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William Ruben Helms

@williamrubenhelms

New York-based music journalist, and photographer. Founder of Joy of Violent Movement (https://www.joyofviolentmovement.com). Music, politics, Yankees, Rangers, and Nets.

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Latest posts by William Ruben Helms @williamrubenhelms

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Photography: I Leave My Mark, Baker Falls 3/4/26 I leave my mark, Baker Falls.

Photography: I Leave My Mark, Baker Falls 3/4/26
@BakerFallsNYC

07.03.2026 23:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Photography: I Leave My Mark, Allen Street 3/4/26 I leave my mark, Allen Street.

Photography: I Leave My Mark, Allen Street 3/4/26

07.03.2026 19:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Ernie Isley! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Ernie Isley's 74th birthday.

Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Ernie Isley! @ErnieIsley @isleybrothers

07.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: GUM Returns with Meditative “In Life” Over the course of his career, JOVM mainstay and acclaimed Aussie singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jay Watson has developed a reputation as one of his homeland’s most prolific and exploratory artists, and as arguably one of the country’s busiest musicians: He currently splits his time between JOVM mainstay acts, Tame Impala, POND and his own project GUM.  Watson recently signed to King Gizz‘s p(doom) records, who will be releasing his self-produced seventh album Blue Gum Way. The album’s title reference Australia’s blue gum eucalyptus trees, while subtly nodding to melancholy, place and atmosphere.  The album, which dropped today follows his 2023 GUM effort Saturnia and his 2024 collaboration with King Gizz’s and The Murlocs‘ Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Ill Times.  The JOVM mainstay’s seventh album marks a deliberate shift in approach. While his previous releases embraced restless experimentation and stylistic left turns, Blue Gum Way finds Watson focusing on a singular mood and sonic identity, allowing atmosphere, emotion and restraint to take center stage.  The nine-song album inhabits a widescreen, jazz-influenced psychedelic soundscape, drawing from Talk Talk, John Martyn and Radiohead. Elegant, patient and quietly melancholy, the album showcases an artist comfortable with vulnerability and clarity of expression, unburdened by the desire to prove anything. Interestingly, the album emerged in complete contrast to his concurrent work with POND and his collaboration with Kenny-Smith, and sees him favoring harmonic density and unhurried ambience over immediacy or roots-driven simplicity.  Written largely in insolation, the album allowed Watson to lean into deeply personal thoughts and emotions. Lyrics, which were one secondary in his creative process, now play a much more central role, exploring anxiety, adaptation and life’s pivotal moments with an impressionistic touch.  Blue Gum Way includes the previously released “Expanding Blue” "Celluloid" and the album's latest single "In Life." "In Life" is a meditative tune featuring atmospheric synths, a supple bass line and arguably some of the most gorgeous and expressive guitar work Watson has recorded to date. And while mediative, it's not sad. But it does carry a wizened sense of "well, what if x instead of y. Where would I be? Who would I be?" “This song is about a fork in the road, a sliding doors moment where your life could have been completely different based on one decision," Watson says. Directed by Sam Eastcott, the accompanying idle for "In Life" features Watson as a stranded man, akin to Castaway in the brush. Desperately trying to survive and to keep himself entertained, he sets up a place to play music. Because I mean, of course.

New Video: GUM Returns with Meditative "In Life" @jay_w_watson @grandstandhq @kinggizzard

07.03.2026 03:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Photography: Food: Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, Champion Pizza 3/4/26 Chicken bacon ranch pizza, Champion Pizza.

Photography: Food: Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, Champion Pizza 3/4/26

07.03.2026 00:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Photography: TAX MAN, Orchard Street 3/3/26 TAX MAN strikes in the Lower East Side.

Photography: TAX MAN, Orchard Street 3/3/26

06.03.2026 22:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 80th Birthday, David Gilmour! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates David Gilmour's 80th birthday.

Throwback: Happy 80th Birthday, David Gilmour! @davidgilmour @pinkfloyd

06.03.2026 19:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Mary Wilson! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd anniversary of the birth of The Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson.

