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The Tonearm
@thetonearm.com
4.4K followers 840 following 4.5K posts
celebrating music journalism
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putting a needle on the cultural wax

an online journal of unexpected music + culture → thetonearm.com
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thetonearm.com
A black-and-white photo of Marcus Roberts playing piano and the quoted text: "I think music has to come from the body, from us. The danger with AI is if it gets to the point where it replaces people, what are we doing?"
December 12, 2025 at 2:01 AM
thetonearm.com
"There’s a canon of African-American artists from the counterculture era who were equally risk-taking, willing to dabble in noise and the adventurous …"

A Black Psychedelia Primer: denniscooperblog.com/steve-ericks...
A photo of Sly Stone playing guitar at a live outdoor performance.
December 11, 2025 at 10:30 AM
thetonearm.com
A black-and-white photo of Ben Marc and the quote text: "As a creative, you find spaces each day. You just find creativity wherever it shows up."
December 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
thetonearm.com
"It's rare these days for an artist to ask for fewer microphones, but Billy Strings did just that … the bluegrass virtuoso [captures], in his own words, 'the way these instruments are meant to sound.'"

Billy Strings — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g...
Billy Strings performs on the Tiny Desk Concert
December 10, 2025 at 6:45 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, blind jazz pianist Marcus Roberts discusses the challenges stereotypes about disabilities impose and how he turned perceived deficiencies into assets.

Don't miss the full chat on the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/marcus-rober...
December 10, 2025 at 5:01 PM
thetonearm.com
"The Jaynett’s ’60s pop single “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses” is equal parts all surface and inscrutable depth, which is why a range of artists cover it to this day."

The Enduring Mystery of the Jaynetts’ “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses”: www.popmatters.com/sally-go-rou...
A vintage photo of the Jaynetts -- perhaps a album or single cover to “Sally Go ‘Round the Roses”
December 10, 2025 at 10:30 AM
thetonearm.com
this is the singer from that masked metal band that you like
the image that accompanies a red light therapy mask listing on Amazon, scary looking face mask and a smiling blonde woman
December 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast, blind jazz pianist Marcus Roberts details his quest to optimize technology for jazz collaboration across distances and the importance of preserving the interactive essence of the music.

Hear more: podcast.thetonearm.com/marcus-rober...
December 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
thetonearm.com
"The music press, sniffing a possible feud, gave Marsalis’s venting about Miles plenty of column inches. The first time the two met, Miles said, 'So here’s the police.'"

The Icon and the Upstart — On Miles Davis’s Legendary Feud With Wynton Marsalis: lithub.com/the-icon-and...
A photo montage of Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis playing trumpet next to each other (they were not next to each other in real life).
December 9, 2025 at 10:30 AM
thetonearm.com
A photo of the five members of Living Hour in a group hug and the quoted text: "[Winnipeg is] sometimes difficult to live in, just because we're so isolated and it gets so cold. But it's also what makes it special."
December 9, 2025 at 1:22 AM
thetonearm.com
"There’s only three people in history that are in all three halls of fame – the rock’n’roll hall of fame, the musicians’ hall of fame and the songwriters’ hall of fame: Keith Richards, Roy Orbison + Steve Cropper. Pretty good company!"

An Audience With Steve Cropper: www.uncut.co.uk/features/int...
A 2024 photo of Steve Cropper holding a flashy guitar.
December 7, 2025 at 6:45 PM
thetonearm.com
Roberts discusses his career with Wynton Marsalis and now The Modern Jazz Generation. He demonstrates how technology can level the playing field for disabled artists while insisting that music must ultimately come from the human body and spirit.

Tune in: podcast.thetonearm.com/marcus-rober...
A photo of Marcus Roberts playing piano.
December 7, 2025 at 1:37 PM
thetonearm.com
"Brian Eno’s approach captured the best of what we wanted from punk, new wave, prog, glam, and classic ’60s pop and channeled their excesses by relying on chance."

