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Talkhouse

Shamir is Shamir and remains Shamir through and through, no matter what the universe puts him through. You may know the singularly named artist (think—Madonna or Cher) from his 2015 debut hit record Rachet, beloved by NPR listeners and club kids alike. After quickly rising to underground fame with his Northtown EP in 2014, the DIY pop star made a sonic splash with Rachet’s lead single “On The Regular,” a poppy banger that had extensive commercial usage. But how to follow all that up? Shamir, who came from the dusty dunes of Las Vegas, to Brooklyn’s Silent Barn, to the Philly indie scene (and all over the world in between), wanted to go back to what had inspired him from the beginning. Outsider music, country &amp; punk. Raw and vulnerable tunes, stripped down to their emotional core. 2017’s Revelations explored a new avenue of guitar driven hooky indie rock and was widely critically praised in the US and overseas.
Shamir’s most recent releases, the brilliant Room 7” on Father/Daughter, and his self-released limited edition album, Resolution, are pinnacles in the catalog of the increasingly fascinating artist’s career. Room and its b-side Caballero celebrate Shamir’s love of country music, while Resolution is a deeply introspective look into the fabric of society and the artists’ own mind.  With these two releases he has refined his craft exponentially and done so in less than six months from the release of Revelations.

Shamir Bailey

Music

Shamir-oscopes: August 2017

I, Thor Harris, am not an activist. This is no time for any of us to wait and see what happens. I am a percussionist and multi-instrumentalist. I play with Thor &amp; Friends,&nbsp;Swans,&nbsp;Ben Frost,&nbsp;Bill Callahan,&nbsp;Adam Torres, Shearwater, Amanda Palmer, and others. I write bossy lists such as &#8220;How to Tour in a Band or Whatever&#8221; and &#8220;How to Live&nbsp;Like a King on Very Little.&#8221;&nbsp;I also talk openly about depression.&nbsp;I&#8217;m pretty good at <a href="https://twitter.com/thorharris666" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a>.

Thor Harris

Yammer of Thor: Wealthcare

Shamir-oscopes: July 2017

Shamir-oscopes: June 2017

Yammer of Thor: Protect Sanctuary Cities

Yammer of Thor: How to Be Kind

Emily Nokes is a musician, writer, graphic designer, illustrator, Libra, candy enthusiast and the singer/tambourinist in glittery feminist punk-pop band Tacocat. Her hobbies include giving pretty good home bang trims, puffy painting, stoned shopping and taking photos of her luxuriously large grey cat, Doctor O. As a writer and illustrator, her work has appeared in Seattle alternative weekly The Stranger, where she previously worked as music editor before deciding to tour basically all the time.
(Photo credit: Michael Lavine)

Emily Nokes

Reading Music: On Trying to Pay Attention to Paul Stanley’s Autobiography While the Country Falls Apart

<div>Zachary Lipez is the singer of the band Publicist UK. He is the co-author (with Stacy Wakefield and Nick Zinner) of a number of books, most recently 131 Different Thinks (Akashic 2018). He is a freelance writer in NYC and tends bar at 124 Old Rabbit Club.</div>
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Zachary Lipez

BarRoom Blitz: What to Play in the Bar When the World Makes You Mad

Dave Hill&nbsp;is a comedian, writer, musician, and highly boneable public figure. He is the author of the book&nbsp;Tasteful Nudes&nbsp;(St. Martin&#8217;s Press, 2012), host of&nbsp;The Goddamn Dave Hill Show&nbsp;on New Jersey&#8217;s WFMU-91.1, frequent contributor to&nbsp;This American Life&nbsp;and singer-guitar player for the power-pop band Valley Lodge. His new comedy album Let Me Turn You On&nbsp;is <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/let-me-turn-you-on/id992705195" target="_blank">available now</a>, as is his second collection of essays, Dave Hill Doesn&#8217;t Live Here Anymore (Penguin/Blue Rider Press).&nbsp;Dave also smells incredible and can play sweet guitar solos without even really trying. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/mrdavehill" target="_blank">here</a>.

Dave Hill

Hot Love: How Not to Cheat on Your Girlfriend on Tour with Help from Bob Seger

Ryan Kattner (aka Honus Honus), is a musician-songwriter, film/theater score composer, screenwriter, mustachioed multi-hyphenate living in Los Angeles. Texas-born, he grew up in the Philippines, South Carolina, Germany, Illinois, Alabama and Missouri before finally settling in Philadelphia and pouring his scattered upbringing into his bands Man Man and Mister Heavenly. He&#8217;s releasing his <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/HonusHonus" target="_blank">first solo album in 2016</a>. Michael J. Fox as Teen Wolf is his spirit animal. You can follow him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/honushonusbandband/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://instagram.com/honushonus">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/HonusHonus">Twitter.</a> (photo credit: Mike Gerry)

Ryan Kattner

Dude, Be Cool: Here’s How NOT to Clash with Security

Hot Love: How to Date a Younger Man to Darkthrone

Juliana Hatfield is a singer, songwriter and guitar player. She began her music career in the late 1980s in Boston with the Blake Babies. Since then she has released approximately fifteen solo albums and been involved with numerous other groups including the Lemonheads, Some Girls (with Freda Love Smith) and MInor Alps (with Matthew Caws from Nada Surf). Her latest project is a collaboration with Paul Westerberg called the I Don’t Cares. Their debut album, Wild Stab, came out in early 2016. Hatfield&#8217;s new album, Pussycat, will be released on April 28, 2017.
(Photo credit: Brad Walsh)

Juliana Hatfield

Take a Peek Inside Juliana Hatfield’s ’90s Journals

music column