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Mary Wilson!
@MWilsonSupreme @motown

06.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Audio: Tinariwen Shares Uplifting “Amidinim Ehaf Solan” Pioneering Grammy Award-winning, Tuareg musical pioneers and JOVM mainstays Tinariwen recently announced that their tenth studio album Hoggar is slated for a March 13, 2026 release through their own label, Wedge. The album derives itself from the Hoggar mountains, a defiant marker of presence visible for miles and a symbol of a homeland for their displaced people.  Long known for being fierce advocates for their people’s nomadic culture that exists in the desert borderlands between Mail and Algeria, the acclaimed JOVM mainstays bluesy, guitar-driven music has found global acclaim for its blend of dexterous, Western rock-styled guitar work, Tamasheq language-driven political bent, syncopated rhythms and soaring melodies.  More than 45 years into their lengthy and storied career, Hoggar reportedly sees the acclaimed masters of the desert blues returning to the foundations of their sound with the band returning to their early years of songwriting with acoustic guitars and communal singing around the desert campfire. The album also sees the band staking their claim as elders of the Tuareg musical tradition while also proudly passing the torch onto a younger generation of featured musicians, who can continue to keep their culture’s flame of rebellion and defiance alive.  Known for recording amid the windswept expanse of the Central Saharan desert, the acclaimed JOVM mainstays have long drawn inspiration from the rhythms of nature. With political unrest in Mali prompting the band to seek new spaces, the founding members, who are now based in Algeria recorded the album in studio set up by young Tuareg band and mentees Imarhan in Tamanrasset, which continues their legacy of innovation and collaboration.  While previously released albums like 2023’s Amatssou saw Tinariwen collaborating with acclaimed producer Daniel Lanois, on Hoggar the band looked closer to home. Gathering with the local Tuareg musical community for a month, founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and Touhami Ag Alhassane began writing songs fueled by political unrest alongside young artists like Imarhan’s Iyad Moussa Ben Abderrahmane, Hicham Bouhasse  and Haiballah Akhamouk. The band also collaborated with Terekaft‘s Sanou Ag Hamed and Tinariwen co-founder Liya ag Abill, a.k.a. Diarra for the first time in 25 years.  The album also marks some other firsts: The band’s lead vocalist Ibrahim and Abdallah sing together for the first time in over 30 years, breaking their long-held tradition of each songwriting performing only their own compositions. And there’s a guest spot from acclaimed longtime fan José González.  Lyrically, Hoggar explores urgent and timely themes, addressing the social and political challenges facing the Tuareg people and northern Mali. The band continues their long tradition of bearing witness through their work, balancing the joy of their celebrated lie shows with reflections on community struggles, resilience and the need for cultural preservation.  The album will include the previously released “Sagherat Assan,” a gorgeous, soulful rendition of a traditional Sudanese song, and the album’s second and latest single, “Imidiwan Takyadam” feat. acclaimed singer/songwriter and longtime fan Jose Gonzalez, and the album's third single "Amidinim Ehaf Solan." Anchored around the collective's unerring melodicism and gorgeous guitar work, "Amidinim Ehaf Solan" is a comforting message from wizened elders to younger generations that although things seem dire right now for their people, that they still have a homeland to love and protect, and that it's still worth saving. And when things are dire, having something or someone to fight for and save, will keep you going.

New Audio: Tinariwen Shares Uplifting "Amidinim Ehaf Solan" @TINARIWEN @grandstandhq

06.03.2026 03:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: Weird Nightmare Shares Punchy “Pay No Mind” Almost every band that’s worth a damn has had a member, who at some point worked in a record store. With JOVM mainstay acts METZ and Weird Nightmare, it was frontman and creative mastermind Alex Edkins. Slinging indie rock and hardcore records at his hometown record store while attending university, Edkins became an ardent student of rock ‘n’ roll from the psychedelic 1960s to the DIY 1990s and beyond.  Hoopla, Edkins’ sophomore Weird Nightmare album, which is slated for a May 1, 2026 release through Sub Pop globally and Dine Alone Records in Canada, reportedly sees the JOVM mainstay mixing and matching these wide-ranging influences in fun, exhilarating combinations, showcasing his sophisticated musical mind, while continuing to showcase his unerring knack for ridiculously catchy and rousingly anthemic hooks and choruses. Co-produced by Edkins and Spoon‘s Jim Eno at Providence‘s world famous Machines With Magnets, Hoopla also sees the acclaimed Canadian artist expanding upon Weird Nightmare’s musical palette with the addition of piano, bells and castanets, which give his long-held straightforward songwriting a shiny luster.  The album will feature the previously released “Forever Elsewhere,” and the Cheap Trick-like "Might See You There." Hoopla's third and latest single "Pay No Mind" is a punchy, downright punk rock-like take on power pop, anchored around Edkins' unerring knack for ridiculously catchy hooks and big riffs paired with what may arguably be his most socially aware, thoughtful lyrics of his growing catalog. “We had a blast making this video with director Ryan Faist," the Weird Nightmare creative mastermind says,. "It was a nod to the Elvis Costello and the Attractions 'Pump it Up' video and some early footage of the Buzzcocks on cable access TV.  “The lyric was lifted from an Atlantic City tourism t-shirt. 'I’m so broke, I can’t even pay attention' struck me as a particularly accurate comment on modern life. Obviously, the shirt is meant to be funny, but it felt quite dark to me. Due to the overwhelming onslaught of information and emotional baggage that comes with it, I think there is a tendency for people’s lives to become quite myopic. As a coping mechanism, we become more and more insular, ignoring the world around us."

