Greg writes about the never ending treasures of new music that most provoke, inspire and intrigue him from multiple genres and continents. Read more: bit.ly/3Jcz2kA

Jim and Greg pay tribute to the late leaders of World Party and The Raspberries. Listen now: bit.ly/43OOLQA

#KarlWallinger #EricCarmen

Kurt Cobain, 30 years gone today. Instead of reliving the grief of that tragedy, I decided to write about a time when anything seemed possible -- even a nowhere kid from a nowhere town transforming himself, and us, through his music... More here:
tinyurl.com/4nfy39p5

Concert + interview as Mavis Staples is honord by The University of Chicago. Block Club Chicago has the details: shorturl.at/cfpHR

Legendary singer Mavis Staples performed for CPS, UChicago undergraduates and community members at @loganuchicago. The Chicago native also spoke with music critic Greg Kot about her legacy and how The Staples Singers channeled art into activism during the Civil Rights Movement.

Aston 'Family Man' Barrett's bass anchored Bob Marley's Wailers, Lee Perry's Upsetters & LPs by Burning Spear -- creating the soundtrack for '70s roots reggae. My Sound Opinions tribute to a late, great. RIP: bit.ly/3IW6mfV

Eno is in many ways the unofficial mascot of Sound Opinions. We're overdue to do a deep dive into one of his classic albums, and -- ding! -- here 'tis: bit.ly/3TMPdLJ

Aretha didn't just cover some of the songs she loved, in many cases she reinvented them. Excellent piece on an a powerful if perhaps underappreciated (if that's possible) aspect of the singer's towering legacy.

Greg writes about why Black Thought prefers to let his music do the talking. 'Over 11 Roots albums and three solo LPs spanning 30 years, he solidified his place in the hip-hop pantheon as one of the most incisive rappers ever to pick up a microphone.' - bit.ly/498B0gL

Music memoirs usually ain't all that, many little more than a series of VH1 'Behiond the Music' cliches. A rare recent exception is “The Upcycled Self: A Memoir on the Art of Becoming Who We Are' by Tariq Trotter, aka Roots MC Black Thought. Here's why: bit.ly/498B0gL

Rapper Vic Mensa surprised Da Book Joint with a check to cover a year's rent. buff.ly/4crwexr

Greg adds two versions of a surprising song to the Desert Island Jukebox. It was the first rock & roll song to chart in Japan and a later version involved members of The Clash. Listen now: bit.ly/3VlQmLl

The guys take the show out of the recording studio and into the karaoke bar as they share some of their favorite karaoke tracks. They’ll also hear selections from production staff and listeners. Who picked your favorite karaoke song? Listen now: bit.ly/3PhBQ3m

Ira Robbins' Trouser Press was a must-read for kids who wanted more music coverage than the mainstream music mags deemed worthy in 1974-84. Now TP's pioneering work gets the best-of it deserves, 'Zip It Up!' Check it out at trouserpressbooks.com.

.mary timony's 30-plus years of guitar mastery -- in Helium, Ex-Hex, Wild Flag and on her latest solo album -- is something to behold. Some words of appreciation for an underappreciated guitar master:
bit.ly/3IwDnPn

'NO,' he said, 'I am not singing. I am BEING DAMO SUZUKI.' A few words about the Can dynamo on this Sound Opinions bonus episode: bit.ly/3T7s4lt

'I just thought that would be the perfect thing in rock 'n' roll. That 10 years from now you could still listen to one of my albums because it wasn`t just a party record, but would engage you emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, on the level that a novel can.' HB, Lou Reed

Ah man, miss 'em both.

Celebrate 40 years of the greatest concert film of all time Stop Making Sense with a special screening and conversation with host of popular podcast Sound Opinions. Tix: trib.al/yOkIcJK

Jim and Greg pay tribute to Mojo Nixon (Neill Kirby McMillan Jr.), a consummate showman with a love for the working class, who died February 7. Listen now: bit.ly/42NF84b