Copper


...But It's An Honor!

...But It's An Honor!

...But It's An Honor!

Issue 52FEATURED

I Got Your 3-Way Right Here

I Got Your 3-Way Right Here

I Got Your 3-Way Right Here

Issue 51FEATURED

As Real As It Gets

As Real As It Gets

As Real As It Gets

Issue 50FEATURED

No, Not John Entwistle

No, Not John Entwistle

No, Not John Entwistle

Issue 49FEATURED

Cables: Time is of the Essence, Part 1

[If there’s a name that’s synonymous with wire and cables for electrical connections, it’s that of Belden. Belden is a multi-billion dollar corporation based in St. Louis, founded 115 years...

Cables: Time is of the Essence, Part 1

Issue 48FEATURED

[If there’s a name that’s synonymous with wire and cables for electrical connections, it’s that of Belden. Belden is a multi-billion dollar corporation based in St. Louis, founded 115 years...

What Is a Bass?

What Is a Bass?

I’ve been contemplating this topic for a little while, although my reticence to finally put it to “paper” must be some kind of sign that I’m a genuine writer…. Anyway,...

What Is a Bass?

Issue 47MUSIC AUDIO AND OTHER ILLNESSES

I’ve been contemplating this topic for a little while, although my reticence to finally put it to “paper” must be some kind of sign that I’m a genuine writer…. Anyway,...

Circuit City Bankruptcy Enters Tenth Year

Circuit City Bankruptcy Enters Tenth Year

Circuit City began by taking over the last few stores of the defunct Lafayette Radio chain, and was once one of  the largest electronics dealers in the world, and second only...

Circuit City Bankruptcy Enters Tenth Year

Issue 47INDUSTRY NEWS

Circuit City began by taking over the last few stores of the defunct Lafayette Radio chain, and was once one of  the largest electronics dealers in the world, and second only...

Southern Italian Wines, Part 3: Of Gods, Monsters, and Volcanoes

Southern Italian Wines, Part 3: Of Gods, Monste...

The wine history of Sicily, like that of most of Italy, particularly the southernmost regions, is ancient, and colorful, replete with outrageous tales of gods –- both Greek and Roman...

Southern Italian Wines, Part 3: Of Gods, Monste...

Issue 47FEATURED

The wine history of Sicily, like that of most of Italy, particularly the southernmost regions, is ancient, and colorful, replete with outrageous tales of gods –- both Greek and Roman...

Torque

Torque

The house just down the hill was having a lawn party with a live blues band in attendance. I was at the back of our own home when I first...

Torque

Issue 47FEATURED

The house just down the hill was having a lawn party with a live blues band in attendance. I was at the back of our own home when I first...

The Band, Part 2: From Dylan to The Last Waltz

The Band, Part 2: From Dylan to The Last Waltz

There were many remarkable moments in the history of The Band.  The first was the incredible luck we all had that these teenagers found themselves in the same band at all. ...

The Band, Part 2: From Dylan to The Last Waltz

Issue 47MUSIC TO MY EARS

There were many remarkable moments in the history of The Band.  The first was the incredible luck we all had that these teenagers found themselves in the same band at all. ...

Crying

Crying

Remember those frantic, chirpy sounds that old 8-bit video games used to make? Did you know there’s a pop subgenre inspired by those sounds? Wait, don’t run away. Chiptune, as...

Crying

Issue 47... AND INDIE FOR ALL

Remember those frantic, chirpy sounds that old 8-bit video games used to make? Did you know there’s a pop subgenre inspired by those sounds? Wait, don’t run away. Chiptune, as...

Brainz The Size of a Planet, Part 1

Brainz The Size of a Planet, Part 1

There is a seismic shift underway in the manner by which consumers interact with their music. We can feel the first tremors, and some of us are even starting to...

Brainz The Size of a Planet, Part 1

Issue 47QUIBBLES AND BITS

There is a seismic shift underway in the manner by which consumers interact with their music. We can feel the first tremors, and some of us are even starting to...

Brit Psychedelics

Brit Psychedelics

First a word about what/who is not on my Psychedelic Shootout  list: Fever Tree—debut album Yes, I had the album, and yes, I played it fairly often… but it did not make any...

Brit Psychedelics

Issue 47TWISTED SYSTEMS

First a word about what/who is not on my Psychedelic Shootout  list: Fever Tree—debut album Yes, I had the album, and yes, I played it fairly often… but it did not make any...

Red Sky at Night

Red Sky at Night

Red Sky at Night

Issue 47Parting Shot
Fractured

Fractured

While sight-seeing around the uncommonly-empty campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie on Thanksgiving weekend, girlfriend Pat and I flipped around the meager offerings on FM radio. Between  strident...

