The Tonearm
@thetonearm.com
celebrating music journalism
+
putting a needle on the cultural wax
an online journal of unexpected music + culture → thetonearm.com
+
putting a needle on the cultural wax
an online journal of unexpected music + culture → thetonearm.com
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The Tonearm
@thetonearm.com
· Mar 20
The Tonearm is an online journal of unexpected music and culture, a shared exploration of what it's like to create cool + meaningful things.
Check out our latest articles + podcasts: www.thetonearm.com/linkinbio/
and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Talk Of The Tonearm ✨
Check out our latest articles + podcasts: www.thetonearm.com/linkinbio/
and don't forget to subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Talk Of The Tonearm ✨
DJ and electronic music producer Daniel Avery discusses his sixth album 'Tremor,' a record that pulls together shoegaze, ambient drone, and club music, featuring collaborations with Alison Mosshart, New Dad, and Bdrmm.
Shadowy and Inviting — Daniel Avery's Electronic Homecoming:
Shadowy and Inviting — Daniel Avery's Electronic Homecoming:
Daniel Avery's Electronic Homecoming on 'Tremor'
The electronic producer discusses his sixth album 'Tremor,' a record that pulls together shoegaze, ambient drone, and club music, and features collaborations with Alison Mosshart, New Dad, and Bdrmm.
www.thetonearm.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:45 AM
DJ and electronic music producer Daniel Avery discusses his sixth album 'Tremor,' a record that pulls together shoegaze, ambient drone, and club music, featuring collaborations with Alison Mosshart, New Dad, and Bdrmm.
Shadowy and Inviting — Daniel Avery's Electronic Homecoming:
Shadowy and Inviting — Daniel Avery's Electronic Homecoming:
Reposted by The Tonearm
David Bowie’s personas weren’t disguises.
They were tools - frameworks that allowed access to ideas otherwise out of reach.
The persona served the work, not the ego. 🧵 1/7
Bowie | creative process
They were tools - frameworks that allowed access to ideas otherwise out of reach.
The persona served the work, not the ego. 🧵 1/7
Bowie | creative process
January 4, 2026 at 7:14 PM
David Bowie’s personas weren’t disguises.
They were tools - frameworks that allowed access to ideas otherwise out of reach.
The persona served the work, not the ego. 🧵 1/7
Bowie | creative process
They were tools - frameworks that allowed access to ideas otherwise out of reach.
The persona served the work, not the ego. 🧵 1/7
Bowie | creative process
Reposted by The Tonearm
Howard Wuelfing talking @ People’s Book about late 70s beginning dc punk scene ( pre Dischord)
January 4, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Howard Wuelfing talking @ People’s Book about late 70s beginning dc punk scene ( pre Dischord)
"When I realized that vocalist Kitty Haywood had appeared on LPs by all three members of my holy trinity of Chicago progressive soul—Curtis Mayfield, Minnie Riperton, and Terry Callier—I knew I had to look harder at her oeuvre. The same goes for her singing siblings, who are integral to her career."
Kitty Haywood’s voice helped shape Chicago music for decades - Chicago Reader
Kitty Haywood and her sisters sang on countless songs and jingles, including some of the greatest albums Chicago ever produced—and one hit of their own.
chicagoreader.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:45 PM
"When I realized that vocalist Kitty Haywood had appeared on LPs by all three members of my holy trinity of Chicago progressive soul—Curtis Mayfield, Minnie Riperton, and Terry Callier—I knew I had to look harder at her oeuvre. The same goes for her singing siblings, who are integral to her career."
Reposted by The Tonearm
Singers and musicians born on this day include Marcel King, Bernard Sumner, Cait O'Riordan, Robin Guthrie, Mark Hollis, Beth Gibbons, Michael Stipe, Tim Wheeler and Martin McAloon 🎂 🎤 🎸 🎂
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Singers and musicians born on this day include Marcel King, Bernard Sumner, Cait O'Riordan, Robin Guthrie, Mark Hollis, Beth Gibbons, Michael Stipe, Tim Wheeler and Martin McAloon 🎂 🎤 🎸 🎂
"[Judee Sill] is too woo, too strange, and too outré. Which is precisely what makes her my kind of psalmist, a misfit saint too flawed for canonization anywhere but within the sacred confines of my record collection."
