Tags archives: Nina Simone

  • Mable by Spraynard When: July 10th Spraynard was started in 2008 by high school friends Pat Graham, Mark Dickinson, and Patrick Ware. The group released several splits as well as 2011’s amazing Funtitled, which earned them a strong and rather devote following. However, just as the anticipation seemed to be building to critical mass, the band announced a hiatus in 2012. Fans were left with a compilation album, The Mark, Tom, and Patrick Show, put out by Asian Man records in 2014. The record would ultimately serve as an impetus for Spraynard to eventually reformed, but this time with Jake Guralnik replacing Dickinson on bass. With their new line-up, the band signed to Jade Tree Records where they now plan to release their newest record, Mable. The tracks “Everywhere”, “Applebee’s Bar” and “Bench” can already be heard throughout the internet. From these first listens, it seems that the new record will have all the clever, introspective, punk goodness of the old Spraynard and it will be as if the band never left. Nina Revisited: A Tribute to Nina Simone by Various Artists When: July 10th The recent release of Liz Garbus’s What Happened, Miss Simone?, a biopic on Nina Simone, has sparked a renewed interest in the legendary singer. The film, which was made available via Netflix on June 26th, joins a bumper crop of Simone-centered pictures slated for release this year. 2015 should also see the release of the documentary The Amazing Nina Simone as well as the Cynthia Mort mo[...]
  • Premiers aren't just for Hollywood theaters anymore. Now movies and entire TV series can materialize on Netflix or on some other streaming service sans the red carpet party and garner just as much success. This is due partially to the raise of the internet. While box office sales are still important, the web has an increasingly important role in a film's pre and post release existence. You can follow films from funding to box set all via Twitter feeds and emails. For new movies, the internet has somewhat infinite potential when it comes building hype. Think of how many times Netflix tried to get you to watch Blackfin or YouTube showed you yet another trailer for The Great Gatsby. In this day and age, you don't have to go to a theatre to see a trailer anymore. You can watching a clip on infinite loop until the film premiers and then long after. Here are some recent music documentaries/bio-dramas that have utilized it in different ways. Some used the web purely as a promotional tool, one used it to crowdsource the filming and another used it as its release platform. The main tread that ties them all together is that they have been popping up in forum discussions, some for years now, and the have the internet talking. Straight Outta Compton “Our art is a reflection of our reality” Due out August 13th, this film follows the rise of rap group NWA. Raised in Compton, California, the group's members Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella translated their experie[...]