Eric Weisbard | |
|---|---|
 Weisbard speaking at the 2008 Pop Conference | |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Music critic |
| Known for | Pop Conference |
| Notable work | Spin Alternative Record Guide Top 40 Democracy |
| Spouse | |
Eric Weisbard is an American music critic known for founding the Pop Conference, which is hosted annually by the Museum of Pop Culture (formerly known as the EMP Museum). He also organized the conference for many years. [1]
Weisbard serves as professor of American studies at the University of Alabama. [2] He is also the author of both a 33⅓ book entry about Use Your Illusion and the 2014 book Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music, and a former editor for Spin . [3] With Craig Marks, he was also the co-editor of the Spin Alternative Record Guide , [4] and has also written for the Village Voice . [5] For Top 40 Democracy, he received the 2015 Woody Guthrie Award from the International Association for the Study of Popular Music's United States branch. [6]
Weisbard is married to Ann Powers, a music critic for NPR. [7] They were married in 1998. [8]
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land".
Head over Heels is the second studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. The album was released on 24 October 1983 through the label 4AD. It featured the band's signature sound of "Guthrie's lush guitars under Fraser's mostly wordless vocals" and is considered an archetype of early ethereal wave music.
Spin is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012.
Follow the Leader is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim. Following their debut album Paid in Full (1987), Eric B. & Rakim left 4th & B'way Records and signed with Uni Records, a subsidiary label of major label MCA Records. They recorded Follow the Leader at Power Play Studios in New York City. The duo produced, composed, and arranged the album with additional contributions from Rakim's brother Stevie Blass Griffin, who contributed with various instruments. Eric B. & Rakim worked with audio engineers Carlton Batts and Patrick Adams on the album. In a similar manner to their first album, a "ghost producer" was brought in for two songs. In a 2007 interview with Unkut.com, The 45 King said he produced both "Microphone Fiend" and "The R". "Microphone Fiend" was originally made for Fab 5 Freddy, until 45 King gave it over to Eric B., the group's "DJ".
Ann K. Powers is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the Los Angeles Times, where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publications, such as The New York Times, Blender and The Village Voice. Powers is the author of Weird Like Us: My Bohemian America, a memoir; Good Booty: Love and Sex, Black & White, Body and Soul in American Music, on eroticism in American pop music; and Piece by Piece, co-authored with Tori Amos.
Treasure is the third studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 1 November 1984 by 4AD. With this album, the band settled on what would, from then on, be their primary lineup: vocalist Elizabeth Fraser, guitarist Robin Guthrie and bass guitarist Simon Raymonde. The album also reflected the group's embrace of the distinctive ethereal sound they became associated with.
Buhloone Mindstate is the third studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was released on September 21, 1993, through Tommy Boy Records, and was the group's last record to be produced with Prince Paul.
Special View is the second compilation album by English power pop band The Only Ones. Released in 1979 in the United States it consists of tracks selected by the American label Epic from the band's first two CBS (UK) albums.
Blue Bell Knoll is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 19 September 1988 by 4AD. This was the band's first album to receive major-label distribution in the United States, as it was originally licensed by Capitol Records from 4AD for North American release. After a period of being out of print while 4AD reclaimed the American distribution rights for their back catalogue, the album was remastered by guitarist Robin Guthrie and reissued in 2003. Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser named the album after a peak in southern Utah called Bluebell Knoll.
Today is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Galaxie 500, released in 1988 on Aurora Records.
The Bliss Album...? is the second studio album by American hip hop duo P.M. Dawn. It was released on March 23, 1993, by Gee Street and Island Records. Although some critics considered it less successful than the duo's first record, The Bliss Album...? received positive reviews and produced two hit singles—"I'd Die Without You" and "Looking Through Patient Eyes". It was voted the 12th best album of 1993 in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll.
Even Serpents Shine is the second studio album by English power pop band The Only Ones, released in 1979 by Columbia Records. It was produced by Peter Perrett and Alan Mair.
Ask the Ages is the final album recorded by jazz guitarist Sonny Sharrock during his lifetime. It was recorded with producer Bill Laswell and released in 1991; It featured Sharrock alongside saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Elvin Jones. Sharrock passed away on May 25th, 1994.
Mercury is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band American Music Club. It was released in March 1993 on Reprise Records as their major-label debut. Virgin Records released the album in the United Kingdom.
Submarine Bells is an album by New Zealand group the Chills, released in 1990. This was the band's first album on a major label, as Martin Phillipps signed to Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Slash Records, to release the album in the U.S. The album reached #1 on the New Zealand album charts and had significant support from American college radio. The album was awarded gold status in New Zealand and represents the peak of the Chills' popularity at home. It is considered to be one of the defining albums of the Dunedin sound. The supporting tour for Submarine Bells culminated in a triumphant home-coming concert in Dunedin Town Hall.
Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places is the second album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1981.
The Blasters is the second album by American rock band The Blasters. Originally released in the United States by the independent label Slash Records, its later strong sales performance required a deal for wider distribution with Warner Bros. Records. The album was well received, being ranked among the top 10 albums of 1982 by Time magazine and peaking at number 36 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart.
Evangeline is a song and the 12th EP by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was recorded and mixed at September Sound in London, and released in September 1993 by record label Fontana. The song was a moderate hit in several countries and was very popular in Portugal. It was included on the band's seventh studio album, Four-Calendar Café (1993).
"Grand Coulee Dam" is an American folk song recorded in 1941 by Woody Guthrie.
The Spin Alternative Record Guide is a music reference book compiled by the American music magazine Spin and published in 1995 by Vintage Books. It was edited by rock critic Eric Weisbard and Craig Marks, who was the magazine's editor-in-chief at the time. The book features essays and reviews from a number of prominent critics on albums, artists, and genres considered relevant to the alternative music movement. Contributors who were consulted for the guide include Ann Powers, Rob Sheffield, Simon Reynolds, and Michael Azerrad.
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