
A trip to North Carolina to study bluegrass yielded this lesson: Earl Scruggs was the greatest there ever was I spent a couple of months last year studying bluegrass in North Carolina, and I le...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/mar/29/why-earl-scruggs-is-great
It became a surprise top 10 hit in Australia and still gets played in clubs and karaoke halls. So why has the song’s appeal endured? It starts with a slinky, bass-licked groove before the voc...
Artists such as Lorde, Sparks, the Moody Blues and Metallica bring changes of pace to a prog-heavy playlist with twists and turns Here is this week’s playlist – songs picked by a reader fro...
Augusta Holmès’ compositions won awards and acclaim from admirers including Liszt and Saint-Saëns, so why is she, and so many of her female contemporaries, all but forgotten today? Augusta ...
Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard joined us to chat about their favourite conspiracy theories, secret side projects and what exactly Thought Contagion is EmersonRR asks: When will the new albu...
Katy Perry has expressed regret at the stereotypes peddled on her debut single. She’s not the only artist who has attempted to distance herself from badly aged material What a difference a de...
The DJ and all-round music evangelist answered your questions about taking over from Zane Lowe, confiscating phones in clubs and the lack of male feminist allies in the music industry vanillask...
Dwyer has released 21 albums with Thee Oh Sees – and 20 other records that range from German industrial electronics to heavy metal. He gives the backstories about key tracks in his vast back ca...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/nov/28/john-dwyer-thee-oh-sees-beginners-guide
Ahead of Chance the Rapper’s bow as the emcee of SNL, we take a look at his musical forebears who have pleased, shocked and nosedived over the years This weekend, Chance the Rapper will take ...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/nov/16/saturday-night-live-musical-hosts
With her synthpop-heavy sixth album, the popstar dispenses with her diary-like lyrics in favour of something darker and more suggestive For any Taylor Swift fan, a new album release promises no...
A gentle Trump parody aside, the Country Music Association’s annual event dodged burning political issues – including gun control “Maybe next time, he’ll think before he tweets,” sang...
Singer Zara McFarlane, the festival’s director, and our jazz critic choose their five unmissable concerts from this year’s festival, which begins on 10 November Basquiat and Jazz, featuring...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/nov/09/london-jazz-festival-2017-must-see-gigs
He played angular and slow when the fashion was for fast and sun-drenched. And a misdiagnosed bipolar condition meant he retreated into silence for the last years of his life. But now the pianist...
At Sharp’s folk club, one seat was poignantly empty: that of Tom Paley, who once played with Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly and who died last week. The club’s regulars explain what he meant to ...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/oct/06/tom-paley-folk-singer-sharps-club-camden
Florence Welch and Calvin Harris have objected to their music being used at the Tory conference – the way Keane and the Dandy Warhols once did, too. It’s not surprising, given the tin-eared w...
Molly Rankin was stuck trying to honour her late father’s musicianship, until indie-pop opened a door. She discusses being an unlikely bandleader – and why it’s awkward playing music with y...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/oct/03/alvvays-molly-rankin-interview
From Charlotte Gainsbourg’s delicate minimalism to kick-ass indie-punk by Dream Wife – plus Somali disco and elegant techno – here are 50 of the month’s best tracks Last month we launch...
Make your nomination in the comments and a reader will pick the best eligible tracks for a playlist next week – you have until Monday 2 October We’re spinning around for your song suggestio...
Twenty-five years ago, the British charts exploded with cheap and cheerful songs such as Sesame’s Treet, Trip to Trumpton and Ebeneezer Goode, that turned a whole generation on to dance music ...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/sep/11/cartoon-rave-feature
The Northern Irish duo have become one of the biggest acts in dance music – partly thanks to their DJ sets of ultra-obscure house and disco. They lift the lid of the darkest corners of their re...