the cover story on Neko Case ended up being a list of her favorite things ("17 Things I <3"). There's a reason most good, long-form feature stories rely on more than a Q&A with the artist, just like there's a reason good stories aren't made up entirely of quotes. Generally, I learn more about an artist and his/her music by reading about a writer's experiences with that artist rather than a string of quotes. Some of my favorite music journalism is such because of what a writer perceives behind and between the quotes--the way someone's face twitches, the way she gets visibly awkward when addressing a certain subject, how she holds her spoon, interactions with strangers, etc.

Which is why I enjoyed Ellen Carpenter's Spin profile of Neko far more. While it may seem counterintuitive, I don't care about Neko describing her favorite things in her own words. I want to hear a good writer describe her favorite things, how that conclusion was made and why they're her favorite things. Not to mention that what she hates is probably far more interesting.

One example. Both stories talk about how much Neko loves her grehounds. In Case's words (from Paste): "Dogs live for today. I love them for that."

In Carpenter's words (from Spin): "Neko Case's biggest fans bum-rush her at her front door. 'Hi, guys!' she singsongs as four large dogs come clattering over floorboards to fill the entrance of her Tuscon, Arizona home with sheer body-wiggling desperation. You'd think she'd been on tour for weeks, not at a local cafe for two hours."

Which is better?

All this to say, the use of gimmicks in music magazines seems to be on the rise, and Paste is certainly not the only guilty party. (This little case study could be easily reversed in a different issue.) I understand that print publications are suffering right now, which I presume is why the newest issue of Paste is the March/April edition. Guess it's back to bi-monthly. But if print publications are trying to compete with free information on the Internet, then they should be emphasizing what makes a print publication different. Not to say that this is the only struggle print publications have (horrible economy, dwindling advertising dollars, etc.), but adapting to the age of the Internet doesn't mean restyling a magazine so it's more like a webzine or a blog. Any number of music blogs have Q&As with artists every day, and they're rarely interesting.

Readers of print publications want more. They want the writing to be a cut above what they speed through on their Google Readers every day. So make it worthwhile, music mags. Adapt, don't conform. And stay away from shallow gimmicks.

Digital Spin

Spin has a pretty cool digital version of its magazine. It just debuted with the May issue, and I have to say I'm impressed. You can look through an exact replica of the print magazine, with different bands, etc. highlighted with links. Pretty impressive. Having that magazine-style layout is something I miss on other publications' websites.

And yes, if you haven't picked up the June issue, you can read that sh*tgaze article I wrote here.

Spinning

I pitched a story to Spin awhile back, and to my surprise, they went for it. So check out the June issue for a short piece about Times New Viking, Psychedelic Horseshit and Pink Reason titled "Sh*tgaze: Columbus, Ohio, gives lo-fi a new, sorta gross name."