Erica Eso: One Hundred Years

Erica Eso is the newest “empty bracket, not an alter ego” fronted by New York-based experimental composer and synthesizer player Weston Minissali (previous stints include Cloud Becomes Your Hand and VaVatican; he’s also the co-founder of artist-run label Prom Night Records). Their debut song “One Hundred Years” is tightly controlled weirdness: Minissali’s falsetto voice flits between robotic and human as his synths meow and wail …

The “Happy Birthday Song” is Now Public Domain

The “Happy Birthday Song” is finally joining public domain after a Los Angeles federal judge ruled that nobody actually had exclusive rights to the tune. Warner/Chappell Music had previously demanded royalties whenever the song was used for commercial purposes (netting them around $2 million each year) but, according to the judge, those copyrights only applied to certain arrangements in the original version of the song …

Hamilton the Musical

It’s not just a Broadway show about a revolution—Hamilton is one in itself. Written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also composed the music and lyrics for the Tony Award-winning “In the Heights”), “Hamilton” is a fresh musical rebel: from its multi-racial cast to storytelling through hip-hop, rap, ’90s pop and ballads without losing any of that Broadway theatricality. The life of founding father Alexander …