Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we’ll dive into the luminaries we’ve lost, Brian Eno’s newest project, and my nightmare blunt rotation. I get to rant and rave about underrated ‘70s singer-songwriter Dory Previn. And in this edition of First Times, Sera Cahoone shares the first song she learned on guitar.

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This Week in Music:

This week has been filled with loss. Singer-songwriter Joe Ely, who was known as a key shaker of the 1970s Texas progressive country scene, passed away at his home in New Mexico on Monday from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s, and pneumonia. On Sunday, it was also announced that ‘70s R&B favorite Carl Carlton, who you might know from his songs “Everlasting Love” and “She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked),” has died. No cause of death has been announced yet. Selena’s father, manager, and record producer, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., died on Saturday at the age of 86. And influential director, actor, and philanthropist Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer, film producer, and businesswoman Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home on Sunday night from an apparent homicide. 

Yo La Tengo paid tribute to Reiner at their second Hanukkah show in NYC Monday night by covering “Gimme Some Money” from the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. “We’re going to salute a Jewish songwriter [whom] we were not expecting to be saluting this Hanukkah,” frontman Ira Kaplan told the audience. “We certainly weren’t expecting to be memorializing him, so we’re going to try to do a song and see how this goes.” 

Together for Palestine—an ensemble featuring Brian Eno, Neneh Cherry, Nadine Shah, Mabel, and Celeste—have released “Lullaby.” Eno stated in a press release: “After a year defined by unimaginable loss, grief, and injustice, we want to end with an act of love for Palestine’s children. ‘Lullaby’ reflects their beauty, their longing, and their hope. If we rally together and download it, we have a real shot at landing Christmas No. 1—and turning that moment into vital life-saving support for Gaza’s families.” All proceeds from the single go to Choose Love’s Together for Palestine Fund, which supports Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Palestine Medical Relief Service.

Feminist punk collective Pussy Riot have been declared an “extremist” organization by Russian authorities. The court not only has banned the group’s activities in Russia, but also threatens to prosecute anyone deemed to be associated with them. This means that even a simple Google search of their name could permit criminal prosecution. Anyway, stream Matriarchy Now!

My nightmare blunt rotation. Bruno Mars, Chad Smith, and Duff McKagan joined Slash on Thursday night for billionaire Todd Boehly’s private holiday party. But wait, it gets worse—the supergroup-from-hell covered Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

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Interview: First Times with Sera Cahoone

COURTESY OF SERA CAHOONE

What was the first CD you bought? 

I believe it was Bonnie Raitt’s Luck of the Draw. I listened nonstop. I think it was at Best Buy of all places. We only had so many options where I grew up. 

What was the first song you sang in front of people?

It was one of my own songs, I think I was 17. I played it for my best friend Heather. I was terrified! 

What was the first song you learned on the guitar? 

“Silent Lucidity” by Queensryche. I recently got to meet Chris DeGarmo, who wrote the song, and share that memory with him. It was super sweet. 

What was the first song that made you cry? 

Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band.” That song still gets me. 

Who was the first musician you idolized? 

Pat Benatar. She was my first concert with my mom. I was so sad to see how many people were there. I thought she would only be singing to me!

What is a song that played at your first school dance? 

Oh wow, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure I would have been in absolute misery if I were at a school dance.

Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

Sera Cahoone with Carrie Biell Dec 18, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+
Yves Tumor (DJ Set) Dec 18, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+
Ben Gibbard Dec 19, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Jay Som Dec 19, Neumos, 8 pm, all ages
Belltown Bloom Presents: Rock Can Roll feat. La Fonda, Semisoft, Kenshi Killz, Dining Dead, Waltzerr, and Carny Dec 20, Sunset Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+
THEM Dec 20, Neumos, 6 pm, all ages
Damien Jurado's December Residency Dec 21, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

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The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“Antídoto” by Colleen

French electronic composer Colleen is one of the few contemporary artists that I follow closely. Throughout her 20+-year-long career, her sound has ranged from abstract and ambient (2023’s Le jour et la nuit du reel) to melodic and lyrical (2016’s The Weighing of the Heart), and although it doesn’t always click with me right away, I’ve learned to trust her genius and drink up everything she produces. This is the case on her newest wordless, minimal synth track, “Antídoto.” I felt underwhelmed at first, but the more I listen to it, the more relaxing and enjoyable it becomes. This seems to mimic the concept of her upcoming album Libres antes del final (Free before the end), which is inspired by learning to swim. 

“Twenty-Mile Zone” by Dory Previn

In the 1970s, poet/singer-songwriter Dory Previn wrote dozens of songs about being wronged by her husband, film composer AndrĂ© Previn, who cheated on her with a young Mia Farrow while she was pregnant. “Twenty-Mile Zone” is a deeply relatable song about a time she got pulled over for screaming in her car. “I wasn’t doing nothin’ / just screaming at the dark / just lettin’ it out.” The only thing she should be getting pulled over for is being criminally underrated. I highly recommend you dive into her discography if you appreciate the poetic lyricism of Leonard Cohen or the witty storytelling of John Prine.  

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