We talk a lot about nostalgia, but rarely when it comes to the world of hip hop. Aside from our features on Lord Willin and Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” we have been admittedly lacking in our celebration of legendary releases in hip hop. This morning, however, a headline hit me in the face with all the power the reminder of how old you are possibly can. I knew right away I needed to write something, even if it were only a few lines, because this album was something special to me (even if I was 11 when it came out). Today …
Archive for the ‘Editorials’ Category
EDITORIAL: DMX’s ‘It’s Dark And Hell Is Hot’ Turns 15
May 21st, 2013 
James Shotwell 
Posted in Editorials, Features, News 
Tags: 15 years, 2013, anniversary, Debut, DMX, editorial, hip hop (genre), its dark and hell is hot, Legendary, memory, rap (genre) 
No Comments »
Jeff Hanneman Tribute: His Five Best Solo Writing Credits For Slayer
May 2nd, 2013 Jordan Munson Twenty-two years and eleven studio albums–that’s Jeff Hanneman’s body of work with the almighty Slayer. In that massive body of work, there actually aren’t all that many songs in which Hanneman gets the sole writing credits (being that Slayer are quite good at collaborating and all). The ones in which Hanneman does get the sole writing credits for, however, are pretty excellent. In honor of his recent and unfortunate passing, I’m here to count down my five favorite Hanneman-only Slayer tunes from over the years. You can stream them after the jump.…
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: Jeff Hanneman, metal (genre), RIP jeff hanneman, slayer, thrash metal 1 Comment »
TUBULAR: UTG Has a Pop Music Crush on Betty Who
April 22nd, 2013 James Shotwell The term “throwback sound” is thrown around a lot these days, and more often than not it is used to refer to the big band and/or soul pop era of music. While we will always welcome artists new and old pushing that sound, this young talent with an old school sound is channeling a much different era: The 80s.
Hailing from Australia, Betty Who is a twenty-something pop songstress with enough blog buzz to be considered (at least) Tumblr famous. Her short blonde hair and seemingly endless abundance of joyful personality burst from every second of her debut EP, The …
Posted in Editorials, Features, News, Streams, Unsigned Tags: .mp3, A&R, australia, betty who, feature, music, music video, new artist, pop music, review, somebody loves you, the movement ep, unsigned No Comments »
EDITORIAL: Attempting To Understand Brad Paisley’s “Accidental Racist”
April 9th, 2013 James Shotwell If you have somehow been able to avoid the Twittersphere’s hottest music-related topic of the week, “Accidental Racist” is a new song from country superstar Brad Paisley that also features legendary hip hop artist LL Cool J. The song appears on Paisley’s recently released album and has come into the light since the record’s release for lyrics that many deem to be in poor taste. I usually do not write about country music, but every now and then a song or moment comes along that demands you put thought to text and this, my friends, is one of those songs.…
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: 2013, accidental racist, Brad Paisley, civil war, country music, editorial, equality, LL Cool J, race issues, Racism, review, south No Comments »
Looking Back On The Evil Dead
April 4th, 2013 Justin Proper With the impending release of Evil Dead, a remake of the 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead I thought that now would be a great time to look back on the original and give some background on what made it such a success. This is not so much for the horror buffs (those dudes have already seen The Evil Dead dozens of times) but more for the younger readers or horror impaired that are probably going to get dragged to the remake…
Posted in Editorials, Features, Movies, News Tags: 1981, 2013, ash, ashley j williams, bruce campbell, deadite, evil dead, horror, indie (genre), low budget, remake, sam raimi, the evil dead No Comments »
STAND-UP TUESDAYS: Kristen Schaal
April 2nd, 2013 Angie Frissore Stand-Up Tuesdays is a weekly comedy spotlight written by the wonderfully talented Angie Frissore. Covering both known and unknown comics, Stand-up Tuesdays is your new source for all things funny.
This week, Angie puts a spotlight on Kristen Schaal’s comedy career. If you or your comedy troupe would like to be featured on Stand-Up Tuesdays, please email utgjames@gmail.com.
