Kill Yr Idols

Kill Yr Idols offers a bold and unfiltered perspective on American culture. It dives into the chaos and confusion surrounding us, especially after the pandemic changed how we connect with one another. The reasons behind our current state can be traced back to various institutions—political, artistic, and those that claim to serve the public—and even to the figures we look up to. Music, art, literature, films, and more are significant to everyone, even those who might not actively engage with them. Why should we focus on one thing over another? Just like parents making choices for their kids, institutions and their supporters often dictate what we should value. As the poet wisely noted, “They mess you up, your mum and dad.” This is a call for all of us to feel that frustration. It’s time to challenge the status quo and Kill Yr Idols.

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About Time

1 month ago | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

Ear cleanser to start; saw JACK Quartet play this in a concert Wednesday, and it was the kind of thing I’ve been longing to hear for months, music that thrilled me in every moment, that I wanted to follow wherever it went, and that I was excited to write about when I woke the following morning. I only know a little of Heinz Holliger’s composing and what I do has always been excellent, his String Quartet No. 2 is a true masterpiece of the literature.
Bas(s)ic

1 month ago | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

I don’t make the schedule, that’s set by editors and institutions. So it’s pretty much an accident that I’ve got a flurry of bass-centered writing that’s recently come out:Bandcamp published my guide to the great, great Melvin Gibbs. He was one of the essential anchors on the Downtown scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and still doing great stuff in Harriet Tubman, Body Meπa, and more. He’s also a brilliant guy with deep insights into music making, and he’s writing a book I’m eager to read.
Benefit Friday

2 months ago | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

Bandcamp Fridays will run again this year starting next month, but first up is a Friday event where Bandcamp will send 100% of their proceeds to MusiCares to help out people in the Los Angeles area who lost their homes in the recent fires. There’s several benefit albums being put together quickly, I want to highlight Staying: Leaving Records Air to Artists Impacted by the Los Angeles Wildfires.
Memo From Corporate

2 months ago | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

Here’s a minor clearinghouse to some of my other, more recent writing:The February Brooklyn Rail features my 5,000 word conversation with Thurston Moore. It was a great personal pleasure to talk with him in the moment, and then reading and editing the transcript showed that this is really an excellent interview, with Moore talking about the 20th century avant-garde, politeness in improvising, how to make a scene, and much more.
Lost Labels: Black Saint/Soul Note

Jan 10, 2025 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

When Black Saint/Soul Note records was founded in 1975 by Giacomo Pellicciotti, the old mainstay labels like Columbia and Blue Note were mostly out of the jazz business. ECM was six years old, but other than Keith Jarrett, it barely covered jazz that was happening in America—and even that in a narrow way.
Happy Paolo Conte Day

Jan 6, 2025 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

To all who celebrate, this is Paolo Conte’s 88th birthday. And if you don’t yet celebrate, here’s a good place to start. As humane and romantic as music gets. But some CDs, especially the two great Nonesuch collections, because most of this is NOT streaming. More to come as the year ramps up. Auguri, a tutti. Share
Best Jazz Recordings 2024

Dec 20, 2024 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

There’s likely a tight overlap between the records Nate Chinen and I’ve heard this year—he identified the trend “soft radicalism” ambient improvisation. I’ve heard this too, and I think it’s important to say I have an almost completely opposed reaction to it. This isn’t about liking/not-liking; music is easy to like, but the implications of that music may be problematic.
Best Classical Recordings 2024

Dec 17, 2024 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

The past several years when I’ve made this list, I’ve written about how I don’t understand the classical music recording industry. Why, for example, when there are so many great recordings of the Beethoven Symphonies would any label put money behind producing a new cycle? Other than the star-making machinery (such as it is) that takes a headliner like Yannick Nézet-Séguin and ponies up the money because it thinks it can sell his name, what’s the business point? Is there money to be made?
Slow Dying in the Expensive Seats

Dec 13, 2024 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

(Ed. Note: Best Classical of 2024 was previously promised for December 13, but our writer was preoccupied with this topic and insisted this be published first. Best Classical list will be published December 17, for Beethoven’s birthday.
Best of Bandcamp 2024

Dec 6, 2024 | killyridols.substack.com | George Grella

In a pileup of critical masses, the season of lists starts today, and it’s also the final Bandcamp Friday of the year. This is a twofold gift day, because you can find gifts of music for the ones you care about and all of your purchases go straight to the artists as Bandcamp drops their fees. Of the best-of lists I put together, this is the most personal. As a listener I find the vast bulk of the new music I’m interested in at the site.