jason hirschhorn's @MusicREDEF: 11/03/2020 - The Sound of the Swing States...

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Please, God, for the love of God and f***ing democracy, vote. Is this interest remix not displaying correctly? | View it in your browser. Today, in a word: Demi Lovato at the Billboard Music Awards, Los Angeles, October 2020. (Christopher Polk/NBCUniversal/Getty Images) Tuesday - November 03, 2020 Tue - 11/03/20 "Please, God, for the love of God and f***ing democracy, vote." -  Phoebe Bridgers rantnrave:// Hi. It's Tuesday. Election Day in America. If you've already voted, I wish you a peaceful, easy day. If you're voting today, I wish you the same. That's today's rantnrave. Below is a mix of stories about the sound of America's swing states, a portrait of the music that has filled the ears, and the air, of the people and places most likely to tip the scales today, from the bluegrass heritage of North Carolina to the techno pulse of Detroit, Michigan; from the Mormon rockers of Las Vegas, Nevada, to a Mexican American musical pioneer from Arizona. The soundtrack of America. Or, at least, *a* soundtrack of America... Music industry issues at stake in the election: big tech, consent decrees, TIKTOK (paywall)... More issues: pandemic relief, copyright, arts funding... Record execs and their employees "aren't donating to the same political candidates"... MusicSET: "Pop the Vote 2020"... RIP PHIL K... MusicREDEF is taking a day off to listen and process. We'll be back in your inbox Thursday morning. - Matty Karas (@troubledoll), curator this land is your land Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The importance of Mac Miller, the late rapper who inspired a generation of Pittsburgh youth by Seamus Roddy "It was easy to love Mac, be­cause Mac seemed to love him­self, and he re­minded us of us." Dazed Digital Driving around Philly with hip hop original Tierra Whack by Bec Evans We travel to Philly with the visionary rapper and drive around her old haunts as she tells us about her creative upbringing and why she never follows the crowd. Pitchfork Welcome to Bon Iver, Wisconsin by Jeremy D. Larson On a tour through his Midwestern hometown, Justin Vernon kicks back and talks about how Bon Iver isn't just a rock band--it's a creative sanctuary, a battle against ego, a collective catharsis. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The 25 Wisconsin musicians with the biggest impact over the past 100 years by Piet Levy From Bon Iver to Butch Vig, Les Paul to Hildegarde, 25 Wisconsin natives whose collective legacy has made a mark on the music we listened to, and still listen to. Detroit Metro Times Detroit is Techno City, and techno is black by Imani Mixon How a homegrown artform took over the world. Stereogum The Detroit Rap Underground Remains Undefeated by Tom Breihan At this moment, the Detroit rap underground is the best environment in rap music. NPR Music 10 Songs That Say Something About North Carolina by Allison Hussey The state is home to many musical worlds, as well as virtues that have inspired the likes of Doc and Merle Watson, Carolina Chocolate Drops, James Taylor and rapper Petey Pablo. No Depression Bluegrass on the Blue Ridge: How North Carolina Inherited Bill Monroe's Music by Grant Britt Once upon a time, around the middle of the 20th century, there was music in the mountains that run from Georgia up through the Carolinas, into Kentucky and beyond – a high and lonesome sound that reflected the lives of hard-working people who had to be strong to survive. The Washington Post Gloria Estefan left Cuba as a young child, but the island defines her, and her music by Karen Heller Few artists are as yoked to one place as Gloria and Emilio Estefan, who have lived only in South Florida since arriving from Cuba. "It's as close as we can be to our roots, and still live in this magnificent country with its freedom and its beauty," says Gloria. Revolver Florida Death Metal's Gory Rise, Groundbreaking Reign: The Definitive Oral History by Jon Wiederhorn Deicide, Death, Morbid Angel, Obituary and more tell the story of one of heavy music's most game-changing movements this land is my land The New York Times Linda Ronstadt's Borderland by Lawrence Downes Taking a road trip with the singer through southern Arizona and northern Mexico, a