|
| Rock Legends and a Little Rain Fill Memphis in May* |
| : |
By Landin King
2008.5
Welcome to the home of the blues and the annual Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival. Offering a first-rate soaking of rain and some encouraging tornado warnings, this three-day festival got off to a wild, wet, and wonderful start.
With a wide array of acts, no set demographic of people comes out for The Beale Street Music Festival. Bands from every decade bring a different group of people day and night to the different stages in this beautiful park. This festival plays an important enough role in Memphis culture that people who don’t even know the music participate in ... Read More
|
|
| Review: All about the Cape—Ghostland Observatory Haunts Mezzanine, S.F., 4/17* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2008.4
I gave up my clubbing days a while back, owing to the fact that I was rapidly and inevitably approaching the dreaded Three-Ought, and was therefore no longer allowed to do any “real” partying. So, as I ventured into the claustrophobic confines of San Francisco’s Mezzanine on April 17th, milking a watered-down vodka tonic, I was more than a little self-conscious about the state of my rapidly-decaying youth.
I discovered quickly, though, that very little about nightclubs had changed in my absence. Garish red lights flashing everywhere? Check. Trippy anime projected a... Read More
|
|
| Book Review:‘Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time’ by Rob Sheffield* |
| : |
By Jennifer B. Kaufman
2008.04
Just what is love? Philosophers, poets and song writers have been asking that question since the beginning of time. To music journalist Rob Sheffield, love is a mix tape. The author has chronicled the cross section of music and love in his newest book called Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.
Long before people downloaded music into iPods or burned a CD filled with their favorite music, they made mix tapes. Mix tapes were very personal. Not only did they reveal some of our favorite songs, they also revealed our hopes, desires and thoughts.... Read More
|
|
| Launching Music Lovers: Langerado Festival Follow-up and Photo Album* |
| : |
By Landin King (words) and Jonathan Marx (photos)
2008.4
With springtime, sunshine, the Lollapalooza lineup announcement, and the Coachella festival a few days away, we all know that Festival Season 2008 has kicked off again. But the season’s serious genesis came last month, even before the fabled SXSW shindig down in Texas.
A Spring Break tradition for the last few years, Langerado officially launched music lovers into the lively mood to jam—with 15,000 in pursuit of aural bliss. Florida’s claim to fame in the festival world, the 2008 lineup featured such artist as R.E.M., The Beastie Boys, ... Read More
|
|
| Review: REMinding Us of Greatness—Accelerated Parables of the Deconstruction* |
| : |
By Andrew William Smith, Editor
2008.2
Michael Stipe is no stranger to singing about the end of the world, but for the last few years, these testaments tended towards contemplative elegies rather than shake, rattle, and rolling with energy. With the release of the band’s fourteenth studio album Accelerate, R.E.M has finally silenced the naysayers who had prematurely predicted the end of his band’s career. Taking tips from The Edge, the band hired producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, The Editors, Snow Patrol) to return to the ferocious familiarity of guitar-driven, fist-waving po... Read More
|
|
| Book Review: 'Perfect From Now On: How Indie Music Saved My Life' by John Sellers* |
| : |
By Jennifer B. Kaufman
2008.04
I have to admit I held a few reservations when I picked up music journalist John Sellers' musical memoir Perfect From Now On: How Indie Music Saved My Life. I was afraid Sellers would be one of those hipster douchebag types bragging about eschewing mainstream pop for bands so obscure that even they don't realize they exist. I was afraid Sellers would be a dry, humorless music fan who looks down his nose at those of us who watch American Idol or own a Madonna CD. But after reading Perfect From Now On, I realize that I had nothing to fear.
Sellers... Read More
|
|
| Review: Easter Weekend ‘Explodes’ in San Francisco, March 22, 2008* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2008.03
You’ve gotta hand it to Explosions in the Sky; they can never be accused of taking the easy way out with first impressions. Any band that decides to put a word as bombastic as “explosions” in their name has some mighty big coffers to fill every time they hit the stage.
