bump n.— «In Portland, Ore., employees at an advertising firm can watch indie rock concerts at lunch and play “bump,” an abbreviated form of basketball, every afternoon.» —“Cities Compete in Hipness Battle to Attract...
crate-digging n.— «What it is, however, is a feel-good mash-up of beats, scratching, jazz, swing, rock—and one of the most eclectic collections of vocal samples ever. Compiling these somewhat strange recordings, or crate-digging as it’s...
spank the plank v. phr.— «The rock musicians’ slang for it is “spanking the plank”: that is, playing the guitar, usually energetically and with as much abandon and hairwaving as required.» —“Going against the...
Texican adj.— «We think it’s wonderful that the Rolling Stones, those icons of rock, will be closing the show for Los Lonely Boys, three brothers from San Angelo who have given rock a definite “Texican”—as they call it—accent...
under the bus v. phr.— «In the rock ‘n’ roll business, you are either on the bus or under it. Playing “Feelings” with Eddie and the Condos in a buffet bar in Butte is under the bus. Peter Frampton is under the bus...
sky island n.— «As breezes from the Gulf of Mexico lift over the Chiricahua Mountains, an exceptional amount of rain falls on this desert region, which has bee aptly called a “sky island.” The volcanic soil among the rock and...