Year in review
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Daniel J. Willis: The worst of 2020 in music, and everything else
Editor Daniel J. Willis’ reaction to just about everything this year. Here’s his 2020 in review. The last couple years I’ve done a column of the Worst of the Year in Music. This is not a normal year. It’s been so bad that the worst of music is, at…
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What will concerts look like in 2021? Our (not very) realistic predictions
The future of concerts. Rendering: Roman Gokhman and Chloe Catajan/STAFF. Yes, 2020 has lasted about two centuries, but eventually it will be over. Really, we promise. William Shakespeare got vaccinated, so there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. So while you should absolutely continue to stay at…
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Tuesday Tracks: RIFF’s best finds of 2020
Clockwise from top left: Mr. Bungle, Charlie Burg, Kurt Baker, Mobley, Teenage Wrist and Secret Machines. If there’s one silver lining in the dark cloud of 2020, it’s that staying at home has left much more time open for listening to new music. We on the Tuesday Tracks crew…
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The 22 concerts we missed most in 2020, starring Billie Eilish, BTS and Taylor Swift
Among the shows we most regret were canceled or postponed: BTS, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Nathaniel Rateliff, The Killers, Mew, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, BottleRock Napa Valley, Bad Religion, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Bob Dylan, Outside Lands, Kraftwerk, Supergrass, Roger Waters, Tame Impala, The Airborne Toxic…
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PLAYLIST: Behind the scenes with Roman Gokhman’s year in interviews
Roman Gokhman writes about some of his favorite interviews of the year: Loyal Lobos; Damian Lillard; Allan Rayman; Lindsey Stirling; Brandon Leake; James Hersey; Rufus Wainwright; Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner and Pekka Kuusisto; Vincint; Fantastic Negrito; RAC; Micky Dolenz; Mathilde Froustey; Lisa Loeb; All We Are; and Hailey Whitters.…
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Insert Foot: Was there a flip side to 2020?
Insert Foot is ready for 2021 with a little help from John Wooden. I usually hate optimists; maybe out of jealousy. Maybe because they always seem to have better teeth than me. I also hate packaged inspiration–memes, office posters, smiley faces, etc. I believe life is gray, one size…
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In Memoriam: Eddie Van Halen and 24 other artists we lost in 2020
Row 1: Neil Peart, Riley Gale, Martin Birch, Peter Green, Lee Kerslake. Row 2: Ken Hensley, Pete Way, McCoy Tyner, Billy Joe Shaver and Bill Withers. Row 3: Little Richard, Eddie Van Halen, Ennio Morricone, Andy Gill and John Prine. Row 4: Florian Schneider, Fredderick ‘Toots’ Hibbert, Adam Schlesinger, Bones Hillman and…
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Rachel Goodman’s top 30 alt-rock and alt-pop songs of 2020
Rachel Goodman’s top alt-rock and alt-pop songs of 2020. L to R; Row 1: Tame Impala, Caribou, Washed Out, Trace Mountains, The Big Moon, Future Islands. Row 2: Strfkr, Surfer Blood, Surf Rock Is Dead, Of Montreal, Hazel English, Suburban Living. Row 3: Jack River, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever,…
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Joaquin Cabello’s top 10 concerts of 2020, starring Motion City Soundtrack
Photographer Joaquin Cabello’s favorite concerts of the year included Thrice, Refused, Motion City Soundtrack, This Will Destroy You, Dashboard Confessional, Keane, Strife, Jennylee and TT of Warpaint, The Struts and American Nightmare. This is my third year doing one of these “favorite concerts of the year” recaps. As I…
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Max Heilman’s 60 best metal albums of 2020: 10-1
The 60 best metal albums of 2020 include (clockwise from top left): Mr. Bungle, The Ocean Collective, Wailin’ Storms, Liturgy, Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou, Ulcerate, Umbra Vitae, Nero di Marte, Protest the Hero and Tombs. Who would’ve though Mr. Bungle would make it this high with a re-recorded…
