‘It’s Going to Be the Best Fucking Festival Experience of Your Life’: How Pickathon Survives in Corporate America

‘It’s Going to Be the Best Fucking Festival Experience of Your Life’: How Pickathon Survives in Corporate America

Imagine a music festival without any of the worst parts of a music festival. Intimate, creatively designed stages covered by ample shade. Musicians who play twice during the weekend to alleviate potential schedule conflicts. Affordable food and beverages crafted by local purveyors. No garbage strewn about. Manageable crowds. Free water.  Pickathon, set on Pendarvis Farm…

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CULT OF PERSONALITY

CULT OF PERSONALITY

I met Nile Rodgers as we were putting the first issue of SPIN together. We were introduced by our mutual (and still) friend Robert Drake, the great sound engineer. We became instant buddies. We later discovered we were born on the same day, in the same hospital, St. Vincent’s in lower Manhattan. Three years apart,…

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Now Hear This: July 2025

Now Hear This: July 2025

Now Hear This is a monthly A&R column that provides you with exciting new sounds we discovered through the innovative new music platform Groover. Each month, you can expect a varied bouillabaisse of songs from a vast spectrum of artists from all over the globe, regardless of genre or geography.  More from Spin: Music That…

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Fuubutsushi Comes Alive

Fuubutsushi Comes Alive

A funny thing happens about two-thirds of the way through “Mistral,” the gospel-tinged fourth track on Fuubutsushi’s new album Columbia Deluxe (July 11): Someone yells “Woo!” The eruption of hoots and hollers on a live album shouldn’t be unusual, even if the deeply chill energy of the chamber jazz quartet usually evokes contemplation instead of…

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