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Category Archives: Arts and Culture
Out of the Crates: Respect for Full-Discography Deep Cuts
There’s an old line that functions as a punchline among music heads: “I’ve heard of them… but I’ve never heard them.” It’s funny because the speaker is basically revealing they’re trying to stay afloat in a conversation about an artist … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture, Thinking About Media, Wit
Tagged 70s music, 80s music, brian larue, college rock, comedy, indie, music lists, music parody, musical comedy, new wave, parody, punk, record collecting
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Revisiting the Classics: ’60s Pop Exemplified
I’d expect anyone who knows me – as a person, or as a musician, or as a social poster – knows I have this deep and broad affection for pop music of the 1960s. The songwriting approaches, the production values … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture, Wit
Tagged 1960s pop, brian larue, british invasion, classic pop, comedy, girl group, music, musical parody, oldies, oldies radio, parody, satire, surf rock
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Introducing University of Space Recording Company
After years of threatening to do so, I quietly launched a record label in early 2023. I say “record label” colloquially. More accurately, it’s a cassette and digital label. It’s called the University of Space Recording Company, and it’s the … Continue reading
New Single and Music Video from Safe Houses: “Someday Is Starting Now”/”I Don’t Feel Like Dancing”
So, this week, my powerpop/jangle-garage band, Safe Houses, dropped our first release since before the pandemic. It’s a digital double-A-side single — “Someday Is Starting Now (Julia)”/”I Don’t Feel Like Dancing,” two songs that we’ve been playing for as long … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture
Tagged brooklyn music, digital single, garage rock, i don't feel like dancing, independent record label, independent release, indie label, janglepop, love in the time of chloroform, music video, powerpop, Safe Houses, safe houses band, someday is starting now
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Quick and Painless Peanut Sauce
All right, here’s another one for all the broke artists out there! It’s the beginning of a new year, and following the holidays, there’s a strong chance the wad of cash under your bed is looking thinner than it normally … Continue reading
Bad Advice Musicians Hear, Part 7: You Can Do It All on the Internet
It’s a Friday night down at your local rock club, or maybe a Wednesday. Who even knows anymore? You’ve played at this place six times in the last nine months, and the crowd is still made up of seven of … Continue reading
Now This Band Is Called Safe Houses
If you’ve been following along on this blog even a little bit, or if you know me offline, you probably know I’ve been the lead singer and primary songwriter of a band called Shelter Dogs since 2013. I kept that … Continue reading
Posted in Arts and Culture
Tagged band names, cease and desist, intellectual property, IP law, Safe Houses, Shelter Dogs, trademark
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Bad Advice Musicians Hear, Part 6: It’s All Just About Who You Know
After you’ve spent about 30 to 45 seconds involved in making and distributing music, you start to recognize something important: The music “business” (whatever that means) is not a pure meritocracy. There is no consistent correlation between quality and popularity … Continue reading
Why Cassettes Rule if You’re in a Band
Out here in 2022, we’re about 15 years into the ostensible Cassette Revolution* – well past the point where it could reasonably be considered a “revolution.” Tapes are just part of what we’re doing now, as a culture, or whatever. … Continue reading
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