Brian Eno’s ‘Here Come the Warm Jets’ After 50 Years: www.popmatters.com/brian-eno-he...
A photo of a glammed-out early '70s Brian Eno flanked by two women in black feathers.
December 7, 2025 at 10:30 AM
thetonearm.com
A photo of the three members of Nova Scotian indie band THE BOOJUMS and the quote text: "More than anything, when we're writing songs and even recording them, we're considering what it's going to be like doing it live."
December 7, 2025 at 2:41 AM
thetonearm.com
"When it came time to start working with Dutch jazz musicians, Ra tried singing in Arabic and liked it. And when she turned 18, she moved to Cairo to pursue music in her first language …"

Finding Your Sound — Ami Taf Ra: tidal.com/magazine/art...
A colorful photo of Ami Taf Ra
December 6, 2025 at 4:00 AM
thetonearm.com
A black-and-white photo of Daniel Avery and the quoted text: "That's just what life feels like—there are tough moments, there are joyous moments, and the power of art is that it can enable us to be part of that."
December 5, 2025 at 9:31 PM
thetonearm.com
"The French electronic duo turns distressed dreams into symphonies plucked from cotton candy clouds. Yet to see Air's members perform live, everything looks so effortless."

Air — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2025/12/05/g...
Air performing on the Tiny Desk Concert
December 5, 2025 at 6:46 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, jazz musician Ned Rothenberg discusses techniques such as circular breathing and multiphonics, reflecting on how electronic music inspired these methods. #jazzsky

Don't miss the latest episode of The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/ned-rothenbe...
December 5, 2025 at 5:02 PM
thetonearm.com
"For the American political right of the post-war era, folk music more than rock ‘n’ roll was regarded as a national threat – but not because of the songs’ lyrics."

Subversive Strumming — Fear and Loathing of the American Folk Music Revival: www.popmatters.com/american-fol...
A close-up of a weathered acoustic guitar.
December 5, 2025 at 10:32 AM
thetonearm.com
a black-and-white photo of Danz CM standing next to a vintage synthesizer and text to this quote: "With synth pop/indie pop, you have to think about the ‘pop’ element to some degree, about song structures and so on, but I didn't want to think about any of that,"
December 3, 2025 at 9:31 PM
thetonearm.com
In this clip from The Tonearm Podcast, jazz musician Ned Rothenberg discusses the conceptual framework behind his new album 'Looms & Legends,' the title representing the duality in his solo work.

Don't miss the full chat on the latest episode of The Tonearm: podcast.thetonearm.com/ned-rothenbe...
December 3, 2025 at 5:01 PM
thetonearm.com
In this excerpt from the new episode of our podcast, Ned Rothenberg discusses his history with the band Fall Mountain, his first solo ventures in New York, and the influence of mentors like Evan Parker.

Tune in to the full conversation on The Tonearm Podcast: podcast.thetonearm.com/ned-rothenbe...
December 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM
thetonearm.com
A black-and-white photo of JJJJJerome Ellis performing live, singing into a microphone, and the quoted text: "One way I stay connected to the divine is through the songs I grew up singing. I return to them slowly and intentionally, singing them in ways that feel true to my spirit."
December 2, 2025 at 1:02 AM
thetonearm.com
"When we learned he wanted to have more than a dozen performers at the Tiny Desk, playing everything from cello, saxophone and marimba to a Brazilian timbau and zabumba, we weren't sure we'd be able to fit it all in."

David Byrne — Tiny Desk Concert: www.npr.org/2025/12/01/g...
David Byrne performs on the Tiny Desk Concert
December 1, 2025 at 3:00 PM
thetonearm.com
A black-and-white portrait photo of Ned Rothenberg with a saxophone and the quoted text: "Lack of curiosity, I think, is a deadly, almost terminal illness."
November 30, 2025 at 9:31 PM