Music

Renowned drummer Layne Redmond presents a comprehensive, empowering narrative history of women, the sacred drum, and the Divine Feminine, ranging from pre-Christian goddess worship to female drumming and spirituality in the modern era. Complete with a thorough bibliography and lavishly illustrated with over 200 photos & drawings

The genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, and Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most influential songwriters of our time, a man of spirituality, emotion, and intelligence whose work has explored issues of human life - sex, religion, power, meaning, love. This book explores various facets of Cohen's life.

The Recording Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski has become a music industry standard found in studios all over the world, and this fully updated fifth edition once again offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the art of audio recording. Written with today's technology and workflows in mind, The Recording Engineer's Handbook Fifth Edition is a must-have resource for anyone interested in recording either in their home or a commercial studio.In the book's first section, you'll learn everything from how microphones work to specific techniques for recording drums, individual instruments, vocals and much more. In the second section you'll benefit from the wisdom and down-to-earth practical advice offered by a host recording professionals including all-time greats like Al Schmitt, Eddie Kramer, Sylvia Massy and many others.Besides the ever-popular sections on recording gear, gain staging and levels, recording techniques for just about any instrument, and interviews with some of the world's most honored recording engineers, this 5th edition contains new topics like:The latest in recording and microphone technologyAn overview of modeling microphonesA complete overview of immersive recording techniquesA new section on cleaning and disinfecting your microphonesThe latest recording methods for drum sounds and individual instrumentsHome studio recording techniquesAnd four new interviews with top engineersLearn the art of recording with renowned author, teacher, producer and engineer Bobby Owsinski, and, in the interviews, explore the creative processes behind not only today's hits but the classic cuts we've enjoyed for years. See for yourself why The Recording Engineer's Handbook, Fifth Edition is the book that's a standard text in college music production courses all over the world.

The definitive celebration of one of the most famous instruments in the world: the Gibson Les Paul guitar.

The first biography of rapper Mac Miller, the Pittsburgh cult favorite¿turned¿rap superstar who touched the lives of millions before tragically passing away at the age of 26¿now in paperbackMalcolm James McCormick was born on January 19, 1992. He began making music at a young age and by 15 was already releasing mixtapes. One of the first true viral superstars, his early records earned him a rabid legion of die-hard fans¿as well as a few noteworthy detractors. But despite his undeniable success, Miller was plagued by struggles with substance abuse and depression, both of which fueled his raw and genre-defying music, yet ultimately led to his demise. Through detailed reporting and interviews with dozens of Miller¿s confidants, Paul Cantor brings you to leafy Pittsburgh, seductive Los Angeles, and frenzied New York, where you will meet Miller¿s collaborators, producers, business partners, best friends, and even his roommates. Traveling deep into Miller¿s inner circle, behind the curtain, the velvet ropes, and studio doors, Most Dope tells the story of a passionate, gifted young man who achieved his life¿s ambition, only to be undone by his personal demons.Most Dope is part love letter, part cautionary tale, never shying away from the raw, visceral way Mac Miller lived his life. Praise for Most Dope"A tender, studious remembrance." ¿The New York Times"An insightful exploration of his life . . . painstakingly reported by Cantor, who interviewed more than 100 people during a three-year process." ¿USA Today "An inside look at Miller's life through the eyes of his friends and industry peers, tracking the musician's life journey as he quickly ascended the ranks." ¿Daily Beast