New Video: Weird Nightmare Shares Punchy "Pay No Mind" @weird_nightmare @METZtheband @subpop @subpoplicity @dinealonemusic

05.03.2026 23:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 56th Birthday, John Frusciante! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist John Frusciante's 56th birthday.

Throwback: Happy 56th Birthday, John Frusciante! @johnfrusciante @ChiliPeppers

05.03.2026 19:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

sounds like he deserves that.

05.03.2026 16:34 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Teena Marie! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 70th anniversary of the birth of Teena Marie.

Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Teena Marie! @MsTeenaMarie

05.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: A Place to Bury Strangers Returns with Pulsing “Acid Rain” New York-based JOVM mainstays  A Place to Bury Strangers — currently Oliver Ackermann (vocals, guitar), John Fedowitz (bass) and Sandra Fedowitz (drums) — will be releasing a rarities album, Rare and Deadly through Dedstrange on April 3, 2026.  Following 2024’s Synthesizer, Rare and Deadly sees the band cracking open a decade-long vault of raw nerve and sonic chaos. Spanning 2015-2025, this collection of demos, B-sides, abandoned experiments and forgotten fragments reveals the band at their most unfiltered, frequently caught between breakthrough ideas and beautiful mistakes.  Pulled from Oliver Ackermann’s personal archive of late-night recordings, blown-out tapes and half-finished sessions, the collection’s tracks pulse with the unruly energy that ATPBS has long been known for, but more dangerous with more jagged edges — on purpose.  Countless bands have opened up their vaults to fans and others, but Rare and Deadly is truly unprecedented: Every format is different — and as a result, tells a different story. The CD, cassette, vinyl and digital editions each feature their own unique track listing. No single version features the “complete” album. Instead, each format is its own window into Ackermann’s archive, revealing alternate paths, missing links and parallel “what if” versions of the band’s inner life. It’s deliberately unstable with the album shifting depending on how you choose to hear it, mirroring the chaos of its creation.  Across the collection’s tracks, you can hear the evolution of Ackermann’s restlessly creative mind. Some pieces feel like prototypes for future chaos, seeds that later bloomed on studio albums. Others are dead ends — ideas too volatile, too strange or too personal to ever fit the frame of a proper release. The tracks feature riffs mutated by malfunctioning pedals, songs born from gear pushed past its limits, or delicate melodies overwhelmed by towering walls of feedback.  Rare and Deadly will include the previously released, tense and menacing "Everyone's The Same," and the album's second and latest single, "Acid Rain." "Acid Rain" is a frustrated howl of a song, anchored around a relentlessly breakneck, motorik pulse, buzzing guitars, wild bursts of scorching feedback paired with Ackermann's vocals, which are also fed through effects pedals. "Acid Rain" was informed by the first Trump presidency. “Cruelty felt not just normalized, but weaponized. Watching people in power openly coerce others into silence, compliance, and violence was horrifying, and still is," APTBS' Oliver Ackermann explains. "What shook me most was how casual it all felt, how easily people turned their heads while others were being crushed.” “The chanting at the beginning was recorded during the George Floyd protests in Manhattan and Brooklyn, real voices, real streets, real fear mixed with hope," Ackermann adds. "For a moment, it felt like maybe people would finally wake up and refuse this racist machinery. But here we are, still watching detention centers, modern slavery, and countless other atrocities continue under different names. ‘Acid Rain’ is rage, grief, and disbelief all colliding at once, the sound of watching history repeat itself while knowing exactly how wrong it is.” Directed by Gerson Vargas, the accompanying video was shot on January 16, 2026. The video follows the band as they get on the last car of a Manhattan-bound M train at Marcy Avenue, turning the subway car into a moving stage for a raucous live rendition of "Acid Rain" during the length of the Williamsburg Bridge into the Lower East Side. The guerilla-styled footage wasn't scripted. There's no script. And as a result, it perfectly captures the relentless pulse of the song and the city.

