LHB’s Shorties (The Decemberists, The Fiery Furnaces and More)

Colin Meloy of the Decemberists talks to the Chicago Tribune's Turn It Up blog.

“Most rock musicals don’t work because of the music,” he says. “The Broadway musical used to be an art form that was financially viable even on the margins, and there were more people practicing it, more people invested in making it great. Now the musical is a niche that’s only really happening in New York, at least the financially viable stuff, and it’s run by huge corporations catering to tourists. It panders to the lowest common denominator, with schlock music that just gets worse and worse."

Exclaim! interviews Jessica Hopper about her book, The Girls' Guide to Rocking.

Read Hopper's Led Zeppelin-centric Largehearted Boy Book Notes playlist for the book.

NPR talks to the Posies about how bands make money in today's music industry.

Newsweek interviews Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger of the Fiery Furnaces.

The Stranger lists the twelve best songs by Seattle band Throw Me the Statue.

The Quietus discusses what's wrong with the Dirty Projectors and the "hipster mentality" in a tellingly-titled article, "Dirty Projectors & The Curse Of Brooklyn's Hipster Ephemera."

- David Gutowski