The definitive biography of guitar icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Bill Frisell.FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH: Paul Simon; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; Gus Van Sant; Rhiannon Giddens; The Bad Plus; Gavin Bryars; Van Dyke Parks; Sam Amidon; Hal Willner; Jim Woodring; Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill'A beautiful and long overdue portrait of one of America's true living cultural treasures . . . a brilliant book.'JOHN ZORN'Wonderful. It captures exactly the Bill I know.'GAVIN BRYARS'The perfect companion-piece to the music of its subject.'MOJOOver a period of forty-five years, Bill Frisell has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential musicians at work today.Growing up playing clarinet in orchestras and marching bands, Frisell has progressed through a remarkable range of musical personas - from devotee of jazz master Jim Hall to 'house guitarist' of estimable German label ECM, from edgy New York downtown experimentalist to plaintive country and bluegrass picker. He has been a pioneering bandleader and collaborator, a prolific composer and arranger and a celebrated Grammy Award winner.A quietly revolutionary guitar hero who has synthesised many disparate musical elements into one compellingly singular sound, Frisell connects to a diverse range of artists and admirers, including Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Gus Van Sant, Marianne Faithfull and Justin Vernon, many of whom feature in this book.Through unprecedented access to the guitarist and interviews with his close family, friends and associates, Philip Watson tells Frisell's story for the first time.'A revelatory, roots and branches portrait of one of America's greatest synthesisers of musical ideas.'IAN PATTERSON, ALL ABOUT JAZZ

'Nobody owes us anything, but the Simple Minds story has been too condensed. After Live Aid and 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' there hasn't been quite the credit for those first few records. I think they contain some really special music. I can hear the flaws but there's something about the spirit and imagination in them that feels good. They draw from such a wide range of influences ... but the spirit of it was always Simple Minds.' Jim Kerr, to the authorAn illuminating new biography of one of Britain's biggest and most influential bands, written with the full input and cooperation of Simple Minds, shedding new light on their dazzling art-rock legacy.Themes for Great Cities features in-depth new interviews with original band members Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil and Derek Forbes, alongside key figures from within their creative community and high-profile fans such as Bobby Gillespie, James Dean Bradfield and Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite. The book reclaims and revivifies the magnificence of Simple Minds' pioneering early albums, from the glitchy Euro-ambience of Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance to the pulsing, agitated romance of Sons and Fascination, New Gold Dream and beyond.Emerging in 1978 from Glasgow's post-punk scene, Simple Minds transitioned from restless art-rock to electro futurism, mutated into passionate pop contenders and, finally, a global rock behemoth. They have sold in the region of 60 million records and remain a worldwide phenomenon. The drama of their tale lies in these transformations and triumphs, conflicts and contradictions.Themes for Great Cities tells the inside story of a band becoming a band. Inspiring, insightful and enlightening, it celebrates the trailblazing music of one of Britain's greatest groups.

Beeswing is the autobiography from world-renowned artist Richard Thompson, co-founder of the legendary folk rock group Fairport Convention.

"Spanning nearly 50 years of albums, EPs, B-sides, and more, read the full story behind all of the songs that Prince ever released. Moving chronologically through his epic back catalogue, expert author Benoãit Clerc analyses everything there is to know about each song and session. With a career as mythologized as Prince, this book is an exhaustive compendium that shines a light on every corner of Prince's magnificent, otherworldly career. No stone is left unturned across more than 600 pages, illustrated with incredible photography throughout. From the inspiration behind the lyrics and melody to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track, uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book--a must-have for every Prince fan"--

Upon its release, Don't Break the Oath charted fifth on the official British heavy metal album list and was supported by a two month long sold-out American tour in early 1985. The band's controversial stage appearance attracted the attention of the Parental Resource Music Center committee, ironically reassuring the band its position on the charts. But though the album was hugely popular in the anglophone metal scene, it was conceived in peripheral Denmark. This book discusses the relationship between center and periphery.

A comprehensive and celebratory journey through the history of popular music, from the former New York Times music critic

Now in paperback, ORIGINAL GANGSTAS is the acclaimed definitive history of West Coast hip-hop, revealing how a cohort of then-unknown rappers, including Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and Tupac Shakur, grappled with crime, drugs, gangs, bad cops, and racial tension to create the defining music movement of a generation.

The music autobiography of autumn 2020 - godfather of electropop Gary Numan's remarkable story

Classical music for everyone - an inspirational piece of music for every day of the year, celebrating composers from the medieval era to the present day.