Fractured

Issue 47VINTAGE WHINE

While sight-seeing around the uncommonly-empty campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie on Thanksgiving weekend, girlfriend Pat and I flipped around the meager offerings on FM radio. Between  strident...

Jambox

Jambox

Jambox

Issue 47FEATURED

Everybody's a Critic

Everybody's a Critic

Everybody's a Critic

Issue 48FEATURED

Is Older Always Better?

My daughter Emily has a habit of being brutally frank, direct, and unambiguous. I can’t imagine where she gets it. She recently said to me, “Dad, when something sucks, saying...

Is Older Always Better?

Issue 46VINTAGE WHINE

My daughter Emily has a habit of being brutally frank, direct, and unambiguous. I can’t imagine where she gets it. She recently said to me, “Dad, when something sucks, saying...

Singles? Or LPs?

We often feel that we haven’t fully grasped a musician’s artistic statement unless we’ve listened to a full album by them, thinking that singles are just a vehicle to sell said albums....

Singles? Or LPs?

Issue 46FEATURED

We often feel that we haven’t fully grasped a musician’s artistic statement unless we’ve listened to a full album by them, thinking that singles are just a vehicle to sell said albums....

The Story of "All I Wanna Do" (as I remember it)

I was talking to Paul McGowan a week or so ago, and he asked again about how the song’s lyrics came about. This is as I remember it: Originally, on...

The Story of "All I Wanna Do" (as I remember it)

AND OTHER ILLNESSESAUDIOIssue 46MUSIC

I was talking to Paul McGowan a week or so ago, and he asked again about how the song’s lyrics came about. This is as I remember it: Originally, on...

Issue 46

Issue 46

Welcome to Copper #46! For music lovers, it is the best of times and the worst of times. I'd wager that we have greater access to a larger library of recorded music...

Issue 46

Issue 46Opening Salvo

Welcome to Copper #46! For music lovers, it is the best of times and the worst of times. I'd wager that we have greater access to a larger library of recorded music...

Read more

Heinrich Isaac

On March 26, 1517, Heinrich Isaac died. Although the Netherlander was one of the most important composers of his day, he’s hardly a household word half a millennium later. Nevertheless,...

Heinrich Isaac

Issue 46SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

On March 26, 1517, Heinrich Isaac died. Although the Netherlander was one of the most important composers of his day, he’s hardly a household word half a millennium later. Nevertheless,...

Who Sampled Whom?

Back in Copper #3, I asked the question, “When is Stealing Music Not Stealing?” To make a long story short, my conclusion was that stealing is always stealing, whether it’s a thinly-veiled cover version  or...

Who Sampled Whom?

Issue 46THE AUDIO CYNIC

Back in Copper #3, I asked the question, “When is Stealing Music Not Stealing?” To make a long story short, my conclusion was that stealing is always stealing, whether it’s a thinly-veiled cover version  or...

Close Your Eyes

Close Your Eyes

All too often, as audiophiles, we are torn between listening to the music that we like to listen to because of its musical qualities, and music that we appreciate for...

Close Your Eyes

Issue 46QUIBBLES AND BITS

All too often, as audiophiles, we are torn between listening to the music that we like to listen to because of its musical qualities, and music that we appreciate for...

Brainz The Size of a Planet, Part 2

In the last edition of Copper, I introduced MusicBrainz, a crowd-sourced, free-to-use database of metadata for recorded music. From a skeptical beginning, I have come to appreciate that MusicBrainz is actually a...

Brainz The Size of a Planet, Part 2

Issue 48QUIBBLES AND BITS

In the last edition of Copper, I introduced MusicBrainz, a crowd-sourced, free-to-use database of metadata for recorded music. From a skeptical beginning, I have come to appreciate that MusicBrainz is actually a...

Hurray for the Riff Raff!

Hurray for the Riff Raff!

Alynda Segarra is the heart of Hurray for the Riff Raff, which remains a band thanks to whoever she happens to be working with at the time. Raised in the...

Hurray for the Riff Raff!

Issue 46... AND INDIE FOR ALL

Alynda Segarra is the heart of Hurray for the Riff Raff, which remains a band thanks to whoever she happens to be working with at the time. Raised in the...

Cecilia’s Cafe, Albuquerque

Cecilia’s Cafe, Albuquerque

Cecilia’s Cafe, Albuquerque

Issue 46PARTING SHOT

Gibson and hh gregg—Yet Again!

We previously wrote about the financial problems of Gibson Brands in Copper #s 45  and 40. Last issue, we reported that Gibson had announced that it was selling its factory near historic Beale Street in...

Gibson and hh gregg—Yet Again!