Fortunately the Austin, Texas quartet is more than capable of backing up their moniker, a fact they proved ably with an awe-inspiring collection of fireworks at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on March 22nd.
Saturday’s gig – the last in a stint of three sold-out shows at the H... Read More
|
|
| Review: REM Rock Unafraid at the Langerado Festival* |
| : |
By Landin King (words) and Jonathan Marx (images)
2008.3
As he entered stage center to a hail of screams from a marvelous crowd, Michael Stipe declared, “Children of Langaredo count with me!” He proudly sported a bright green t-shirt bearing the single word “Obama” in bold black letters.
After orchestrating a sound-starved crowd of 15,000 in a countdown backwards from ten, R.E.M. launched into their opening track, “What’s The Frequency Kenneth.” Throughout the song, Stipe posed for numerous photos, stretching out his shirt to make sure his Barack support was crystal clear.
Belting... Read More
|
|
| Review: Deerhoof Unveil Latest Incarnation at the Phoenix, February 23, 2008* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2008.03
Drum heads were pulverized while guitars screeched out eerie, minimal melodies that sometimes seemed not to fit together. A petite Japanese woman with a tambourine on her head was singing about swans, while a guy in the audience below danced and wielded an open umbrella like a deranged Gene Kelly. And everywhere people were lounging on couches or perched atop skate ramps, chanting “Hoof! Hoof! Hoof!” at the top of their lungs.
Sounds like something out of a David Lynch movie, doesn’t it?
[url]http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762keeper-2.jp... Read More
|
|
| DVD Review: Rocking Across the Inspired and Intoxicated Universe* |
| : |
By Andrew William Smith, Editor
2008.2
Visually intoxicating and emotionally inspired, Julie Taymor’s Across The Universe redefines the rock musical as she retells the story of the 1960s counterculture by reinterpreting classic songs from the Beatles catalog.
Mixing a sappy love story with an incendiary political situation and painting it all with an epic brush across a wildly-costumed, brilliantly-choreographed, and polychromatic palette, ambitious auteur Taymor has achieved the artistically impossible, constructing prophetic nostalgia and seamless narrative in the form of a feature-len... Read More
|
|
| Politics/Pop Culture/Current Events: Barack and Roll* |
| : |
By Andrew William Smith, Editor
2008.2
The lights went dark. A song began to fill the room. Even though the music was prerecorded and being piped through the PA system, it conjured the emotions of the opening song at a rock and roll show. Of course, I knew the song poignantly and painfully well. “City of Blinding Lights” by U2 crammed the airspace and coddled the crowd. Yes, the people went wild as though at a rock show while an idealistic young politician from Illinois took the stage.
The comparisons between Senator Barack Obama and energetic rock stars like Bruce Springsteen and Bono have a... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Mars Volta Usher In “Bedlam” for 2008* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2008.01
The Mars Volta rang in the New Year by – of all things – going acoustic.
During a self-organized bash at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, lead guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and rhythm guitarist Paul Hinojos sat down for an intimate forty-minute set that included songs both old (“Televators,” from their debut LP) and new (an as-yet untitled song still in development). It was an unprecedented treat for longtime fans, but also a reminder that the band is capable of some truly impressive melodies, when it wants to be.
... Read More
|
|
| Review: Better Than Retro: Vancouver’s Black Mountain Keeps the Faith Underground* |
| : |
By Andrew William Smith, Editor
2008.1
Born in 2004, Vancouver’s Black Mountain brings something special to the rock landscape. From early efforts that turned people like Chris Martin and Wayne Coyne into serious fans, the band earns its status as a collective of psychedelic superheroes. Like the self-titled debut that instantly invoked comparisons to Black Sabbath, the feverish follow-up plums the depths of rock’s timeless recipe for skin-tingling religiosity, dishing out equal doses of heartfelt insurrection, hefty imagination, and heady intoxication.
