Kenneth Partridge's work has appeared in such publications as USA Today, the Village Voice and the Hartford Courant, as well as online at MTV Hive and HowAboutWe, among other sites. He's helped to edit two encyclopedias -- one on Latin music, the other on reggae -- and penned biographies about Louis Armstrong and the opera singer Marian Anderson. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his beloved wife and slightly less beloved record collection.
Kenneth Partridge
Captured Tracks Founder Mike Sniper Discusses Label’s 5th Anniversary
Like most good things, Captured Tracks began in a basement.
NYC Essentials: Chrome Cranks Singer Peter Aaron Picks 6 Albums That Define New York City
Earlier this month, Joe Cardamone of West Coast scuzz-rock lords the Icarus Line shared his six essential L.A. albums. His picks ranged from Gun Club to Guns N' Roses, capturing the sexy, skeevy, disjointed spirit of his beloved hometown. In the interest of coastal rock 'n' roll symmetry, Diffuser.fm asked Peter Aaron, singer and guitarist of blues-punk stalwarts Chrome Cranks, to create a list of the best New York City records.
Pauline Black of the Selecter Talks Riot Fest, 2 Tone Legacy, New Album ‘String Theory’ + More
With 2 Tone, as the name suggests, virtually everything was black and white. The bands were multiracial -- white kids and second-generation West Indians rallying around vintage Jamaican music -- and the clothes were a monochromatic mix of mod and rude-boy gear.
L.A. Essentials: Icarus Line Singer Joe Cardamone Picks 6 Albums That Define His City
L.A. isn't like other cities. As Joe Cardamone explained in a 2012 interview with Trebuchet, it's a place with no center, and that means you "build your own reality." He would know.
Stephen McRobbie of the Pastels Talks Record Shops, Belle and Sebastian + His Band’s Unique History
An hour before Stephen McRobbie of the Pastels is due to Skype with Diffuser.fm, the publicist asks if the conversation might be pushed back in hour. This is no problem for two reasons -- three, actually.
Weekend Guitarist Kevin Johnson on New Album ‘Jinx,’ Moving to Brooklyn + the Trouble With Rock Criticism
It's been said before, but it bears repeating: Rock critics aren't much good. Reviewing an album like Weekend's excellent new sophomore effort, 'Jinx,' they'll rely on tired adjectives to describe the washed-out guitars and pained vocals and try to sum up the songs with a neat tagline: San Francisco shoegazers turn down the distortion and embrace melody on their most accessible collection yet.
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Medicine’s Brad Laner Talks Captured Tracks Partnership, New Album ‘To the Happy Few’
Ladies and gentleman, we're floating in a golden age of noise. Need proof? Earlier this year, My Bloody Valentine shocked the indie world by dropping the long-gestating sequel to their 1991 masterwork 'Loveless' at midnight on a Saturday, and even that might not be the year's best shoegaze comeback.
Crookes, ‘Dance In Colour’ – Song Premiere
Every now and then, a gaggle of British lads with sharp clothes and cool haircuts lands in the States and reminds us how smart, sprightly rock 'n' roll ought to be done.
Black Taxi: The Crucial Cut Interview
What does it take to write a great song, the type people jump on immediately and vote for in online contests like Diffuser.fm's Crucial Cut of the Month? Musical ability often helps, but knowing how to play multiple instruments and switch from jazz to hip-hop to rock doesn't guarantee you a classic chorus or lyric that resonates. For that, you need creativity and enthusiasm, both of which ride shotgun in Black Taxi.
Australia’s Violent Soho Talk ’90s Nostalgia, Nirvana vs. Pumpkins + New Album ‘Hungry Ghost’
America and Australia aren't so different. There, as here, dudes from ho-hum towns assemble in foursomes, united by a love of loud guitars and cheap beer and singing about their lives at the top of their lungs.