Twenty-five years since acid house and Ecstasy revolutionized pop culture, Simon Reynolds's landmark rave history Energy Flash has been expanded and updated to cover twenty-first-century developments like dubstep and EDM's recent takeover of America.Author of the acclaimed postpunk history Rip It Up and Start Again, Reynolds became a rave convert in the early nineties. He experienced first-hand the scene's drug-fuelled rollercoaster of euphoria and darkness. He danced at Castlemorton, the illegal 1992 mega-rave that sent spasms of anxiety through the Establishment and resulted in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill. Mixing personal reminiscence with interviews and ultra-vivid description of the underground's ever-changing sounds as they mutated under the influence of MDMA and other drugs, Energy Flash is the definitive chronicle of electronic dance culture.From rave's origins in Chicago house and Detroit techno, through Ibiza, Madchester and the anarchic free-party scene, to the pirate-radio underworld of jungle and UK garage, and then onto 2000s-shaping genres such as grime and electro, Reynolds documents with authority, insight and infectious enthusiasm the tracks, DJs, producers and promoters that soundtracked a generation. A substantial final section, added for this new Faber edition, brings the book right up to date, covering dubstep's explosive rise to mass popularity and America's recent but ardent embrace of rave. Packed with interviews with participants and charismatic innovators like Derrick May, Goldie and Aphex Twin, Energy Flash is an infinitely entertaining and essential history of dance music.

Grunge, also known as the 'Seattle sound', is the sludgy fusion of punk rock and heavy metal that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the 1980s. But it was the unexpected, seemingly overnight success of Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' in the fall of 1991, that made grunge a household word and launched an American music movement on par with punk and hip-hop.Twenty years later, Mark Yarm captures that era in the words of those at the forefront of the movement (and the music's lesser-known champions). Everybody Loves Our Town will tell the whole story: the founding of originators like Soundgarden and the Melvins, the early successes of Seattle's Sub Pop record label, the rise of powerhouses Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the insane media hype surrounding the grunge explosion, the suicide of Kurt Cobain, and finally, the genre's mid-to-late-'90s decline.

“Everything you need to start confidently working on your own guitars is right here.”Learn how to do great guitar setups time and time again with this easy to follow, step-by-step manual. With expert tips, clear instruction, and over 260 photos, you will gain the understanding of how to fine-tune any guitar to play its best- with measurability and precision! Use the included cut-out tool templates to broaden your skills. Makes an excellent starter book or reference for budding professionals.***Now updated and expanded with additional content including a section on restringing, neck shimming, scale length determination and new images!***Included in the book:An 8-step method for electric, acoustic & bass guitar setupsHow to adjust neck relief (bow) for optimum playabilityHow to adjust string height for your playing style and guitar typeHow to file nut slots, adjust pickup height and set the intonation accuratelyHow to adjust Fender-style tremolo's, Gibson hard-tails, Floyd Rose and other floating bridgesHow to adjust the saddle on your acoustic steel string or nylon string guitarManufacturer's setup specs for Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Jackson, Gretsch and othersExclusive setup specifications from the author's best playing guitars & bassesCut-out templates for radius gauges, under-string radius gauges & an action rulerA handy measurement conversion chart & more!From your friends at learn-guitarsetups.com and the Guitar Setup Pro App. REVIEWSPraise for Jonny Blackwood:“I have related and referred to Jonny’s guidance many times over the years and I can truly say that I wouldn’t have gotten very far without it.” -Daryl Chonka, guitar tech for Randy Bachman (The Guess Who & BTO), recording engineer, recording & performing artist“Everything you need to start confidently working on your own guitars is right here.” -Andrew deGroot, factory certified guitar tech and luthier, Stang Guitars "The importance of a great setup can’t be overstated. This is a perfect guide for those starting out in the craft, and a great general reference to keep around. Jonny lays out all the info needed to setup your guitar like a pro, without any confusing clutter. You’re in great hands."  -Cory Newman, Luthier, C.A. Newman Guitars “Jonny knows his stuff, does great work and is respectful to those of us whose greatest guitar work will be performed in our own minds.” -Scott McKeen, former city councillor of Edmonton and journalist, The Edmonton Journal