COPPER

A PS Audio Publication

Issue 118 • Free Online Magazine

Issue 118 Opening Salvo

Issue 118

Issue 118

I recently got a fortune cookie that said, “Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together.” Whaaaat? I’ve read fortunes that were uplifting, meaningless, silly or even depressing, but never anything like that. I just figured it was something that got lost in translation or the product of a very stoned fortune cookie writer.

Then I Googled it and was amazed to see that it’s a 1939 quote by Anaïs Nin. I think, as music lovers, we know the feeling – total immersion to the point where you feel like your body doesn’t exist and you are at one with the music.

Staff news: our beloved Larry Schenbeck will be taking a short sabbatical. He’s in this issue but is going to lay out for a bit to relax and recharge, and will be back sometime in October.

In this issue: 118 has something of an interview focus with Tom Methans’ piece on punk label Snubbed Records’ Ron Saccoccio, John Seetoo’s conversation with Quilter Amps/QSC Audio founder Pat Quilter, and my interviews with sublime songstress Rumer and Steve Rowell of retailer Audio Classics. Larry Schenbeck speaks of symphonies and social movements. Tom Gibbs reviews new releases from Jaga Jazzist, Washed Out, Deep Purple, Isobel Campbell and Aubrie Sellers. Ken Sander relives the Peace Parade and a Superstar production.

Anne E. Johnson goes from making noise about Sonic Youth to waxing poetic about Schumann’s Dichterliebe. WL Woodward tells us about The Music Lesson, bassist Victor L. Wooten’s remarkable book. J.I. Agnew ponders self-released album psychodrama. Jay Jay French goes for the absolute sound without spending absolutely head-spinning money. John Seetoo launches a series on unusual artist collaborations and cameos. Ray Chelstowski tosses a Rolling Stone Hail Mary pass. We conclude the issue with getting Mirandized, listening to insensitive speakers, and busking for fun and profit.

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#227 Seth Lewis Gets in the Groove With Take a Look Around: a Tribute to the Meters by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Passport to Sound: May Anwar’s Audio Learning Experience for Young People by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Conjectures on Cosmic Consciousness by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Big Takeover Turns 45 by Wayne Robins Feb 02, 2026 #227 Music and Chocolate: On the Sensory Connection by Joe Caplan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Singer/Songwriter Chris Berardo: Getting Wilder All the Time by Ray Chelstowski Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Earliest Stars of Country Music, Part One by Jeff Weiner Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part Two by Rudy Radelic Feb 02, 2026 #227 How to Play in a Rock Band, 20: On the Road With Blood, Sweat & Tears’ Guitarist Gabe Cummins by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 From The Audiophile’s Guide: Audio Specs and Measuring by Paul McGowan Feb 02, 2026 #227 Our Brain is Always Listening by Peter Trübner Feb 02, 2026 #227 PS Audio in the News by PS Audio Staff Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Listening Chair: Sleek Style and Sound From the Luxman L3 by Howard Kneller Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society Celebrates Its 32nd Anniversary, Honoring David and Sheryl Lee Wilson and Bernie Grundman by Harris Fogel Feb 02, 2026 #227 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 26: Half Full – Not Half Empty, Redux by Ken Kessler Feb 02, 2026 #227 That's What Puzzles Us... by Frank Doris Feb 02, 2026 #227 Record-Breaking by Peter Xeni Feb 02, 2026 #227 The Long and Winding Road by B. Jan Montana Feb 02, 2026 #226 JJ Murphy’s Sleep Paralysis is a Genre-Bending Musical Journey Through Jazz, Fusion and More by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Stewardship by Consent by B. Jan Montana Jan 05, 2026 #226 Food, Music, and Sensory Experience: An Interview With Professor Jonathan Zearfoss of the Culinary Institute of America by Joe Caplan Jan 05, 2026 #226 Studio Confidential: A Who’s Who of Recording Engineers Tell Their Stories by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Pilot Radio is Reborn, 50 Years Later: Talking With CEO Barak Epstein by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 The Vinyl Beat Goes Down to Tijuana (By Way of Los Angeles), Part One by Rudy Radelic Jan 05, 2026 #226 Capital Audiofest 2025: Must-See Stereo, Part Two by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel and Tyler Ramsey Collaborate on Their Acoustic Guitar Album, Celestun by Ray Chelstowski Jan 05, 2026 #226 The People Who Make Audio Happen: CanJam SoCal 2025, Part Two by Harris Fogel Jan 05, 2026 #226 How to Play in a Rock Band, 19: Touring Can Make You Crazy, Part One by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Linda Ronstadt Goes Bigger by Wayne Robins Jan 05, 2026 #226 From The Audiophile’s Guide: Active Room Correction and Digital Signal Processing by Paul McGowan Jan 05, 2026 #226 PS Audio in the News by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Back to My Reel-to-Reel Roots, Part 25: Half-Full, Not Empty by Ken Kessler Jan 05, 2026 #226 Happy New Year! by Frank Doris Jan 05, 2026 #226 Turn It Down! by Peter Xeni Jan 05, 2026 #226 Ghost Riders by James Schrimpf Jan 05, 2026 #226 A Factory Tour of Audio Manufacturer German Physiks by Markus "Marsu" Manthey Jan 04, 2026 #225 Capital Audiofest 2025: Must-See Stereo, Part One by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 Otis Taylor and the Electrics Delivers a Powerful Set of Hypnotic Modern Blues by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 A Christmas Miracle by B. Jan Montana Dec 01, 2025 #225 T.H.E. Show New York 2025, Part Two: Plenty to See, Hear, and Enjoy by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 Underappreciated Artists, Part One: Martin Briley by Rich Isaacs Dec 01, 2025 #225 Rock and Roll is Here to Stay by Wayne Robins Dec 01, 2025 #225 A Lifetime of Holiday Record (and CD) Listening by Rudy Radelic Dec 01, 2025 #225 Little Feat: Not Saying Goodbye, Not Yet by Ray Chelstowski Dec 01, 2025 #225 How to Play in a Rock Band, Part 18: Dealing With Burnout by Frank Doris Dec 01, 2025 #225 The People Who Make Audio Happen: CanJam SoCal 2025 by Harris Fogel Dec 01, 2025 #225 Chicago’s Sonic Sanctuaries: Four Hi‑Fi Listening Bars Channeling the Jazz‑Kissa Spirit by Olivier Meunier-Plante Dec 01, 2025

Issue 118

Issue 118

I recently got a fortune cookie that said, “Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together.” Whaaaat? I’ve read fortunes that were uplifting, meaningless, silly or even depressing, but never anything like that. I just figured it was something that got lost in translation or the product of a very stoned fortune cookie writer.

Then I Googled it and was amazed to see that it’s a 1939 quote by Anaïs Nin. I think, as music lovers, we know the feeling – total immersion to the point where you feel like your body doesn’t exist and you are at one with the music.

Staff news: our beloved Larry Schenbeck will be taking a short sabbatical. He’s in this issue but is going to lay out for a bit to relax and recharge, and will be back sometime in October.

In this issue: 118 has something of an interview focus with Tom Methans’ piece on punk label Snubbed Records’ Ron Saccoccio, John Seetoo’s conversation with Quilter Amps/QSC Audio founder Pat Quilter, and my interviews with sublime songstress Rumer and Steve Rowell of retailer Audio Classics. Larry Schenbeck speaks of symphonies and social movements. Tom Gibbs reviews new releases from Jaga Jazzist, Washed Out, Deep Purple, Isobel Campbell and Aubrie Sellers. Ken Sander relives the Peace Parade and a Superstar production.

Anne E. Johnson goes from making noise about Sonic Youth to waxing poetic about Schumann’s Dichterliebe. WL Woodward tells us about The Music Lesson, bassist Victor L. Wooten’s remarkable book. J.I. Agnew ponders self-released album psychodrama. Jay Jay French goes for the absolute sound without spending absolutely head-spinning money. John Seetoo launches a series on unusual artist collaborations and cameos. Ray Chelstowski tosses a Rolling Stone Hail Mary pass. We conclude the issue with getting Mirandized, listening to insensitive speakers, and busking for fun and profit.

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