KennyHoopla is sitting on the steps behind the stage of Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan, his hands neatly folded in his lap, his head and shoulders hunching his body into a ball, his lips in a despondent frown. The 25-year-old pop-punk artist from Wisconsin — real name KennethLa’ron — is …
Read More »St. Lenox's American Songs
Twenty-five years ago, Andrew Choi had a small revelation. He was attending a funeral for the mother of a Sunday-school teacher, and, as a young Juilliard-trained violinist, he had been asked to perform. For the somber occasion, Choi selected a Bach adagio — “the most depressing piece of music I …
Read More »Rauw Alejandro Is Ready to Take on the World
The 2020 Latin Grammys opened with a splashy, star-studded homage to the salsa legend Héctor Lavoe. While a group of music luminaries, including the singer Victor Manuelle, belted out the lyrics to “El Cantante,” the 28-year-old Puerto Rican artist Rauw Alejandro sauntered onstage holding hands with reggaeton matriarch Ivy Queen. …
Read More »Cable Ties: Rocking Hard With a Social Conscience
Cable Ties address misogyny, racism, gender issues, and climate change on their new album, Far Enough, but they’re under no illusions that a loud, noisy rock band by itself is likely to save the world. “Sometimes I think playing in a band is the most egotistical, selfish thing you can …
Read More »How Vagabon Found Her Voice in a Suburban Costco
Costco sells everything from diapers to coffins, a kind of lifecycle in retail. Laetitia Tamko’s most vital purchase at the super-store came somewhere in between childhood (baby formula) and adulthood (vinyl siding): the dinky starter Fender she picked up at age 17. “I love Costco,” Tamko — who writes and …
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