Copper

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 15: Dockside Chatter

As Melody’s dad was delivering the tractor to his son, I wandered over to the trout pond. Some of the senior citizens from Rapid City were fishing on the pier....

The Audiophile’s Brain (Or, Why We Do This)

Most audiophiles, at one point or another, encounter a skeptic – someone who righteously opines that what we do in this hobby (like spending more on high-end gear than on...

Fazed

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part Nine: Who K...

KK finds out that embracing a dormant format is full of surprises. Audiophiles come in many flavors, and I am not even remotely bothered by those who are, say, equipment...

The Beatles and India: the Documentary

This year The Beatles: Get Back documentary caught the eye of even casual fans. Over last year’s holiday break I found myself interrupting so many people who were watching it...

Love Sculpture

Created by artist Laura Kimpton as part of her Monumental Word Series, the 36-foot-wide LOVE sculpture resides at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Nancy Burlan of Mac Edition Radio poses...

Control Freak Out

John Wasserman, Critic, Part Two

In Part One (Issue 155), we were introduced to the work of the late San Francisco Chronicle entertainment critic, John Wasserman. In this installment, I’ll tell you more about his...

Around the World in 80 Lathes, Part Seven

The last episode in this series (in Issue 156) discussed the technological and aesthetic shifts in the record cutting lathe manufacturing industry that began in the late 1970s and concluded...

Greg Tate, In Memoriam

In December of 2021, we lost the effervescent, warrior soul who was Greg Tate. Some know Greg Tate as the chest-beating activist, who solemnly swore to fight for equal rights,...

John Klemmer, Part One: Saxophone Gold

Many years ago, more than I care to admit, my woodwind instructor recommended a handful of records to me as an inspiration for the type of tone he was looking...

Regina Carter: A New Take on Jazz Violin

Regina Carter grew up playing classical music: first piano, then violin, and even a bit of oboe. But while studying at New England Conservatory, she realized she had the jazz...

Issue 157

Sometimes I forget that people actually read this magazine. Just kidding! Copper’s circulation has been rising since its inception and we thank you for reading, commenting, complimenting, criticizing, prodding, participating, and for...

AudioEngine's New S6 Subwoofer with the HD4 Hom...

In Copper Issue 149 I talked about how my personal circumstances could soon be changing fairly dramatically in about a year and a half (you can read about that here)....

Patty Loveless: Neotraditional Country Hitmaker

It’s impossible to deny that country music has changed drastically since the days of Hank Williams and George Jones. But not every successful country artist plows ahead into the new...

45 Degrees of Separation

A rare pair of Sequerra Model TI MK. II ribbon tweeters, circa 1980s? Designed and made by Dick Sequerra, they connect to a system's main loudspeakers to provide extended high-frequency...

Octave Records Announces Audiophile Masters, Vo...

PS Audio’s Octave Records will expand its catalog of reference-quality sampler discs with the upcoming release of Audiophile Masters, Volume IV on Thursday, February 17, 2022. The new disc offers...

Issue 156

The English rock band Everything Everything announced that their upcoming album Raw Data Feel was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence software. You can hear the results in the first single, “Bad...

Calling the Lubbock Lights

We flew into Texas knowing we were in for a tough time of it. We were looking at a no-frills bus and truck tour. It was going to be hectic,...

Around the World in 80 Lathes, Part Six

In previous installments, this series examined Neumann disk mastering systems, with a brief look at the origin of the LJ Scully LS-76, aka “The Lathe,” in 1976. The introduction of...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 14

The bike hummed like a mantra as we made our way home from the Bhagwan’s Airstream. It was another warm, lovely evening with a bright moon and long lunar shadows....

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz: Immersive Audi...

Married couples who work in the same field can often find that their relationship contains elements of both collaboration and competition. In the rarefied realm of immersive audio production, the...

Duke Robillard: Rhythm and Blues Master

The Rhode Island blues scene has been remarkably vibrant for decades, with a rich history rooted in jazz, folk, and swing. At the center of that modern day universe is...

Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part Eight: More...

It goes without saying that tape deck maintenance – such as cleaning the heads and pinch rollers, periodic demagnetizing, etc. – are essential practices which (circa-2022) only come naturally to...

Nelson Pass Blues

To the tune of “Creeque Alley” by the Mamas & the Papas John and Mikey were gettin' kind of itchy Lookin’ to leave the Linns behind Gordon and Harry workin'...

