Copper


Only Two More Days Till Tomorrow

Issue 134Opening Salvo

With Copper’s new format, long “Opening Salvo” intros take up a lot of space when viewed on a phone, so we’ll keep them short from now on. This line from...

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Hey Jude

Issue 134MUSIC'AL NOTES

Music can bring you back to a certain time and place. I recently dug out and played Marche Militaire No. 1 by Schubert. This was my first record. I had heard it...

Living With Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: D...

Issue 134FRANKLY SPEAKING

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are all around us. We’re constantly bombarded by low-level EMF from computer screens, Wi-Fi, cell phones and other devices. However, since EMF is invisible, most of us...

The Yamaha Influence, Part One

Issue 134THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Is a music instrument manufacturer that also makes home audio gear, such as Yamaha, uniquely poised or best equipped to faithfully reproduce music to a high quality in their stereo...

Streaming Audio and Other Rants

Issue 134Subcategories_TWISTED SYSTEMS

First off, I hope many of you are listening to my new Podcast called The Jay Jay French Connection: Beyond the Music (available on Spotify, Apple Music and Podcastone.com) Great topics, great guests, and my new...

Small Town Charm, Big Town Music: My Father’s P...

Issue 134FEATURED

Bruce Springsteen frequently sings about the grit and hardships of growing up in Freehold, NJ. His emotional writing makes it easy to visualize the life experiences he encountered in a...

Rita Indiana and Her Magic Blender

Issue 134Subcategories_WAYNE'S WORDS

My obsession with Rita Indiana began when I read a profile of her by Daniel Alarcón in The New Yorker. It seems like I read the article years ago, because Indiana’s music...

The Giants of Tape, Part One

Issue 134REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE

Tape machines have been made in various shapes, sizes, forms and formats, for all kinds of applications. Magnetic tape recording in its present form came many decades after the original...

Our Staff

Issue 134Subcategories_MASTHEAD

Staff Writers:J.I. Agnew, Ray Chelstowski, Cliff Chenfeld, Jay Jay French, Tom Gibbs, Roy Hall, Rich Isaacs, Anne E. Johnson, Don Kaplan, Don Lindich, Tom Methans, B. Jan Montana, Rudy Radelic,...

Open Reel Tape: The Ultimate Analog Source? Par...

Issue 134Subcategories_DEEP DIVE

In Part One and Part Two (Issue 132 and Issue 133), this series discussed the rationale for listening to open reel tapes in the current digital music era, and surveyed...

Sylvia Massy: Pushing Sonic Boundaries With a R...

Issue 134THE COPPER INTERVIEW

From her punk and hard rock roots as a musician, Sylvia Massy has risen to dizzily lofty heights and accolades as an innovative and highly-sought producer and engineer. Her work...

Getting High, Part Three

Issue 134NEW VISTAS

In Part One (Issue 132) and Part Two (Issue 133), Alón embarked upon his quest to scale the heights of Kala Patthar near Mount Everest in Nepal. The story concludes...

Thanksgiving at the Fillmore East

Issue 134Subcategories_TRUE-LIFE ROCK TALES

Halloween had just passed and now it was turning cold. I went to a second-hand antique clothing store and bought a West Point cadet’s winter coat for $15. It was...

All About That Bass

Issue 134FEATURED

When I moved to Seattle in 1980 I lived in the Jensen Block on Eastlake Avenue, in a neighborhood of aging wooden houses, aging people, and industries that made things...

Chuck Leavell: World-Class Keyboard Player, Par...

Issue 134Subcategories_DISCIPLES OF SOUND

In Part One (Issue 133) Copper interviewed keyboard player extraordinaire Chuck Leavell about the making of The Tree Man, the new documentary about his life, and his work with the...

Randy Newman: Cinematic Storyteller

Issue 134OFF THE CHARTS

Randy Newman’s uncles Lionel, Andrew, and Emil Newman were all composers of Hollywood movie scores. As opposed to their sweeping, cinematic sounds, Randy became known for understated, sardonic lyrics with...

Troubadours, Trouvères, and Minnesingers

Issue 134SOMETHING OLD / SOMETHING NEW

The word “troubadour” gets tossed around in the modern world to mean a performer, often a singer/songwriter who travels a lot. That’s not wrong, but when the word was invented...

More of My Favorite Things

Issue 134FEATURED

In addition to the recordings I included in the first part of “A Few of My Favorite Things” (Issue 129) there are many other recordings I enjoy having in my collection. If...

For the Forest and Further On

Issue 134PARTING SHOT

“When the wagons leave the city, for the forest, and further on...” Lyrics from “Theme for an Imaginary Western” by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown. Located in Arizona, Grand Canyon...

Two Classic Albums from Jazz's Elder Statesmen,...

Issue 134TO BE DETERMINED

Charles Lloyd & the Marvels – Tone Poem 83-year-old saxophonist Charles Lloyd has actually had several careers as a musician. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, he grew up surrounded by blues,...

Beam Me Up, Scotty

Issue 134AUDIO ANTHROPOLOGY

The chic way to rock out! Circa 1960s ad for the French Teppaz Oscar portable record player. We guess he knew how to turn it on. AKAI ad, 1970s. You...