Kicking open with the rugged sludge of “St... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Editors Rock and Redeem in Nashville* |
| : |
By Shaun Rainone
2008.1
Coming to Tennessee from across the pond, the Editors took Nashville by storm on an early January night. Watching with wide open eyes, I discovered this band in a new context.
On the second North American tour to support the strong, sophomore sleeper CD of 2007 An End Has A Start, the band proved worthy to claim this new era of well-articulated rock anthems. In this, the band is both blessed and cursed to follow some rather large footsteps. With a strong live performance, all of the comparisons and influences came alive, from U2 to Interpol to Joy Division to Depec... Read More
|
|
| Review: Sia Soothes A Mad World* |
| : |
By Justin Powell
2008.01
Slow and soulful, Sia’s Some People Have Real Problems is an album set in the clouds. Sia’s voice is needy and gentle. It is longing and beautiful. Along with the soothing beat of the drums and piano, you are taken somewhere magical. Vocals soar and a new love begins. This album is meant to calm one’s world. Some People Have Real Problems isn’t impressive or epic. It is just right. Modern female solo vocalists could only dream of making such a solid record. Every note is just right and the mood is something you will find yourself always going back to. This ... Read More
|
|
| Review: ‘American Gothic’: The Lighter Side of Smashing Pumpkins* |
| : |
By Justin Powell
2008.01
American Gothic answers the question of what constitutes the Smashing Pumpkins. That answer is Billy Corgan. Corgan is a master songwriter that lets the Pumpkin’s sound flow out of his guitar playing and melodies. That is never truer than on Gothic. The whole EP gels together and is the one of the most cohesive EPs one will ever find. The whole album feels like a little walk or trip. It rarely rocks or changes its tempo but that’s what makes it so effective. The steady pace creates a crystallized feel that is uncommon for Pumpkins records. Most of the band... Read More
|
|
| Review: Flaming Lips Get Ready to Totally Freak Out!* |
| : |
By Cassie Traun, Words and Images
2008.01
The Flaming Lips are renowned for putting on what is not only a concert, but a spectacle—an event not to be missed. Though all Lips shows are amazing, it was well-known that the New Year’s Eve concert in their hometown of Oklahoma City was going to be something special, and the band without a doubt delivered on the crowd’s expectations.
Also from Oklahoma City, Dennis Coyne— nephew of Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne—opened the night’s festivities as lead singer of Stardeath and White Dwarfs. Combining heavy, experimental, prog-influenced ins... Read More
|
|
| Variety Is the Spice of Life – Your Editors Weigh in on 2007’s Best Music* |
| : |
By Andy Smith and Kimberly Egolf, Editors
2007.12
Ah, 2007. How quickly you came and went. And how much good music you managed to deliver along the way. In the wide world, 2007 saw bands and companies employing new means to deliver music, while ways to listen to that music practically overwhelmed the marketplace. 2007 saw reunions by some of music’s biggest artists (Do we deserve Zeppelin and Verve in the same year?!) and reissues of many classic albums we’ve loved. Podcasts exposed us to an increasing number of new artists, many of whom hit the ground running with some of the year’s best discs... Read More
|
|
| Review: everybodyfields Exude the Future of Alt-country* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.12
Most rock critics know that name-checking comparisons are a cheap way to convey something much deeper, but when newer artists need a fuller following, such suggestive references can often lead the potential fan like a horse to the trough of holy water.
So, imagine if you will, Ryan Adams fronting a folk outfit with Gillian Welch or a hillbilly Nick Drake nailing some tracks with alt-country matron Nanci Griffith. Dealing in the delicate dance of yin and yang like Alison Krauss and Robert Plant do on the recent Raising Sand, melodic beauty and misty-eyed bal... Read More
|
|
| Review: Walkmen Make Tuesday Night a Bit Less Sleepy* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2007.11
Weeknight concerts are only for the brave.