New Video: A Place to Bury Strangers Returns with Pulsing "Acid Rain" @APTBS @dedstrange @pitchperfectpr

05.03.2026 03:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: Hush Returns with Shimmering and Woozy “Phasing” Montréal-based trio Hush — Paige Barlow (vocals) and multi-instrumentalists Miles Dupire-Gagnon and Gabriel Lambert — are part of a new wave of Montréal-based acts actively reshaping psych pop. And each member is an accomplished member of the local scene, with the band featuring members of Hippie Houraah, Elephant Stone, Anemone, and The Besnard Lakes. Citing an eclectic array of influences that includes Broadcast, The Velvet Underground, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Steve Lacy, Cocteau Twins and Ariel Pink, the Montréal-based psych pop trio create a sound that’s simultaneously nostalgic and forward-looking. Their music lives in the blurred light of perception — half memory, half hallucination — and is an invitation to lose yourself inside of their hall of mirrors-like dream world.  Late last year, I wrote about the Canadian trio's debut single, the Bibi Club-like "The Mirrors Were Right," which also serves as the first single from their full-length debut, slated for a 2026 release through Simone Records. Their debut album's second and latest single, album opener "Phasing" is a shimmering and ethereal blend of 60s psych pop, trip-hop and dream pop with Barlow's radiant delivery darting and dancing around the dreamy accompanying arrangement and production. The song thematically explores the uneasy ebb, shift and flow of feeling and perception, at points questioning the reciprocity and durability of our relationships with a seemingly lived-in quality. Conceived by the band's Paige Barlow and Aabid Youssef further emphasizes the song's woozy and mind-bending blur: We see blurry images of local scenes projected both behind and in front of the band. The band also blurs in and out throughout.

New Video: Hush Returns with Shimmering and Woozy "Phasing" @RaisonMedia @SimoneRecords @thepressuredrop

04.03.2026 23:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 63rd Birthday, Jason Newsted! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Jason Newsted's 63rd birthday.

Throwback: Happy 63rd Birthday, Jason Newsted!

04.03.2026 19:00 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Bobby Womack! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd anniversary of the birth of Bobby Womack,

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Bobby Womack! @RealBobbyWomack

