The newly-discovered “third photo” of Robert Johnson, pictured with Johnny Shines…

Anyone familiar with the storied legacy of the soul-selling Delta bluesman ROBERT JOHNSON—the genre’s most elusive and influential shadow—is aware of just how little is known of his life and the scant photographic evidence of his existence that was left behind when he was murdered at age 27 in 1938. The only two verified and oft-reproduced photos of the musician were discovered in the possession of his half-sister in 1973 and have remained the only known images of the musician until now. In the November 2008 issue of VANITY FAIR, a newly authenticated photo of Johnson standing with fellow bluesman Johnny Shines discovered on eBay in 2005 is presented in a detailed article that is a must read for the dedicated:

“…As he pored over the mass of texts and thumbnail photos that the eBay search engine had pulled up on that day in 2005, one strangely worded listing caught Schein’s eye. It read, “Old Snapshot Blues Guitar B.B. King???” He clicked on the link, then took in the sepia-toned image that opened on his monitor. Two young black men stared back at Schein from what seemed to be another time. They stood against a plain backdrop wearing snazzy suits, hats, and self-conscious smiles. The man on the left held a guitar stiffly against his lean frame. Neither man looked like B. B. King, but as Schein studied the figure with the guitar, noticing in particular the extraordinary length of his fingers and the way his left eye seemed narrower and out of sync with his right, it occurred to him that he had stumbled across something significant and rare… the more convinced he became that it depicted one of the most mysterious and mythologized blues artists produced by the Delta: the guitarist, singer, and songwriter whom Eric Clapton once anointed “the most important blues musician who ever lived.” That’s not B. B. King, Schein said to himself. Because it’s Robert Johnson.”

Click HERE to read the full article…

The only other known photos of Johnson in existence…

“Yo, Z, man, that mix was ill, homie. You gotta play that shit at my inaguration party at the 40/40 Club in January…”

Tonite sees the third and final installment of the political bloodbath that is the presidential debates. In honor of the festivities, we present the special six-part “OBAMA MIX” that DJ Z-TRIP concocted in honor of Chi-Town’s finest. The full DRM-free mix can also be downloaded for free by clicking HERE…

You feeling SOULWAX? Watch the documentary HERE…

Supertouch nerd rock—excepting ladykiller guitarist BRIAN BELL, that is—homies WEEZER are alive and kicking and today dropped the second video off their recent “Red Album” for the brat anthem “Troublemaker.” Highlights include dodgeball matches, the largest air guitar ensemble, and the longest Guitar Hero tour marathon, as well as head nerd RIVERS CUOMO in full cholo and OC “punk” guise. It’s all for the kids, man, god bless em…

REMAINING 2008 WEEZER TOUR DATES:
Oct 9 Portland OR Memorial Coliseum
Oct 10 Vancouver, BC GM Place
Oct 11 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Oct 13 San Jose, CA Events Center
Oct 14 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Oct 17 San Diego, CA Cox Arena
Oct 18 Phoenix, AZ Arizona State Fair
Oct 20 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Oct 21 Dallas, TX Nokia Theater
Oct 23 Houston, TX Reliant Arena
Oct 25 Atlanta, GA Gwinnett Arena

Tour de Lance with fellow hessian Dave Grohl close out the best little music festival in Texas…

Just got back from a very long, lost weekend in Austin at LANCE ARMSTRONG’s epic (and ridiculously underrated) AUSTIN CITY LIMITS FESTIVAL, where 40,000+ revelers gathered for three days of incredible music, beer, and BBQ. With a lineup featuring over 140 bands including ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS, BECK, FOO FIGHTERS, THE BLACK KEYS, NERD, THE MARS VOLTA, SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS, NEKO CASE, MGMT, HOT CHIP, and CSS, performing on multiple stages, the sun-drenched sonic rendezvous was only enhanced by the unparalleled coolness of the mostly Austinite crowd that still appreciates rock ‘n’ roll on a level rarely seen outside of Europe. Highlights of the run included The Mars Volta’s earth-shattering set that nearly broke the sound barrier, Beck’s front-of-stage mid set electronic beatbox breakdown, Jack White shredding eardrums on his copper guitar, and a ragged late-nite session with DAVE GROHL following his epic FOO FIGHTERS festival finale. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Even Germans get the blues—sometimes…

Master painter and self-described “personality portrait” artist SEBASTIAN KRUGER is a force of nature. As a classically trained painter schooled in the tradition of the old masters who just happens to be one of the world’s most incredible caricaturists (and diehard rocker), it wasn’t long before the two modes forever melded. The result is an unmistakably unique fine art style that that the artist has been working to refine—with incredible results—for the better part of two decades now. From his studio deep in the Black Forest of Germany (where little children are cooked and eaten in gingerbread houses), the almost impossibly prolific Krüger has cranked out a massive array of dauntingly articulate portraits of rock stars in recent years including Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, and Jimi Hendrix, to name a few, but so far, the Rolling Stones have provided his greatest inspiration. Reveling in the endless lines and crevices of the now haggard faces of the aging British rock gods, Krüger has created a lengthy series of masterpiece paintings depicting the ragged five that have formed the basis of a two volume book set on the band. Now, turning his brush to the blues legends that birthed the Glimmer Twins, the artist has just put the finishing touches on a new “Blues” series that is simply epic in detail. Paying tribute to some of the genre’s foremost innovators including harp player LITTLE WALTER, and guitarists ROBERT JOHNSON, MUDDY WATERS, BB KING, ALBERT COLLINS, and “The Hook” (aka: JOHN LEE HOOKER), Krüger captures them in all their sweaty glory with a touch totally unique to the master. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

Supertouch’s own EVERLAST drops his new solo album “Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford” today, marking the culmination of almost two years’ worth of heavy-duty studio time. Yeah, the economy might have disintegrated this week but head over to iTunes and buy the record anyway. Believe me, you don’t wanna see the guys E sends out to punish those who jack his tunes…

The music video might be a genre best considered dead and buried but both alt rock pioneers BECK and RADIOHEAD released amazing looking and amazingly different clips this month proving there might still be some life left in the three-minute rock spot after all. As expected Radiohead’s single for “House of Cards,” pushes the technological envelope, enjoying the distinction of being the first music video ever shot using lasers. Employing the incredibly high tech real time 3D scanning technologies of structured light and Lidar laser-enhanced scanners, director James Frost succeeded in creating an incredibly unique & retro-tech looking narrative (click HERE to read an in-depth making of interview). Taking their altruistic regard for fan interaction to the next level, Radiohead have released the video as an open source code file that fans are encouraged to tweek to their hearts’ content. Beck, on the other hand, has created the perfect visual accompaniment to his ‘60s-esque single “Gamma Ray” with a video that perfectly evokes Andy Warhol’s amateur movies and Silver Factory parties circa 1965 New York with a slightly modern touch…

BECK’s “GAMMA RAY”:

RADIOHEAD’s “HOUSE OF CARDS”:

THE MAKING OF “HOUSE OF CARDS”: