Blake Gillespie

Sacramento

Contributor at Freelance

Articles

Pan Amsterdam Turned His Back on Jazz-And Ended Up Finding His Voice

2 weeks ago | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

FEATURES Pan Amsterdam Turned His Back on Jazz—And Ended Up Finding His Voice By Blake Gillespie · May 23, 2025 When Leron Thomas made his debut as Pan Amsterdam with the single “Plus One” in 2018, he began the track by saying, “I’d like to introduce myself, but I don’t think I should.
For Annie & The Caldwells, Music is Family

2 months ago | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

FEATURES For Annie & The Caldwells, Music is Family By Blake Gillespie · March 20, 2025 Growing up, Annie Brown Caldwell was often asked why she wasn’t singing lead more often on songs by her family’s group, Staples Jr. Singers. Her vocal power was never in doubt: Her brothers could belt with soulful, raspy wails, but when Annie channeled Mavis Staples in their rendition of “Somebody Save Me,” she shook the rafters.
The Resurrection of Doseone

Jan 17, 2025 | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

FEATURES The Resurrection of Doseone By Blake Gillespie · January 17, 2025 I. Before he was anything other than in trouble, Doseone was a rapper. When industry peers shunned him, when his work seemed to amount to nothing more than tragedy and heartbreak—his love of hip-hop remained. It remained when he was threatened with beatdowns. It remained through near-death experiences, through the dissolution of his label Anticon, and through the loss of two of his closest friends.
Peanut Butter Wolf Talks New Campus Christy Album & What's Next For Stones Throw

Dec 4, 2024 | grammy.com | Blake Gillespie

Peanut Butter Wolf speaks during SXSW 2023Photo: Renee Dominguez/Getty Images for SXSWAs an artist and label head, DJ/producer Peanut Butter Wolf has a mission in mind: "Keep an open mind to different types of music. Be into groups and songs more than what genre it is."|GRAMMYs/Dec 5, 2024 - 03:10 pmPrivately, Peanut Butter Wolf has always been a singer. It’s just that being the founder of the revered independent label Stones Throw Records is time consuming.
Sanctuary for Sound: How Church of Noise is Helping Independent Artists

Oct 31, 2024 | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

FEATURES Sanctuary for Sound: How Church of Noise is Helping Independent Artists By Blake Gillespie · October 31, 2024 Photos by David Bower Jess joy was ready to give up making music in 2020. The Los Angeles musician had quit her band Moon Honey after 10 years, and the pandemic left her unemployed. She was feeling the way a lot of independent musicians felt during the shutdown—like their artistic ambitions might not recover. Then, she got a text from Greg Saunier of Deerhoof.
With his third solo album, ‘Revelator,’ Elucid carries the torch

Oct 27, 2024 | bkmag.com | Blake Gillespie

It’s the day after Ka died. The Brownsville rapper’s family posted to his Instagram that the 52-year-old artist was gone, unexpectedly. I’m leaning on the fence at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, Queens with Brooklyn rapper Elucid of the group Armand Hammer, whose new solo album “Revelator” has just arrived on Fat Possum. I ask if he had known Ka, a fellow independent rapper who made music that defied mainstream expectation. “I shook his hand maybe twice,” Elucid says.
The Triumphant Second Act of mclusky

Oct 15, 2024 | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

FEATURES The Triumphant Second Act of mclusky By Blake Gillespie · October 15, 2024 Photo by Stuart McKay If pressed to choose a single word that best describes noise rock band mclusky, you might go with the obvious: angry, loud, funny, grumpy, ironic. But ask founding member Andrew “Falco” Falkous and you’ll get an unexpected answer. “It’s joyous,” he says. “It’s silly on one level, but it’s joyous. It stands for all that we are.
Brijean, “Macro”

Jul 15, 2024 | daily.bandcamp.com | Blake Gillespie

ALBUM OF THE DAY Brijean, “Macro” By Blake Gillespie · July 15, 2024 Brijean Los Angeles, California follow &check; following unfollow ... Macro Brijean . / pre-order buy pre-order buy you own this wishlist in wishlist go to album go to track go to album go to track .
Aaron Frazer's New Album Goes Deep

Jun 28, 2024 | spin.com | Blake Gillespie

Aaron Frazer once received instructions during a DJ set at the San Diego hi-fi bar Part-Time Lover to “spin what you love like you’d be listening in your living room.” For Frazer that sounded like downtempo French synthpop from Captain Mustard, the funky bop of Foster Sylvers’ “Misdemeanor,” Marcos Valle’s Brazilian disco, and Toto’s yacht-rock deep-cut “Georgy Porgy.” To his surprise, the set felt like a cohesive mix, even though he’d jumped across multiple genres and continents.
Aaron Frazer’s New Album Goes Deep

Jun 28, 2024 | yahoo.com | Blake Gillespie

Aaron Frazer once received instructions during a DJ set at the San Diego hi-fi bar Part-Time Lover to “spin what you love like you’d be listening in your living room.” For Frazer that sounded like downtempo French synthpop from Captain Mustard, the funky bop of Foster Sylvers’ “Misdemeanor,” Marcos Valle’s Brazilian disco, and Toto’s yacht-rock deep-cut “Georgy Porgy.” To his surprise, the set felt like a cohesive mix, even though he’d jumped across multiple genres and continents.