04.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: TOMORA Shares Euphoric “SOMEWHERE ELSE” TOMORA is a new collaborative project featuring: The Chemical Brothers‘ Tom Rowlands: As one-half of The Chemical Brothers, Rowlands has produced and recorded six widely acclaimed UK #1 albums and won six Grammy Awards. Norwegian artist AURORA: AURORA has released four studio albums and has quickly become one of Norway’s most influential and globally recognized contemporary artists. Her single “Runaway” has amassed over one-billion Spotify streams to date. TOMORA builds upon a creative relationship that can be traced to the recording sessions for The Chemical Brothers’ 2019 album No Geography. AURORA contributed vocals to three tracks, including “Eve of Destruction.” Rowlands then went on to contribute to AURORA’s 2024 effort, What Happened to the Heart?, which landed on the UK Top 10. Initially, speculation was rife as to who — or what — the then-mysterious TOMORA was or could be, after the name appeared on Coachella’s 2026 Festival lineup post without any additional information last year. Last December, the duo released their debut single “Ring The Alarm,” which received praise from Spin, BrooklynVegan, Stereogum and DJ Mag. “Ring The Alarm” also received DJ support from Erol Alkan, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U and a long list of others. The duo’s TOMORA debut single was then released on a very limited and collectible white label vinyl, alongside B-side “The Thing,” which showcase a glimpse of the tender and hauntingly beautiful downtempo tracks that will appear on the duo’s full-length debut, COME CLOSER. Slated for an April 17, 2026 release through Capitol Records, COME CLOSER was written and produced jointly by Rowlands and AURORA. The 12-song album sees the duo pairing the Norwegian artist’s distinctive vocal with the acclaimed British producer’s unparalleled studio expertise. While the album sees the duo creating their own unique space, somewhere they can produce the kind of magic that comes from flicking through a perfect record collection, flowing from wigged-out 1960s psychedelia to the hyper-futurism of sounds imagined for the 2060s.  Ultimately though, the album is less about two separate and distinct artists finding a fertile middle ground and more the sound of two tenacious individuals connecting in the studio and hitting massive creative peaks together.  “This is our album COME CLOSER, it is everything we dreamt of. We made it without obligation or expectation, just a joy in creation,” the duo says. “It’s the sound where we meet, the landing zone of our musical escape pods. It is a special place to us. We hope you dig it as much as we do.” Last month, I wrote about album the hauntingly mesmerizing album title track "COME CLOSER." Building upon the attention and momentum of the album's previously released singles, COME CLOSER's latest single begins with AURORA's otherworldly and ethereal melody and pairs it with a blissed out, relentlessly driving, hyper-futuristic production. The result is a song that sounds as though it could have been beamed from a futuristic interplanetary civilization in the year 4239 while simultaneously intimate, yearning and rousingly anthemic. “’SOMEWHERE ELSE’ is one of the first songs we ever wrote, as TOMORA. And it opened up a big door for us, into our world," AURORA says. Tom Rowland adds, “Ever since AURORA sang that melody to me it’s been running around my head brightening my day. We played an early version of the song at Glastonbury Festival and it felt like magic. Now we get to share it, it’s a total joy.” Continuing their ongoing collaboration with Adam Smith and S T A R T !, the accompanying video for “SOMEWHERE ELSE" begins with AURORA waking up under the pier of a beach, not quite sure how she got there with one shoe missing. The rest of the video we see the Norwegian artist on an afternoon at the amusement park, wandering through a town and other adventures, potentially tripping and/or appearing like a humanoid alien trying to figure out human life.

New Video: TOMORA Shares Euphoric "SOMEWHERE ELSE" @TOMORAofficial @AURORAmusic @ChemBros @capitolrecords @capitolmusic @UMG

04.03.2026 03:00 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: BRDN Shares Woozy and Brooding “Unparalleled” German electronic outfit BRDN (pronounced as "burden") has quickly established a sound that sees them pair powerful synth structures with smooth vocal sequences and driving rhythms. Their work takes listeners to the more brooding side of introspection with his work thematically touching upon self-doubt and the desperate search for purpose. The result is a fever dream, ripe for interpretation and analysis. The German outfit's sophomore EP Maybe in another life is slated for release in June. The EP's first single, "Unparalleled" is an eerily minimalist tune, featuring glistening synths and skittering beats serving as an uneasy and brooding bed for BRDN's yearning delivery. Sonically, recalling The Ways We Separate and Escapements-era Beacon, "Unparalleled," conveys a woozy sense of regret-fueled self-doubt. Shot at dusk and at night, the accompanying video follows two lonely souls, full of brooding self-doubt and regret.

New Video: BRDN Shares Woozy and Brooding "Unparalleled" @HeyGroover @romainpalmieri @DorianPerron

03.03.2026 23:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 60th Birthday, Tone Lōc! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates Tone Lōc's 60th birthday.

Throwback: Happy 60th Birthday, Tone Lōc! @RapperToneLoc

03.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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News: La Noce de Coquelicot ANnounces 2026 First Wave Lineup @lanocesaguenay @VilledeSaguenay @RaisonMedia @thepressuredrop

https://joyofviolentmovement.com/news-la-noce-de-coquelicot-announces-2026-first-wave-lineup/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

03.03.2026 03:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Lou Reed! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 84th anniversary of Lou Reed's birth.

Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Lou Reed! @LouReed

02.03.2026 17:00 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 76th Birthday, Karen Carpenter! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 76th anniversary of the birth of Karen Carpenter.

Throwback: Happy 76th Birthday, Karen Carpenter!