A Prayer for Judee:
A Prayer for Judee:
A Prayer for Judee
Judee Sill's Religion of Song
jasonpwoodbury.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 6:45 PM
"[Judee Sill] is too woo, too strange, and too outré. Which is precisely what makes her my kind of psalmist, a misfit saint too flawed for canonization anywhere but within the sacred confines of my record collection."
A Prayer for Judee:
A Prayer for Judee:
Reposted by The Tonearm
Reposted by The Tonearm
Happy birthday Nels Cline! My convo with him last summer backstage at Cain’s Ballroom:
Bonus Track: Nels Cline on His Love for Theme Time Radio Hour
"It's one of my favorite things ever in the history of media"
www.flaggingdown.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Happy birthday Nels Cline! My convo with him last summer backstage at Cain’s Ballroom:
"People might call you a ‘luddite’, or an ‘enemy of progress’, or they might find other ways why you’re wrong and nothing you do will change anything. Ultimately, that doesn’t matter at all. Because passivity, fatalism and ignorance are definitely not the way forward either."
10 Ways To Support Independent Music And Culture in 2026
Some practical ways to take responsibility as a listener
www.zensounds.de
January 4, 2026 at 3:30 PM
"People might call you a ‘luddite’, or an ‘enemy of progress’, or they might find other ways why you’re wrong and nothing you do will change anything. Ultimately, that doesn’t matter at all. Because passivity, fatalism and ignorance are definitely not the way forward either."
In today's new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, jazz drummer and composer Phil Haynes discusses Free Country's latest album, 'Liberty Now!' and how the sessions led to an unintentional protest record, shaped by the unexpected death of trumpeter Herb Robertson and the aftermath of the 2024 election …
Phil Haynes: Banging the Drum for Liberty Now
Phil Haynes: Banging the Drum for Liberty Now page for The Tonearm
podcast.thetonearm.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:59 PM
In today's new episode of The Tonearm Podcast, jazz drummer and composer Phil Haynes discusses Free Country's latest album, 'Liberty Now!' and how the sessions led to an unintentional protest record, shaped by the unexpected death of trumpeter Herb Robertson and the aftermath of the 2024 election …
"In 2019, Suicide's debut was remastered and reissued as part of Mute/BMG's Art Of The Album series. In this extract from the sleevenotes, John Doran talks to Marty Rev and producer Craig Leon about the album's disorientating production."
Blown Out '77 — In The Studio With Suicide:
Blown Out '77 — In The Studio With Suicide:
Blown Out '77: In The Studio With Suicide | The Quietus
Suicide portraits by Curtis Knapp Early in 1977, Suicide, along with manager Marty Thau, producer Craig Leon and engineer Larry Alexander, finally went to record their debut album at Ultima Studios, in Upper New York. It was a small, slightly dingy building with one recording room and a compact control room containing a custom built […]
thequietus.com
January 4, 2026 at 10:31 AM
"In 2019, Suicide's debut was remastered and reissued as part of Mute/BMG's Art Of The Album series. In this extract from the sleevenotes, John Doran talks to Marty Rev and producer Craig Leon about the album's disorientating production."
Blown Out '77 — In The Studio With Suicide:
Blown Out '77 — In The Studio With Suicide:
Woodwind maestro Ned Rothenberg discusses his first solo album in over a decade, 'Looms & Legends,' which alternates between pieces that create sonic fabrics through extended techniques and those that tell linear stories through melodic narrative.
Ned Rothenberg and the Indigenous Sound of Nowhere:
Ned Rothenberg and the Indigenous Sound of Nowhere:
Ned Rothenberg and the Indigenous Sound of Nowhere
The saxophonist and woodwind specialist discusses his first solo album in over a decade, 'Looms & Legends,' which alternates between pieces that create sonic fabrics through extended techniques and those that tell linear stories through melodic narrative.
www.thetonearm.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:45 AM
Woodwind maestro Ned Rothenberg discusses his first solo album in over a decade, 'Looms & Legends,' which alternates between pieces that create sonic fabrics through extended techniques and those that tell linear stories through melodic narrative.
Ned Rothenberg and the Indigenous Sound of Nowhere:
Ned Rothenberg and the Indigenous Sound of Nowhere:
"The late Pink Floyd leader is celebrated with Nick Kent’s piece, first published in Creem in October 1973 …"
Syd Barrett — the genius who almost was – a classic profile by Nick Kent:
Syd Barrett — the genius who almost was – a classic profile by Nick Kent:
Syd Barrett: the genius who almost was – a classic profile by Nick Kent
The late Pink Floyd leader’s 70th birthday is celebrated with Nick Kent’s piece, first published in Creem in October 1973, and taken from Rock’s Backpages, the online home of music writing
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 6:45 AM
"The late Pink Floyd leader is celebrated with Nick Kent’s piece, first published in Creem in October 1973 …"
Syd Barrett — the genius who almost was – a classic profile by Nick Kent:
Syd Barrett — the genius who almost was – a classic profile by Nick Kent:
Danz CM's album 'LÄRM!' abandons pop structures for tape-saturated jams inspired by the kosmische music of '70s Germany, while her Synth History project documents the pioneers and gear that made electronic music possible.
Cosmic Historian — The Analog Imperative of Danz CM:
Cosmic Historian — The Analog Imperative of Danz CM:
Danz CM's 'LÄRM!' and the Analog Imperative
Danz CM's album 'LÄRM!' abandons pop structures for tape-saturated jams inspired by the kosmische music of '70s Germany, while her Synth History project documents the pioneers and gear that made electronic music possible.
www.thetonearm.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Danz CM's album 'LÄRM!' abandons pop structures for tape-saturated jams inspired by the kosmische music of '70s Germany, while her Synth History project documents the pioneers and gear that made electronic music possible.
Cosmic Historian — The Analog Imperative of Danz CM:
Cosmic Historian — The Analog Imperative of Danz CM:
"Music in this world, above all its other attributes, is resistant to objectification, even at its most ‘seeable’ … it is sternly abstract and will ultimately always slide out of your sticky fingers as the Falstaffian realisation dawns that music, like Honour, is but… a sound. It is air."
Music I used to like #15: The perpetuation of the wickedness of perfection
The question is, is 'perfect' too good to be true? The question was aired in the vague direction of Miles Davis, The Marvelettes, the Beatles, Steely Dan and … Lloyd Barnes.
nickcolemanwriter.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:45 PM
"Music in this world, above all its other attributes, is resistant to objectification, even at its most ‘seeable’ … it is sternly abstract and will ultimately always slide out of your sticky fingers as the Falstaffian realisation dawns that music, like Honour, is but… a sound. It is air."
alas anchas, by bahía mansa
from the album objetos de campo, parte I
bahiamansa.bandcamp.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:45 PM
“If people have an assumption about the instrument, I want to blow it. I want them to hear the instrument in a pure way and to hear what it is in a pedal steel that excites me.”
BJ Cole Confounds Expectations with the Pedal Steel Guitar:
BJ Cole Confounds Expectations with the Pedal Steel Guitar:
“If anything makes me regret not pursuing more of an artistic career, it’s looking at Brian Eno”: Still, BJ Cole didn’t do too badly with David Gilmour, The Orb, Bill Nelson, Scott Walker and others
He set out to confound expectations of pedal steel with post-country band Cochise. Thanks to Captain Beefheart, Love and Hank Marvin, the session hero is pleased to reflect that he got away with it
www.loudersound.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:45 PM
“If people have an assumption about the instrument, I want to blow it. I want them to hear the instrument in a pure way and to hear what it is in a pedal steel that excites me.”
BJ Cole Confounds Expectations with the Pedal Steel Guitar:
BJ Cole Confounds Expectations with the Pedal Steel Guitar:
This weekend's a good one for catching up with The Tonearm Podcast — here are our top episodes of 2025, including illuminating conversations with Craig Mod, Nels Cline, Linda May Han Oh, Mike Scott of The Waterboys, Robin Holcomb, and more.
Subscribe to hear what we have in store for 2026! ✨
Subscribe to hear what we have in store for 2026! ✨
The Tonearm's Top 10 Episodes of 2025 - Episode Playlist
Our most-listened-to episodes of 2025 | 10 episodes.
www.listennotes.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:01 PM
This weekend's a good one for catching up with The Tonearm Podcast — here are our top episodes of 2025, including illuminating conversations with Craig Mod, Nels Cline, Linda May Han Oh, Mike Scott of The Waterboys, Robin Holcomb, and more.