region where her roots run deep. Arizona Daily Star Tucson celebrates Lalo Guerrero's 100th birthday and reflects on his timeless contributions by Ernesto Portillo Jr. He pioneered Mexican music in the Southwest and beyond, writing hundreds of songs in multiple genres, including the classics "Canción Mexicana" and "Nunca Jamás. " "He was the clock of the Chicanos in America," says documentarian Dan Buckley, "and he was always on time." Oxford American Da Art of Storytellin' (A Prequel) by Kiese Laymon I didn't fully understand or feel inspired by Grandmama's stank or freshness until I heard the albums ATLiens and Aquemini from those Georgia-based artists called OutKast. Atlanta Magazine The Evolution of T.I. by Mara Shalhoup The Atlanta superstar rose to fame as a street-hardened rapper. For his next act, he wants to save the neighborhood that could've killed him. The New York Times Twenty One Pilots Want to Stay Strange by Caryn Ganz Two years ago, the Columbus, Ohio, band unexpectedly broke out big with the anxiety anthems of "Blurryface." Can they keep doing things their own way in the face of mass success? Cincinnati Magazine Bootsy Collins is Still Rock and Roll Royalty by Gil Kaufman And whether you realize it or not, the legendarily outrageous, endlessly enthusiastic, sartorially sensational godfather of funk is unquestionably the Queen City's musical ambassador. The Iowa Review What More Could a Country Boy Want: A Portrait in Echoes by Lucy Schiller What Arthur Russell was doing was evoking the feeling of what it is like to come from a place composed half of pain and half of love. The feeling of aching while dancing. Of standing in a thick field of corn and looking north and west and east and south and seeing only corn, and feeling, oddly, like you're on some sort of precipice, like you have to jump and like you also want to sink back into the stalks, be swallowed up. Revolver Slipknot's Early Years: The Twisted, DIY Origins of Iowa's Metal Juggernaut by Jon Wiederhorn Before Corey Taylor, there were dead birds, duct tape and self-released album "Mate. Feed. Kill. Repeat." Mpls.St.Paul Magazine Prince: The Hometown Kid by Andrea Swensson Prince may have been a one-in-a-million talent, but he was also the product of multiple Minneapolis neighborhoods. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine An Oral History of Lizzo's Rise to Fame by Steve Marsh Lizzo came to Minneapolis as an indie rapper and left to become a world-conquering music star and personality. Her friends and collaborators tell the story of how Lizzo made her career and image here. (Apparently, at one point, Lizzo was... shy?!) Las Vegas Review-Journal Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco among Las Vegas' rockin' Mormon kids by Doug Elfman Childhood Mormonism is the tie that binds all three of the Vegas-bred pop bands that became international stars so far this century. The Vegas church is where you would have found the child versions of Brandon Flowers (from the Killers), Dan Reynolds (Imagine Dragons) and Brendon Urie (Panic! At The Disco). Highsnobiety How Did Las Vegas Go From Career Killer to Millennial Music Mecca? by Chris Thomas Not so long ago, a Las Vegas residency meant your career was in the can. Now everyone from Drake to Lady Gaga is fighting for a spot. What happened? Complex The Astroworld Experience: Travis Scott's Ode to Houston by Kiana Fitzgerald At the inaugural Astroworld festival in Houston, Travis Scott proved he's the city's glue-and a new caliber of rap star. Texas Monthly That 70's Show by John Spong In 1972 the Austin music scene exploded with a new, rootsy form of country that turned its back on Nashville and embraced the counterculture. Forty years later, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Michael Martin Murphey, and a host of other cosmic cowboys and redneck rockers remember the birth of outlaw country. MUSIC OF THE DAY YouTube "The Promise of a New Day" Paula Abdul "Eagle's calling and he's calling your name." "REDEF is dedicated to my mother, who nurtured and encouraged my interest in everything and slightly regrets the day she taught me to always ask 'why?'" — @JasonHirschhorn REDEF, Inc. NY - LA - EVERYWHERE redef.com YOU DON'T GET IT? Subscribe Unsubscribe/Manage My Subscription FOLLOW REDEF ON © Copyright 2020, The REDEF Group