All Singing! Some Talking! A Little Dancing!

This month's focus is on choral music: pieces for accompanied and unaccompanied ensembles, music sung by large and small groups, vocal arrangements of instrumental music, standard choral repertoire, and music...

Lightning Striking, by Lenny Kaye

If you can measure a book by its playlist, Lenny Kaye’s Lightning Striking surfs peak rock’n’roll moments, a music history that leaks pleasure. Its songs trace hidden galaxies in an...

Santos

Photographed at Mission San José de Tumacácori, at the Tumacácori National Historical Park. James chose to make the focal point out of focus, which lends a somewhat haunting quality to...

The Importance of Keeping Your Audio Connection...

Back around 1980 was when I first started having some awareness of the importance of good audio connectivity. Of course, any of the mid-fi-ish equipment I typically had bought prior...

Luiz Eça and Tamba Trio: Brazilian Music Pioneers

When the Brazilian music of the 1960s comes to mind, we commonly think of the many composers and artists who were popular in bringing the samba, bossa nova and Brazilian...

Keeping My Reel-to-Reel Machine Running

I have enjoyed reading Ken Kessler's Copper series on reel-to reel tapes enormously. 146, 148, 149, 151, 152, 153, 154 and this issue – Ed.> My first exposure to hi-fi...

Alessandro Stradella: Magical Melodic Touch

Alessandro Stradella (1639 – 1682) was as colorful a figure as he was a great composer. The circumstances of his death were so dramatic (he was stabbed by a paid...

Buyer's Remorse

They've Got Your Back

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Big Apple Avant-Punk

Drawing comparisons to Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, and other female-led, punk-influenced bands, the New York-based Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been making artsy garage rock for over twenty years. They...

Choosing New Speakers: Using Spinorama, Part Two

In our first installment of this two-part series examining Spinorama data (Part One ran in Issue 155), we looked at the information represented by the plots at the top of...

CES 2022: A Different Kind of Show

CES 2022 struck me as an example of “on the other hand.” What I mean by this, is that fellow Mac Edition Radio editor Nancy Burlan and I debated whether...

The Spreckels Organ: A Historic Musical Treasur...

In Part One (Issue 154) we looked at the history and the technology behind the remarkable Spreckels Organ, the world’s largest pipe organ in an outdoor venue. It was built...

A CES 2022 Report, Part Two

Part One of this show report appeared in Issue 154. It continues with more coverage from The Digital Experience!, an event that is hosted by media event company Pepcom on...

We’re Not Gonna Take It!

Can an artist really stop the use of their songs by politicians? As an artist and manager of the band Twisted Sister, whose music is recognized and sold around the...

Gideon King & City Blog: Fusing Rock, Jazz,...

Rock’s great guitarists have often been renaissance men; artists who allow their creative spirit to be expressed across a variety of platforms and endeavors. Jeff Beck and the late Danny...

The Blues Project: Projections

It was my 13th birthday when my mother inquired if I had a preference for a birthday gift. I graciously asked for an album or two, as I was in...

Pilgrimage to Sturgis, Part 13

The Bhagwan played his sitar beautifully. I got lost in the experience of the music, the chanting of the students, and the warm, caressing sunshine. Then the music stopped. After...

I Wanna Be Your Dog

Go Easy On Me

John Wasserman, Critic – Part One

Critics and reviewers, in general, are an oft-maligned bunch, and, some would say, rightfully so. The old saying, “Those who can, do, but those who can’t, teach” sometimes gets paraphrased...

Choosing New Speakers: Using Spinorama, Part One

In this series so far, we have considered a few factors to inform our buying decisions when purchasing a new pair of loudspeakers. We have looked at the importance of...

Towering Talent

I don't usually claim this space, but made an exception in honor of one of rock's greatest: Meat Loaf (1947 – 2022). Taken at the Paramount, Huntington, New York, March...

Be-Bop Deluxe: Reclaiming a Place In Prog Rock ...

During the 1970s, the UK was fertile ground for some of the most significant rock subgenres to emerge and make their marks in music recording history. Artists like Led Zeppelin,...

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen: Danish Bass Virt...

His full name was Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, so everyone called him NHØP. Colleagues in the jazz world called him one of the best and most versatile bass players in the...