Subscribe to hear what we have in store for 2026! ✨
Subscribe to hear what we have in store for 2026! ✨
"We always tend to work better when we’re all in the room at the same time. We’ve made a few weak attempts at working remotely and it just doesn’t happen."
Finding Your Sound — Tortoise: tidal.com/magazine/art...
Finding Your Sound — Tortoise: tidal.com/magazine/art...
January 3, 2026 at 3:00 PM
"We always tend to work better when we’re all in the room at the same time. We’ve made a few weak attempts at working remotely and it just doesn’t happen."
Finding Your Sound — Tortoise: tidal.com/magazine/art...
Finding Your Sound — Tortoise: tidal.com/magazine/art...
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, composer and violinist Bryan Senti recounts his early introduction to the violin, the intense demands it placed on him, and his transition from soloist to composer.
Hear more on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
Hear more on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
January 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, composer and violinist Bryan Senti recounts his early introduction to the violin, the intense demands it placed on him, and his transition from soloist to composer.
Hear more on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
Hear more on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/bryan-senti-...
"'I'm really concerned about the use of AI-driven warfare, so learning about that was definitely a turning point for me,' says Martha McCurdy, a former Spotify user who cancelled her subscription. 'I believe in people power; making everyday choices on what platforms you engage with is important.'"
Inside The Movement of Artists and Fans Boycotting Spotify
The meagre financial returns of streaming for artists has been a point of controversy since its inception. Now substantial investments in AI weaponry are causing musicians, labels, and consumers to further question their relationship with streaming giant Spotify
mixmag.net
January 3, 2026 at 12:45 PM
"'I'm really concerned about the use of AI-driven warfare, so learning about that was definitely a turning point for me,' says Martha McCurdy, a former Spotify user who cancelled her subscription. 'I believe in people power; making everyday choices on what platforms you engage with is important.'"
"The energy at this show was chaotic. This guy scrambled to the top of the amplifier and leaped. I thought he was going to break his neck."
Stage-diver at an early Nirvana gig – Charles Peterson’s best photograph:
Stage-diver at an early Nirvana gig – Charles Peterson’s best photograph:
Stage-diver at an early Nirvana gig – Charles Peterson’s best photograph
‘The energy at this show was chaotic. This guy scrambled to the top of the amplifier and leaped. I thought he was going to break his neck’
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:30 AM
"The energy at this show was chaotic. This guy scrambled to the top of the amplifier and leaped. I thought he was going to break his neck."
Stage-diver at an early Nirvana gig – Charles Peterson’s best photograph:
Stage-diver at an early Nirvana gig – Charles Peterson’s best photograph:
On his sophomore album 'Silêncio,' the São Paulo producer Zé Nigro decodes nature's symphonies through vintage gear + collaborates with Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai, creating a psychedelic meditation on what happens when we finally stop to listen.
Enjoy the Silence—The Natural World of Zé Nigro:
Enjoy the Silence—The Natural World of Zé Nigro:
São Paulo's Zé Nigro Finds Wisdom in Nature's Songs
On his sophomore album 'Silêncio,' the São Paulo producer decodes nature's symphonies through vintage gear and collaborates with Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai, creating a psychedelic meditation on what happens when we finally stop to listen.
www.thetonearm.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:45 AM
On his sophomore album 'Silêncio,' the São Paulo producer Zé Nigro decodes nature's symphonies through vintage gear + collaborates with Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai, creating a psychedelic meditation on what happens when we finally stop to listen.
Enjoy the Silence—The Natural World of Zé Nigro:
Enjoy the Silence—The Natural World of Zé Nigro:
"Today we revisit the Meat Puppets’ 1984 album, a sun-baked, country-fried, acid-addled cowpunk album that could have come from nowhere else but the Arizona desert."
Meat Puppets II:
Meat Puppets II:
Meat Puppets: Meat Puppets II
Read Matthew Blackwell’s review of the album.
pitchfork.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:45 AM
"Today we revisit the Meat Puppets’ 1984 album, a sun-baked, country-fried, acid-addled cowpunk album that could have come from nowhere else but the Arizona desert."
Meat Puppets II:
Meat Puppets II: