Summer music preview
This summer offers a couple of significant "first times since": It's the first time since the recession really hit, causing many to pull their belts taut, and the first since a new administration helped feed a renaissance in socially conscious, multicultural arts. Personal caution meets communal hope in many people's everyday lives now, and it affects our leisure choices along with everything else.
Yet the healing power of organized sound remains the same. All over the Southland, old favorites return and emerging sensations debut. New albums and late-career gems hit the Internet (and those remaining retail outlets). People will gather to dance and to sing along to their favorite artists. No one trend captures the mood of mid-2009, unless it's the bliss of having much from which to choose.
The following is a selection of some of the best bets for music-related entertainment in Southern California prior to Labor Day.
--Ann Powers & Margaret Wappler
Photos: Neko Case, left, Lil Wayne and Wilco. Credits: Jason Creps Getty Images, Associated Press
