In 1992, sex-biz entrepreneur Dennis Sobin went to prison. Nearly two decades later, he’s brandishing a guitar and preaching the power of music and art to rehabilitate the nation’s incarcerated masses. But should we listen to him?
Bang Your Head
Monae Changes Everything
The Gladwell-reading, Metropolis-watching, stylish Hotlantan Janelle Monae is putting stereotypes on blast.
Greatest Songs Ever: Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”
How the Canadian gloomster’s ode to all that he can’t comprehend became a towering spiritual anthem.
Blender Magazine, February 2009
Glasvegas
Chart-topping Scottish mope-rockers bend it not at all like Beckham, build a new Wall of Sound
No Money, Mo’ Problems
What does the global financial crisis mean for a music industry–and music culture–that’s been in crisis for years? The experts have their say.
Rock Star of the Year: Lil Wayne
Bucking fears that he was too prolific for his own good, Lil Wayne created one of 2008’s true blockbusters. And now, after conquering the MC game, he’s going off in a new, even weirder direction.
Faking the Band
You want to buy “All Summer Long from iTunes? Even if you did, it wouldn’t be Kid Rock’s version, just a generic soundalike (sorry, tribute). David Peisner blows the cover off of one of pop’s dirty little secrets.
In the Studio
Cover Story: Kings of Leon
American Regal
Their southern gothic mystique helped make Kings of Leon multi-platinum rock gods overseas. What will it take for the boozin’ and brawlin’ Followill boys to conquer their native land?
David Peisner 