Issue 46INDUSTRY NEWS

We previously wrote about the financial problems of Gibson Brands in Copper #s 45  and 40. Last issue, we reported that Gibson had announced that it was selling its factory near historic Beale Street in...

Southern Italian Wines: A Walk on the Wild Side...

Last time out Part 1 launched our safari through the hinterlands of Southern Italy, specifically through the mostly unfamiliar region of Basilicata — mountainous, poor, almost unapproachably landlocked — and...

Southern Italian Wines: A Walk on the Wild Side...

Issue 46FEATURED

Last time out Part 1 launched our safari through the hinterlands of Southern Italy, specifically through the mostly unfamiliar region of Basilicata — mountainous, poor, almost unapproachably landlocked — and...

The Band, Part 1: The Hawks

First we need to talk about Ronnie Hawkins.  The Hawk was born in Arkansas in 1935 and took an early interest in music.  At the University of Arkansas he formed...

The Band, Part 1: The Hawks

Issue 46Part 1: The HawksThe Band

First we need to talk about Ronnie Hawkins.  The Hawk was born in Arkansas in 1935 and took an early interest in music.  At the University of Arkansas he formed...

Art 2

As he lay down in bed, my father noticed a window set high up on the wall. This was odd as the window to the outside was on the opposing...

Art 2

Issue 46MUSIC'AL NOTES

As he lay down in bed, my father noticed a window set high up on the wall. This was odd as the window to the outside was on the opposing...

Toronto Skyline

Toronto Skyline

Toronto Skyline

Issue 48PARTING SHOT

The Stories that Just Wouldn’t Go Away in 2017

The end of the year is often a time to look back at the significa of the preceding 365 days. Industry News generally features fast-breaking stories that preclude such a retrospective viewpoint—but...

The Stories that Just Wouldn’t Go Away in 2017

Issue 48INDUSTRY NEWS

The end of the year is often a time to look back at the significa of the preceding 365 days. Industry News generally features fast-breaking stories that preclude such a retrospective viewpoint—but...

“Go Tell Veronica…” – A Brief, Superficial Glim...

Adam Sandler, in his impish introduction on Saturday Night Live to the original “Hanukkah Song”, quips, “There’s a lot of Christmas songs out there, but not that many Hanukkah songs. So, I...

“Go Tell Veronica…” – A Brief, Superficial Glim...

Issue 48FEATURED

Adam Sandler, in his impish introduction on Saturday Night Live to the original “Hanukkah Song”, quips, “There’s a lot of Christmas songs out there, but not that many Hanukkah songs. So, I...

Dan’s 100 Best Albums of 2017!

Dan’s 100 Best Albums of 2017!

[If you’re looking for yet another remaster of Kind Of Blue or SPLHCB 50—this is not your list. If, however, you’re looking for new music, maybe outrageous music—Dan is your guy. Agree, disagre,...

Dan’s 100 Best Albums of 2017!

Issue 48SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

[If you’re looking for yet another remaster of Kind Of Blue or SPLHCB 50—this is not your list. If, however, you’re looking for new music, maybe outrageous music—Dan is your guy. Agree, disagre,...

What If Christmas Sucks?

Old Joke.  There are 10 kinds of people in the world.  Those who understand binary and those who don’t. But there is St Thomas Garnet’s theorem.  He postulated there are actually 3...

What If Christmas Sucks?

Issue 48MUSIC TO MY EARS

Old Joke.  There are 10 kinds of people in the world.  Those who understand binary and those who don’t. But there is St Thomas Garnet’s theorem.  He postulated there are actually 3...

Matthew and the Atlas

In the 1960s, the folk music revival opened up a place for artists who loved traditional British song as much as they loved creating new material. Chief among those trad-influenced...

Matthew and the Atlas

Issue 48AND INDIE FOR ALL

In the 1960s, the folk music revival opened up a place for artists who loved traditional British song as much as they loved creating new material. Chief among those trad-influenced...

Opportunities

“It was the Armani coat that sealed the deal,” said Mike Creek. “What Armani coat?” I asked. Act One. Music Hall, my company, had been in business for about two...

Opportunities

Issue 48MUSIC'AL NOTES

“It was the Armani coat that sealed the deal,” said Mike Creek. “What Armani coat?” I asked. Act One. Music Hall, my company, had been in business for about two...

Brit Psychedelics, Continued

Brit Psychedelics, Continued

Cream’s Disraeli Gears is being moved to a later issue. Here then are more UK contenders: The Move, Traffic, Procol Harum & The Yardbirds The Move—singles Why are they here?  They only...

Brit Psychedelics, Continued

Issue 48TWISTED SYSTEMS

Cream’s Disraeli Gears is being moved to a later issue. Here then are more UK contenders: The Move, Traffic, Procol Harum & The Yardbirds The Move—singles Why are they here?  They only...

