Month: January 2009

Grandaddy Clause: Skateboard Parks

Post author By Magnet
Post date January 31, 2009
1 Comment on Grandaddy Clause: Skateboard Parks

After the dissolution of beloved sci-fi pop outfit Grandaddy in 2006, frontman Jason Lytle left behind California’s blue suburban skies for the peace, quiet and sobriety of Montana. This week, Lytle re-emerges with news of a solo debut and a part-time seasonal job as guest editor for magnetmagazine.com.

Read our new Q&A with Lytle about his forthcoming album, Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti-), here.

Lytle: Skateboard parks are now everywhere, which is wonderful. That wasn’t always the case when I was growing up. A good day at the skate park includes gliding over transitions, popping over hips and doing long, smooth grinds. It’s like a grand journey, a perfect piece of music or an epic Italian meal. Skateboarding has remained a constant for since I was eight years old. It runs through my blood and is responsible for making me the person I am. It’s nice that I still have the ability to flow around, clear my mind and tap into something very familiar. I called my girlfriend last year from a skateboard park in Southern California and told her, “There’s about 15 guys here and guess who the youngest one is? Me!”

For an in-depth piece on Lytle circa the end of Grandaddy, read our 2006 cover story here.

LIVE REVIEWS

Live Review: Lambchop, Columbus, OH, Jan. 25, 2009

Post author By MAGNET Staff
Post date January 31, 2009

lambchop544

“I’m havin’ such a good time,” said Kurt Wagner, shortly into Lambchop’s 90-minute set at Ohio State University’s Wexner Center For The Arts, “I don’t wanna fuck it up.”

Wagner made the sheepish crack as much to break the silence as anything, since the initial atmosphere inside the Wexner’s black-box performance space was all about the gravity of High Art. The Center’s current exhibit was a collection of seminal Andy Warhol films and audio recordings, and the film theater was running a lauded documentary on venerable sculptor Louise Bourgeois through the weekend. So by the time Lambchop’s audience of fewer than 100 people made its way through the maze of hallways into the black box, we’d been shushed into the quiet respect that comes with wandering through spaces where you have to check your coats, cameras and pens at the door.

NEWS

John Martyn: 1948-2009

Post author By MAGNET Staff
Post date January 31, 2009

Beloved John Martyn died January 29 at the age of 60. He was an incredibly talented musician who played acoustic and electric guitar with equal skill. He was also one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. His solo debut, London Conversation, was released in 1967 on Island Records, and along with Richard Thompson and Nick Drake, Martyn was associated with the late-’60s folk boom in England. During that time, he also made a couple of lovely recordings (Stormbringer and Road To Ruin) with his then-wife Beverly.

Martyn’s music evolved greatly, moving from delicate acoustic folk to shimmering folk jazz and even blistering psychedelic rock. His compositions have been covered by the likes of Eric Clapton, Beth Orton, Dr. John, Beck, Richie Havens, Morcheeba and the Black Crowes. Throughout his life, Martyn struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, suffered numerous injuries and endured other tragedies including the amputation of his right leg just below the knee.

“Solid Air” from 1973’s Solid Air:

There’s a 2006 documentary called Johnny Too Bad and there are many live DVDs documenting amazing concert performances from all points of his career. His music has graced numerous film soundtracks, including Scrapple, Titanic Town and The Talented Mr. Ripley. Martyn was recently awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC (presented by his friend Phil Collins), the Les Paul award from Mojo and was appointed an OBE (Order of the British Empire) earlier this year. His last studio album, On The Cobbles, was released in 2004, and there’s a new four-CD retrospective loaded with rarities entitled Ain’t No Saint.

I wrote this profile for MAGNET more than a decade ago. The piece focused on one of Martyn’s many comebacks and identified some of his greatest recordings, including Bless The Weather, Solid Air and One World. Looking back, I can see that I barely scratched the surface of an amazing career.

—Mitch Myers

GUEST EDITOR

Grandaddy Clause: Ludwig Van Beethoven

Post author By Magnet
Post date January 31, 2009

Read our new Q&A with Lytle about his forthcoming album, Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti-), here.

Lytle: I have felt my soul shudder and stir more while listening to Ludwig van Beethoven than any other composer. Primarily I like his adagios or his moodier, sad stuff. There’s a connection to the human condition that I hear in his music. This morning I woke up at 3:00 and decided to go on a walk. I walked three miles through the snow while it was two degrees outside, listening to Beethoven, the adagios pulled from different symphonies, on my iPod. Pretty incredible stuff. That Beethoven movie with Gary Oldman, Immortal Beloved, even though it’s riddled with plot holes, is one of my favorites and the closest I’ll ever get to spying on him.

For an in-depth piece on Lytle circa the end of Grandaddy, read our 2006 cover story here.

NEWS

What February Album Are You Most Looking Forward To?

Post author By Eric T. Miller
Post date January 31, 2009
2 Comments on What February Album Are You Most Looking Forward To?

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