Talmage Garn: Music Writer & Radio Journalist
About Me
I’m a music writer and radio journalist covering hip-hop, indie rock, and music history. I manage digital content for Utah’s 92.5 The Beat (U92slc) and X96, reporting on releases, tours, and the culture surrounding them. My writing dives into sampling, all sub-genres, and cultural and historical connections.
A graduate of Portland State University with a degree in Professional Writing, I also produce music under the alias LBOWDEEP. If you’ve got a story to tell or beats to compare, tap the contact button below — I’m all ears.
Hip-Hop & R&B Articles
From Memphis rap and Stax soul to the latest chart‑toppers, this section dives into the beats, samples and stories that drive hip‑hop and R&B. Expect history, features and cultural deep‑dives into the genre’s most influential artists and movements.
Rap’s Triple Crown: Classic Album Runs
Cam’ron’s Trilogy: Hustle, Humor, Haze
Why “B.O.B.” by OutKast Feels Futuristic
Why 10/17 Belongs to Gucci Mane - 92.5 The Beat
On October 17, 2023, the City of Atlanta formally declared the date as Gucci Mane Day. The Atlanta City Council presented rapper Radric “Gucci Mane” Davis with an official proclamation during his album release concert for Breath of Fresh Air.
The honor recognized Gucci’s influence on music, business, and Atlanta’s cultural identity. Fans had long associated the number “1017” with the rapper, but the city’s recognition turned it into an official observance. October 17 has since become a day for f...
The honor recognized Gucci’s influence on music, business, and Atlanta’s cultural identity. Fans had long associated the number “1017” with the rapper, but the city’s recognition turned it into an official observance. October 17 has since become a day for f...
Discovering Flo Milli: Rap’s Rising Star
Flo Milli is an American rapper and songwriter from Mobile, Alabama. She burst onto the hip-hop scene with her distinctive voice, witty lyrics, and infectious energy, and quickly established herself as a rising star in the rap game.
Raised in a musical family, Flo Milli started writing rhymes at the tender age of nine. Inspired by artists like Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim, she began recording music and performing at local events. Her perseverance paid off when her song “Beef FloMix” went viral on so...
Raised in a musical family, Flo Milli started writing rhymes at the tender age of nine. Inspired by artists like Nicki Minaj and Lil’ Kim, she began recording music and performing at local events. Her perseverance paid off when her song “Beef FloMix” went viral on so...
Nas’ Masterpiece: The ‘Illmatic’ Story
Nas’ debut album, Illmatic, released on April 19, 1994, is not merely an album; it’s a cornerstone of hip-hop culture. With its vivid storytelling, intricate lyricism, and stellar production, Illmatic has etched its name into the annals of music history as one of the greatest albums ever produced. In this comprehensive blog post, we’ll explore the multifaceted layers of Illmatic, delving into its creation, themes, and the indelible mark it has left on the music industry. Today is the 30th annive...
Janelle Monáe and Prince | Symbiotic
The album Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe has a tangible connection to the legendary Prince. As highlighted by Pitchfork, Monáe disclosed that Prince was an active participant in the album’s creation. As such, Prince proved instrumental in developing the sounds and even worked on the album with her before his untimely departure.
This collaboration between Janelle Monáe and Prince is particularly evident in Monáe’s single “Make Me Feel,” which bears a distinct resemblance to Prince’s signature st...
This collaboration between Janelle Monáe and Prince is particularly evident in Monáe’s single “Make Me Feel,” which bears a distinct resemblance to Prince’s signature st...
Remembering D’Angelo: Groove, Grit, Gospel - 92.5 The Beat
D’Angelo, the singer who reshaped soul music for a new century, died on October 14, 2025, at fifty-one. His passing marked the loss of one of modern music’s most elusive prophets, a man who could make rhythm feel human and holiness sound physical.
When he appeared in the video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, time seemed to hesitate. The camera lingered, the light pulsed, and D’Angelo—bare, breathing, unguarded—became something mythic. The world saw a sex symbol. He had been trying to show a s...
When he appeared in the video for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, time seemed to hesitate. The camera lingered, the light pulsed, and D’Angelo—bare, breathing, unguarded—became something mythic. The world saw a sex symbol. He had been trying to show a s...
Sippin’ on Soul: How Willie Hutch Fueled Three 6 Mafia
The link between Willie Hutch and Three 6 Mafia might not seem obvious at first, but their connection runs deep through the art of sampling. The Memphis rap legends have long drawn inspiration from the smooth, cinematic soul of Hutch, a Motown veteran known for his work on The Mack soundtrack.
Despite Memphis’ deep-rooted ties to Stax Records, Three 6 Mafia frequently reached for Detroit’s Motown sound to craft their hard-hitting beats. This guide breaks down the Willie Hutch samples found in Th...
Despite Memphis’ deep-rooted ties to Stax Records, Three 6 Mafia frequently reached for Detroit’s Motown sound to craft their hard-hitting beats. This guide breaks down the Willie Hutch samples found in Th...
Alternative & Indie Rock Articles
Here we explore the alternative and indie rock landscape—from the raw energy of ’90s icons like Pavement and Nirvana to the dance‑punk grooves of LCD Soundsystem and beyond. These stories connect the genre’s past with its present, highlighting the artists and scenes that keep rock evolving.
Needle Me This: Vinyl’s Spinning Story
In the 1960s and 1970s, vinyl records were virtually synonymous with recorded music in the United States. Vinyl was the dominant format—consumers bought 45 RPM singles for hit songs and 33⅓ RPM LPs for full albums, with turntables serving as the centerpiece of home entertainment. During this golden era, vinyl sales hit all-time highs. In the late 1970s, U.S. vinyl record sales exceeded 500 million units per year. For example, 1978 marked a peak: sales of vinyl albums and EPs generated about $2.5...