02.03.2026 14:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
New Video: Fantôme Paradis Shares CInematic “Ámes sœurs” Fantôme Paradis is the synth wave/darkwave recording projecting of a mysterious and emerging French producer. The mysterious French producer's latest single "Âmes sœurs" features glistening synth arpeggios, tweeter and woofer rattling thump as a lush bed for a yearning, female French vocal. Sonically nodding at a synthesis of The Weeknd and John Carpenter soundtracks, "Âmes sœurs" according to the mysterious French producer explores a relationship in crisis, caught in an uneasy conflict between devotion and hatred.

New Video: Fantôme Paradis Shares CInematic "Ámes sœurs" @HeyGroover @romainpalmieri @DorianPerron

02.03.2026 03:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 99th Birthday, Harry Belafonte! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates the 99th anniversary of the birth of Harry Belafonte.

Throwback: Happy 99th Birthday, Harry Belafonte! @harrybelafonte

01.03.2026 18:00 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Roger Daltrey! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates The Who frontman Roger Daltrey's 82nd birthday.

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Roger Daltrey! @TheWho

01.03.2026 15:00 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Photography: Horses, Horses, Horses, Horses . . . Night Club 101 2/27/26 Photography: Horses, Horses, Horses, Horses . . . Night Club 101 2/27/26

Photography: Horses, Horses, Horses, Horses . . . Night Club 101 2/27/26

01.03.2026 03:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Announcements: Shoutouts to Patreon Patrons, Creatives Rebuild New York and Asian Arts Initiative Last year, I announced that JOVM had to go on a forced, indefinite hiatus. But for a significant portion of the year, before the hiatus, I could barely financially manage to keep the site going. At one point, over a decade of music, arts and culture coverage were lost in the ether — for a little while.  So, as you can imagine, I had to figure out what I could do and what was next for JOVM. But thankfully, through some luck and the support of a friend, who will remain anonymous upon request, for their generosity and support, JOVM’s return would have been impossible. Thank you! There are also a list of other folks that I must thank for their support.  The Patreon Patrons, who have supported me through over the course of the past few years: Sash Alice Northover Bella Fox Jenny MacRostie Janene Otten  Also I have to thank the following for their donations:  Melanie Rodriguez  Kitty  I must thank my pal and colleague Adam Bernard for chatting with me about JOVM and the site’s hiatus. You can check out the interview, in which I talk about how important it is to support independent journalists here: https://adambernard.blogspot.com/2025/09/saving-one-mans-movement-convo-with.html I have to thank the helpful, hardworking and dedicated folks at Creatives Rebuild New York. I’m proud, gratified and humbled to have been included in their 18-month Guaranteed Income for Artists program. Understandably, being included was also deeply vindicating. Someone out there thought my work — this very work! — was worth supporting financially. Obviously, the funds from it have managed to keep this labor of love going during one of the most uncertain periods in recent human history, while lessening some of the normal financial pressures of being an American artist, creator and journalist.  I also found out about Asian Arts Initiative’s Sound Type Workshop through Creatives Rebuild New York. So, I just can’t thank those folks enough. And I’ll forever be in their debt.  I must thank the folks at the Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia for selecting me for the Sound Type Music Writer Workshop. Being a part of the inaugural cohort was an honor.  I also have to thank my man John Morrison, Philly’s preeminent music journalist for the support and encouragement.  Now, I must remind y’all, that The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.  To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.  I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.  If you’re willing and able to support more regularly, please feel free to check out my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement.  Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.  I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.  You can follow me on the following social platforms: X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent  Instagram: @william_ruben_helms Threads: @william_ruben_helms Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.

Announcements: Shoutouts to Patreon Patrons, Creatives Rebuild New York and Asian Arts Initiative @NYCPhotoUES @JaneneSings11 @patreon @ArtsCRNY

28.02.2026 23:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Black History Month: James Brown JOVM's William Ruben Helms' annual posting of James Brown's "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" in Zaire -- for Black History Month.

Throwback: Black History Month: James Brown @JamesBrownMusic

28.02.2026 19:30 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Throwback: Happy 69th Birthday, Cindy Wilson! JOVM's William Ruben Helms celebrates The B-52s co-founder Cindy Wilson's 69th birthday.

Throwback: Happy 69th Birthday, Cindy Wilson! @CindyWilsonATH @TheB52s

28.02.2026 16:30 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0