Stephen Mejias Blog

A Delirious Masterpiece Posted Thu Jul 2, 2009, 4:12 PM ET

Photo: Michael Schmelling

Tomorrow is National Sonic Youth Day. (I just made that up.) The band will be performing songs from their new album, The Eternal, at the grand old United Palace Theater up in Washington Heights on 175th and Broadway. For some enticing photos of the venue, visit their gallery. It was born as a Loew's Wonder Theater, one of just five flagship movie palaces known for their lavish beauty and built to mark the chain's dominance of the metropolitan movie-going community. The 175th Street Theater was opened in 1930, while the other four palaces threw wide their glittering doors one year earlier. All but one, the Loew's King Theater in Brooklyn, have been brought back to a state approaching their original glory and are now operating as churches and/or music venues.

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The Thorens TD 309 Posted Thu Jul 2, 2009, 2:43 PM ET

Look: I mean, listen: I mean, look: I'm the sort of guy who is comfortable with the idea that there's more than just music to this whole hi-fi thing. It's not all about the music. That's bullshit. It's also about friendship and peace and art and beauty. It's about belonging. You can get into hi-fi even if you don't listen to music. What? Yes! It's about getting drunk and high and lost. It's about girls and boys. It's also about the gear. But you can get into hi-fi even if you don't like gear. What? Yes! It's about more than just what the gear does. It's also about how the gear looks when it does what it does. Hi-fi is a full-on sensory attack, a blissed-out mind-fuck, an ocean, a sky, a lion in the tall, yellow grass. We feel with our heads and our hearts, with our ears and our eyes and every little bit of our little human selves.

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Vinyl Man's Digital-Proof Shield Posted Thu Jul 2, 2009, 2:41 PM ET

If Vinyl Man had a shield, it would look something like the Thorens TD 309 turntable. But it would be orange. Or green.

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Vinyl Man Posted Thu Jul 2, 2009, 2:38 PM ET

Um, Vinyl Man's favorite colors are orange and green, obviously. This photo was taken by intrepid crime photographer, Michael Lavorgna, outside the old Justice League Europe Headquarters in Paris, France.

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Sarah Witkowski's All-Time Most Epic Songs Posted Thu Jun 25, 2009, 4:30 PM ET

Back in February 2008, senior contributing editor John Marks decided to hold a competition.

What this competition is about is finding five songs from what I will loosely call the Rock Era (written anywhere, but only since 1954) that, in craftsmanship, musicality, intelligence, and emotional impact, can give the lieder and chanson traditions a run for their money.

Fun, right? Several of our readers came up with excellent lists, but one winning list that I found especially impressive came from Sarah Witkowski.

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Leonard Cohen Talk Posted Wed Jun 24, 2009, 7:50 PM ET

There has been a lot of Leonard Cohen talk going around the office this week. You will find out why when you receive your September issue of Stereophile. You will enjoy it, too, I am certain.

For now, however, there is this:

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Not Even Jesus Posted Wed Jun 24, 2009, 7:21 PM ET

Here in the office, I am (like most jerks in the corporate world) constantly juggling several tasks at once. Sometimes these tasks seem to have absolutely nothing to do with one another, and nothing to do with the making of a magazine. So it goes. To keep everything from crashing down at my nervous, trembling feet, I scribble little reminders on yellow Post-it notes and stick them to everything around me: Post-it notes on my computer screen, Post-it notes on my telephone, Post-it notes on my calendar, Post-it notes on my stapler, etc.

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All Sorts of Awesome Posted Tue Jun 23, 2009, 6:56 PM ET

A couple of months ago, I heard an interesting segment on NPR about Sam Hillmer's Representing NYC project. Hillmer, a NYC school teacher, partners his students with indie-rock musicians to create hip-hop albums. The children are given an opportunity to express themselves and gain real experience in the art of commerce, while the musicians get to contribute to the working-class communities they've recently moved into.

Awesome, right? There's more.

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I Guess I Need To Be Amazed Posted Fri Jun 19, 2009, 9:37 AM ET

I woke up this morning with a couple of sweet lines playing themselves over and over in my mind. The doctors and scientists call this phenomenon an earworm, which is an entirely unpleasant term. Isn't it? I mean, I would never want an earworm, but I don't at all mind the sound of pretty words running through my head.

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Falling on My Head like a New Emotion Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 12:24 PM ET

Hi. I turn my back on my computer screen to look through my office window and see that it is once again pouring rain. This is the 567th consecutive day of rain in New York City. What the hell is going on? Is this some sort of end-of-the-world business?

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Famous Blue Raincoat Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 12:14 PM ET

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Don't Let The Rain Come Down Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 12:12 PM ET

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(Just Plain Old) Crying (In The Rain) Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 12:07 PM ET

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Blue Eyes Crying (In the Rain, duh) Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 12:03 PM ET

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Blame It On The You-Know-What Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 11:58 AM ET

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Baby, The Rain Must Fall Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 11:54 AM ET

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Ain't No Sunshine Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 11:50 AM ET

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Here Comes the Rain Again Posted Thu Jun 18, 2009, 11:49 AM ET

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AddThis. Please? Posted Tue Jun 16, 2009, 11:39 AM ET

Regular readers of this blog have noticed that I am hard up for some loving. I'm aware of this because a few regular readers have actually mentioned it to me. (Hi, mom!) I mean, shit, casual readers only have to scan the first few posts on this page to realize that "it's been a long time for me."

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Masonna, Merzbow, Sonic Youth Posted Tue Jun 16, 2009, 9:52 AM ET

In this excellent article, Seth Colter Walls discusses Sonic Youth's new album, ponders the band's place in the history of rock music, and challenges the worlds of mainstream art and politics.

And in the video for "Sacred Trickster," the first single off of The Eternal, the band hits the streets and drops art bombs on The Man.

That's what you get, Establishment. Let this be a reminder: If you see something, say something!

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