Why Daydream Nation Still Matters 36 Years Later - X96
It began with an open chord that sounded like a machine remembering how to feel. On October 18, 1988, Sonic Youth released Daydream Nation, a double album that blurred the line between art and accident. It wasn’t a crossover or a rebellion so much as a reprogramming. Noise became language. Feedback became faith.
Three decades later, its static still hums through the DNA of rock, indie, and experimental music alike. You can hear its influence in bedroom producers and festival headliners, in sh...
Three decades later, its static still hums through the DNA of rock, indie, and experimental music alike. You can hear its influence in bedroom producers and festival headliners, in sh...
Katie Schecter’s New Song Pulls No Punches - X96
Nashville’s Katie Schecter returns with “Hide My Weapons,” a raw and personal new single from her upcoming album Empress. Co-written with her husband Nick Bockrath (lead guitarist of Cage the Elephant), it’s a track that doesn’t hold back—and it’s out now, with the full album out October 17.
“Hide My Weapons” was born in the middle of a moment. The song began as an instrumental from Bockrath, but during a lovers’ quarrel, Schecter jumped in, penning the melody and lyrics off the cuff. “It’s auto...
“Hide My Weapons” was born in the middle of a moment. The song began as an instrumental from Bockrath, but during a lovers’ quarrel, Schecter jumped in, penning the melody and lyrics off the cuff. “It’s auto...
How ‘In Utero’ Challenged & Still Went Platinum - X96
On September 21, 1993, In Utero arrived in U.S. stores. It was Nirvana’s third and final studio album, and a pointed rebuke to the very stardom their 1991 album Nevermind had delivered. If Nevermind was the band’s gateway to global recognition, In Utero was an attempt to slam that gate shut behind them.
Nirvana recorded In Utero in just two weeks at Pachyderm Studio in rural Minnesota. The sessions were engineered by Steve Albini, known for his raw, hands-off production style. Albini used analog...
Nirvana recorded In Utero in just two weeks at Pachyderm Studio in rural Minnesota. The sessions were engineered by Steve Albini, known for his raw, hands-off production style. Albini used analog...
Why Kid A Still Sounds Like the Future - X96
Did Radiohead gaslight an entire generation, or invite them to build a new one?
October 2, 2000. Out of the digital murk and mail-order fog, Kid A arrived, no single, no video, no warning. Just a scrambled signal beamed in from nowhere and now-here. It topped the Billboard charts without trying to. It rejected the entire idea of “hits” and became a cult so contagious that even the industry had to take note.
After OK Computer, the world expected a sequel. What it got instead was the sound of a ha...
October 2, 2000. Out of the digital murk and mail-order fog, Kid A arrived, no single, no video, no warning. Just a scrambled signal beamed in from nowhere and now-here. It topped the Billboard charts without trying to. It rejected the entire idea of “hits” and became a cult so contagious that even the industry had to take note.
After OK Computer, the world expected a sequel. What it got instead was the sound of a ha...
What Really Happened to Jimi Hendrix on September 18?
Jimi Hendrix spent his final night, September 17–18, 1970, at the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill with Monika Dannemann. She later told investigators that Hendrix had taken nine Vesparax sleeping tablets, a dose designed for half a pill. She found him unresponsive around 11:18 a.m. Paramedics transported him to St Mary Abbot’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:45 p.m.
A post-mortem confirmed that Hendrix had asphyxiated on his own vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates. He was 27 y...
A post-mortem confirmed that Hendrix had asphyxiated on his own vomit while intoxicated with barbiturates. He was 27 y...
The Secret Samples Behind Alt-Rock Classics - X96
Sampling is the art of taking fragments of existing recordings and reworking them into something new. It became one of the driving forces of hip hop in the early 1980s, but it didn’t stay there for long. Soon, the same approach started showing up in alternative rock, changing the way bands wrote songs and built their sound.
In this post, we’ll explore how that happened, starting with New Order’s experiments in the early eighties and ending with Radiohead’s bold reinvention of the idea around the...
In this post, we’ll explore how that happened, starting with New Order’s experiments in the early eighties and ending with Radiohead’s bold reinvention of the idea around the...
Why the LP Killed the 78—and Made Albums Matter
On June 21, 1948, Columbia Records unveiled a revolution in audio: the Long-Playing (LP) microgroove record at a press conference held in a suite of New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Columbia’s president, Edward “Ted” Wallerstein, accompanied by CBS Labs engineer Dr. Peter Goldmark, introduced a 12-inch vinyl disc spinning at 33⅓ RPM that could play for over 20 minutes per side. This was a dramatic leap from the roughly 4-minute limit of the old 78 RPM shellac records.
In a demonstration, report...
In a demonstration, report...
Waiting Room… No More: Fugazi Streams at Last
Fugazi has announced that, starting this month, they will be releasing a selection of their archival concert recordings on Bandcamp and various streaming services. The post-hardcore luminaries are releasing the first two installments, recordings of their first-ever show on September 3, 1987, and their final performance to date on November 4, 2002, this Friday (May 2). More live concert tapes will be uploaded each month through the end of 2025.
So, what set Fugazi apart? It wasn’t just blistering...
So, what set Fugazi apart? It wasn’t just blistering...
Pixies Albums Ranked | Rocking the Alternative Universe | Listen Now - X96
Pixies, an iconic alternative rock band, emerged onto the music scene in the late 1980s and quickly became known for their unique sound and influential contributions to the genre. With a fusion of punk, indie rock, and surf rock elements, Pixies created a distinctive musical style that captivated audiences and inspired countless artists. With the upcoming Pixies concert in mind, Join us as we list the Pixies albums ranked (the first four albums and one EP) and explore their lasting impact on the...