Kristen Schaal’s brand-new one-hour special debuted last night on Comedy Central, securing her place on my list of comedic legends. Kristen Schaal Live at the Fillmore features the delightfully charming comedian talking about taints, acting out pots and pans plays, …
Posted in Columns, Comedy, Editorials, Features, News, Stand-Up Tuesdays Tags: angie frissore, bobs burgers, comedy, flight of the conchords, Kristen Schaal, stand-up tuesdays 7 Comments »
EDITORIAL: The Kids From Yesterday – An Adieu to My Chemical Romance
March 28th, 2013 Grace Duffy “I hate the ending myself, but it started with an alright scene.”
In many ways, the most difficult thing to grasp about My Chemical Romance’s recent split announcement was the fact that the band had been together for twelve years. Twelve years feels like a lifetime at this age (literally half my life). In pop culture terms, it’s barely a drop in the ocean and yet so much has changed since that grimy five-piece first came together in New Jersey; a reactionary response to the 9/11 attacks and the impact it had on vocalist Gerard Way. It feels like more …
15 Years Later: UTG Reflects On *NSYNC
March 22nd, 2013 James Shotwell We’ve said it before and we’ll probably say it again before the month is out, but nostalgia is the trend to beat in 2013. From albums, to books, movies, and television, people are in love all over again with the things they used to love. This weekend, one of the biggest pop music releases of all time turns fifteen, and try as we might we just could just not bring ourselves to let the occasion pass without a mention.
If you recall, earlier this month we informed you that UTG would only be covering a select number of nostalgic moments …
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: 'N Sync, (God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You, 1, 15 years, anniversary, boy bands, editorial, justin timberlake, memories, Nostalgia, nsync 2 Comments »
UTG LIST: 5 Must-See Artists At SXSW 2013
March 12th, 2013 James Shotwell Every year we do whatever we can to bring the craziness of SXSW to you at home, and this year is no different. Starting today, Editor James Shotwell is hitting the streets of Austin, TX to bring you the very best South By Southwest 2013 has to offer. We will be posting numerous updates and media from the festival throughout the week on the site, but you gain constant access to all the madness by following James on Twitter.
We already told you a bit about how to survive at SXSW, so today I am going to share with …
Posted in Columns, Editorials, Features, News, UTG List Tags: Austin, Chris Carrabba, g-eazy, larry gee, music, must see, south by southwest, SXSW, sxsw 2013, Texas, the body rampant, the wild feathers, twin falls, utg list No Comments »
First impressions: 3oh!3 – ‘Omens’
March 11th, 2013 James Shotwell From time to time we come across posts on smaller sites that we feel are deserving of exposure on a bigger level. Last month we featured Thomas Nasiff’s reaction to Justin Timberlake’s marketing campaign, and today’s post is being reblogged from UTG Editor James Shotwell’s Tumblr. This time around, James recounts his first impressions after listening to an unfinished mix of 3Oh!3′s upcoming album, Omens. Click here to view the original post.
All mentions of Omens are based on a copy of the album that is NOT FINAL. There is 99.9% chance my opinion of the album, as …
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: 3oh3, first impressions, not final, Omens, review 1 Comment » SXSW 2013: A Survival Guide
March 4th, 2013 Josh Hammond In preparation of South By Southwest (SXSW), the music industry’s most epic and grueling music festival, I felt inclined to make a list of advice and suggestions that I wish that someone had told me in 2009, as I headed into the event. So to all of you SXSW rookies out there, read the following:
1. Drink water, not whiskey.
Since SXSW is unlike any other festival in the fact that it is a marathon, not a sprint, pacing yourself is key. With schedules spanning six days and shows popping up from breakfast to bar close, bracing your body is …
Posted in Editorials, Features, News Tags: 2013, Austin, Joshua Hammond, music, must see bands, survival guide, SXSW, sxsw survival, Texas, tips for sxsw No Comments »
FOR THE LOVE OF FILM: VFX vs. Hollywood
February 28th, 2013 Justin Proper Instead of writing my usual column this week I decided to talk about the recent visual effects (VFX) situation that came to a head at the Oscars. I hope you find it informative.
If you watched the Oscars this weekend you may have noticed something that has turned into kind of a scandal. No, not that Seth MacFarlane did exactly what everyone figured he would (people who are upset the maker of Family Guy and Ted told childish and inappropriate jokes are the same people who complain about snow in the winter), instead I mean that Ang Lee’s Life Of …
Posted in Columns, Editorials, Features, For The Love Of Film, Movies, News Tags: ang lee, life of pi, oscars, protest, vfx No Comments »
