She might be better known today for her flamboyant style, plastic surgery excesses and dumb blond stage persona, but before she became a pop-culture caricature, Dolly Parton was a tremendous singer, under-rated songwriter and country music ambassador to the world.
By the age of 13, Parton had already been signed to a label and appeared at [...]

Last month’s Bon Iver sunrise show at LA’s Hollywood Forever Cemetery was an awe-inspiring and uniquely memorable musical event for the ages, which led us to wonder: how the hell did it happen? Stranger Dance caught up with the cemetery’s Executive Vice President Jay Boileau for the inside scoop on how Justin Vernon ended up [...]

Perhaps most people would not have heard Sarah Siskind’s “Lovin’s For Fools” if Bon Iver had not covered it . . . but if that was the requirement for unleashing such sublime beauty unto the world, then so be it.
Sarah Siskind is currently offering up a free live EP via her website, entitled Live at [...]

I like to think I can string together a serviceable sentence, but seeing Bon Iver early last Sunday morning at LA’s opulent Hollywood Forever cemetery as the rising sun burned through a thick haze of fog after a night long slumber party on the cemetery lawn was a once in a lifetime experience for which [...]

It’s a very special Bon Iver week here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Justin Vernon and crew played the legendary Fillmore this past Tuesday, September 22nd (where he announced the band’s upcoming hiatus, apparently), and tonight, September 24th, they’ll be taking the stage at the newly-renovated Fox Theater.
In celebration of such beautiful music here [...]

Whenever the moon is just right, the Vague Panther picks his favorite MP3s from the web to bring you the “In the Know” series. If you’ve got a tip that might pique his interest email him at vaguepanther(at)strangerdance.com.

Taken by Trees – “Watch the Waves”
“Watch the Waves” is a single off of Taken by Trees’ upcoming [...]

Welcome back to Video Round-Up, where the SD crew picks through the flurry of videos circulating this particular week and posts the highlights.
This week, we remember two late greats: John Hughes (who passed away yesterday, 8.6.09 from a heart attack at the age of 59) and Heath Ledger (who directed a video for Modest Mouse [...]

Yep, it’s time again for the quintessential “so far” list — no music site is complete without one! 2009 is shaping up to be an interesting year, with old favorites and newcomers alike issuing strong releases. In an attempt to make some sense out of everything, our staff got together to vote on our favorites.
We’d [...]

Well, it’s two weeks after the fact and I’m finally able to wrap my head around the musical smorgasbord that was Bonnaroo 2009. 75,000 people descended on Manchester, TN, (population: roughly 9,500 for 361 days of the year), for the festival’s eighth year.
The musical equivalent of Willy Wonka’s world of pure imagination, Bonnaroo once again [...]

Welcome to Video Round-Up, where the SD crew picks through the flurry of videos circulating this particular week and posts the highlights.
This week, we’ve got some excellent visual stimulation from Animal Collective, Cursive, White Denim, Blur, Doves, the Gaslight Anthem, St. Vincent, Frightened Rabbit, the Gossip, Sonic Youth, Fever Ray, Girls, the Dead Weather, Phoenix, [...]