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The Glorious Return of Medeski Martin & Wood (And Their First Interview in Eight Years)
The great trio played two very different sets—their first and second in four years—on a cruise ship in the Atlantic this week. And then they told me…
Feb 14
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Grayson Haver Currin
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Desert Blues, Hurdy-Gurdy Dance Music, & Good Protest Songs: 11 New Sounds I Loved in January
January was a motherfucker. These records and songs helped. Plus, my favorite album of the month.
Feb 6
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Grayson Haver Currin
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Listen Hear #1: How a 69-Year-Old Art Therapist in Australia Made a Masterpiece
Listen Hear is a new monthly series of short profiles of artists whose records deserve more attention. For the first edition, I talk to Ruth Parker…
Feb 2
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Grayson Haver Currin
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When Someone Tells You AI Music Is Inevitable, It’s OK to Mock Them.
Last week, Bandcamp announced a ban on music made wholly or largely with AI, a move the musician Holly Herndon lambasted. Why should we submit to…
Jan 22
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Grayson Haver Currin
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“We Were All Too Young to Die”: Bob Weir on Europe ’72, Losing Pigpen, and the Inspiration of Wynonna Judd
In early 2022, I talked to Weir about the glory and adventure of the Grateful Dead’s Europe ’72 run. A year later, I talked to him about his friend…
Jan 16
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Grayson Haver Currin
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How Phish Mocked ICE on New Year’s Eve—Plus, the Life-Saving Advice Carlos Santana Gave Trey Anastasio
After the sugar rush of Phish’s Madison Square Garden gag wore off, I saw it as stellar political theater. Plus, an archival interview on advice Trey…
Jan 8
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Grayson Haver Currin
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Five Albums I Wish I’d Written About in 2025 (And My 77 Favorite)
Plus 13 of the best things that happened to me in what is now last year—and five songs that will stick with me.
Jan 4
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Grayson Haver Currin
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You Need to Hear Woody Guthrie’s Rare and Bittersweet Christmas Song
In December 1940, Guthrie joined his new friend Burl Ives on Alan Lomax’s short-lived radio show. He improvised a song about the hard times he had…
Dec 23, 2025
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Grayson Haver Currin
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Out + Back
The extracurricular thoughts, passions, and outtakes of music and hiking writer Grayson Haver Currin, with reflections and recommendations.
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