The longtime artistic director for Columbia Records, who first pioneered the usage of original, creative album cover art, died this past weekend. Alex Steinweiss, who also invented the first packaging for long-playing records, is credited with revolutionizing album art by his colleagues: “It was such a simple idea, really, that an image would become attached to a piece of music. When you look at your music collection today on your iPod, you are looking at Alex Steinweiss’s big idea,” said designer Paula Scher. He was 94. more ›

The Morrison Hotel Gallery (Soho loft) has announced their latest upcoming exhibit, opening later this month on July 18th. The installation will explore the history of Columbia Records 30th Street Studio through photographs. The space, which was converted from an Armenian church, is where Dylan recorded Highway 61, Miles made Kind of Blue, and Leonard Bernstein created West Side Story. more ›

Ten years ago today Jeff Buckley drowned while taking an evening swim. Buckley had many ties to this city, first moving here in 1990 (though only staying for seven months at that time). He was back in the spring of 1991 to perform his first show, a tribute concert to his father, Tim Buckley. The event was held at St. Ann's Church on April 26th, 1991, where the singer announced: "This is not a springboard, this is something very personal." more ›

Fact: Thunder Road is the greatest song penned by an American songwriter in the last 30 years. This is an unarguable, unassailable, unquestionable truth. If you don't believe us, check out the giant three-disc reissue of Born to Run that Columbia Records put out last week. Even McSweeney's loves Bruce Springsteen! Check out their list of "Bruce Springsteen Songs, If the Title More Accurately Reflected the Subject Matter:" more ›

Gothamist's Movable Hype 2.0 is tomorrow! It's our birthday as well, so come down to the Knitting Factory (main space) around 8pm tomorrow night and help us enter our terrible two's. more ›

, has yet to be released. For now, their live show, and the lone MP3 on their website, is all the Elkland you can get. more ›

Kevin Canfield hates Pete Yorn in Salon. Well, he hates that Pete Yorn and/or his handlers are fashioning him as an heir to Bruce Springsteen, mainly because Yorn's latest album is pretty bad. But Gothamist finds it interesting that Canfield also fails to mention another possible reason why Yorn is being so heavily promoted - his brother is Hollywood agent, Rick Yorn, aka agent to DiCap and Cameron D, aka the agent Mike Ovitz took a shine to and started AMG with. more ›

. The more recent one, "(Boy) I Need You" has so many elements: more ›