An Embarrassment of Riches

Leave it to an indy hipster musician with several different noms de scène de musicien (stage names) to angst over having too much music. Funny thing is—I agree with him. James Jackson Toth is a...

An Embarrassment of Riches

Issue 48THE AUDIO CYNIC

Leave it to an indy hipster musician with several different noms de scène de musicien (stage names) to angst over having too much music. Funny thing is—I agree with him. James Jackson Toth is a...

Charley Hansen: RIP

Charley Hansen: RIP

Ayre Acoustics posted the following on the company Facebook page and website on Wednesday, November 29: “Charles Hansen 1956 – 2017 “With heavy hearts, we regret to inform you that Charles Hansen, founder of Ayre...

Charley Hansen: RIP

Issue 48THE AUDIO CYNIC

Ayre Acoustics posted the following on the company Facebook page and website on Wednesday, November 29: “Charles Hansen 1956 – 2017 “With heavy hearts, we regret to inform you that Charles Hansen, founder of Ayre...

Gatecrashing

Gatecrashing

“Would you like to see the car?” Leland and I looked at each other in bewilderment. “Sure” we said. Parties at hi fi shows are fun. They are a way...

Gatecrashing

Issue 47MUSIC'AL NOTES

“Would you like to see the car?” Leland and I looked at each other in bewilderment. “Sure” we said. Parties at hi fi shows are fun. They are a way...

Oboe Quartets

What does an oboe sound like? If you fancy yourself a connoisseur of yin/yang balancing acts, oboes might well provide your soundtrack. On the one hand: honey. Golden, slow-pouring strands...

Oboe Quartets

Issue 48TOO MUCH TCHAIKOVSKY

What does an oboe sound like? If you fancy yourself a connoisseur of yin/yang balancing acts, oboes might well provide your soundtrack. On the one hand: honey. Golden, slow-pouring strands...

Dry vs. Juicy

Dry vs. Juicy

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.  Well, it’s hard to write about a lot of things. Sometimes we have to invent new language, but mostly we make old language...

Dry vs. Juicy

Issue 47TOO MUCH TCHAIKOVSKY

Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.  Well, it’s hard to write about a lot of things. Sometimes we have to invent new language, but mostly we make old language...

Geezerpalooza

Back at the dawn of the grunge era in 1991, Perry Farrell dreamed up Lollapalooza as a festival that would serve as a grand farewell tour for his band, Jane’s Addiction. Over...

Geezerpalooza

Issue 45THE AUDIO CYNIC

Back at the dawn of the grunge era in 1991, Perry Farrell dreamed up Lollapalooza as a festival that would serve as a grand farewell tour for his band, Jane’s Addiction. Over...

So This is Christmas…

So This is Christmas…

“So this is Christmas”, sings John Lennon, “And what have you done? Another year over.  And a new one just begun.” In our western society there is no holiday or seasonal...

So This is Christmas…

Issue 48FEATURED

“So this is Christmas”, sings John Lennon, “And what have you done? Another year over.  And a new one just begun.” In our western society there is no holiday or seasonal...

The '67 Psychedelic Shootout Continues!

Let it not be said that journalists don’t pay attention to their readers. The responses to my contenders to the Psychedelic Shootout of 1967 has persuaded me to add 4...

The '67 Psychedelic Shootout Continues!

Issue 46TWISTED SYSTEMS

Let it not be said that journalists don’t pay attention to their readers. The responses to my contenders to the Psychedelic Shootout of 1967 has persuaded me to add 4...

Kavi Alexander, Part 2

Kavi Alexander, Part 2

[Part 1 of John Seetoo’s interview with recording engineer/producer Kavi Alexander appeared in Copper #45.  Herewith, the conclusion.—Ed.] J.S.: Some non-western music genres like South Asian and Turkish music are notable for...

Kavi Alexander, Part 2

Issue 46THE COPPER INTERVIEW

[Part 1 of John Seetoo’s interview with recording engineer/producer Kavi Alexander appeared in Copper #45.  Herewith, the conclusion.—Ed.] J.S.: Some non-western music genres like South Asian and Turkish music are notable for...

Sound Synonyms

Sound Synonyms

Sound Synonyms

Issue 46FEATURED

Kavi Alexander, Part 1

Kavi Alexander, Part 1

Kavi Alexander considers creating music to be a sacred act, and has made Water Lily Acoustics, his labor of love, an avenue for sharing the magic when his recordings capture the inspired...

Kavi Alexander, Part 1

Issue 45THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Kavi Alexander considers creating music to be a sacred act, and has made Water Lily Acoustics, his labor of love, an avenue for sharing the magic when his recordings capture the inspired...