After weathering a full day of work, migrating sixty miles from wine country to San Francisco, and enduring a marathon parking nightmare outside of tiny residential venue The Independent (okay, my friend Chris drove – fair’s fair), I was more than ready to curl up with a nice fat pillow and saw logs by the time New York indie rockers The Walkmen hit the stage. Judging by the near catatonic shuffle/sway that infected the rest of the audience, I was not alone.
Must’ve just been a slow night for the city, though, beca... Read More
|
|
| Review: Bazan Brings It To Nashville* |
| : |
By Landin King
2007.11
Since the formation of Pedro the Lion in 1995, David Bazan has been an influential member of the “indie-rock” musical community. Even though Pedro disbanded in 2006, the band developed a huge fan base throughout their 11-year run. On a Monday night in November, his solo tour brought him back to Nashville.
According to Jim Fairchild of opening act All Smiles: “There’s no radder place to be than chilling with Mr. Bazan in a mini van and playing tunes with him all night.”
As a side project, Bazan released a self-titled electronic album under th... Read More
|
|
| Review: Do You Voodoo? Rage, Pumpkins, and MIA Do!* |
| : |
By Jonathan Marx and David Pennington
2007.11
With that old travelin’ jones again and sleep deprived after 11 hours of highway hypnosis, we finally arrived fashionably in the city of New Orleans for the Voodoo Experience at City Park. This year’s line up featured a plethora of musicians spanning from the biggest political rock band ever to the newest stars from the UK. That’s right, we saw Rage Against The Machine(RATM), MIA, Mute Math, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Black Crowes, and Wilco, to name a few.
On day one, New Orleans’ own Galactic set the curve for the rest of the weekend, d... Read More
|
|
| Review: “Cardinal Powers Activate”: Ryan Adams Lands His Mothership in Nashville* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.10
The wickedly talented and wildly unpredictable Ryan Adams landed his mothership in Nashville on a rainy night in late October. The anxious faithful waited in the misty grey, nervously sucking down nicotine. Why were we worried? Because this was a Ryan Adams show, and we’d spent money and traveled great distances to check out a concert that based on the record could turn out to be an ecstatic delight or an excruciating disaster.
But Ryan Adams apparently loves Nashville as much as Nashville loves Ryan Adams, and we were treated to more than two hours of fan-plea... Read More
|
|
| Roundup: From Wakarusa to Mulberry Mountain, a Summer Festival Retrospective* |
| : |
By Jonathan Marx
2007.10
Does anyone out there ever wonder how we made it this far? To this day, artists of all kinds have found some incredible ways of spreading their messages, and my favorite has to be the music! Musicians today ooze with classic roots steming from Johnny Cash to Alice Cooper, and B.B. King to Pink Floyd. These days, music fans feed off of catchy beats mixed with bluegrass, spacey voices with shredding guitar riffs, and true substance in lyrical meaning.
The summer of 2007 began with moving from my temporary home in Philadelphia. Afterwards, catching one last... Read More
|
|
| Review: Crown of Love: Arcade Fire Turn in Kingly Performance at Shoreline, Sept. 21* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2007.09
The reigning darlings of indie rock are indie no more.
It became official on September 21st, when Arcade Fire took their electrifying anthems to the most commercial of settings - the gargantuan Shoreline Ampitheatre in Mountain View, California – and filled it with 15,000 souls’ worth of irony-free singing and fist-pumping.
Going in, it all seemed so wrong: Arcade Fire playing in a shed? With assigned seating? The whole set-up seemed to go against the intimacy and idealism fans have come to love about the Canadian ten-piece. Would the band be in... Read More
|
|
| Review: ‘All thriller, no filler’: Jamie T Debuts in Boston, September 12, 2007* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Editor
2007.09
“We’ve been in Boston for two days now, and we fuckin’ love it!” announced Jamie Treays to the September 12th crowd assembled at Boston’s Great Scott.
Sporting an upturned Red Sox cap atop a mop of messy hair, Jamie T – Treays’ stage moniker –flashed a lopsided and mischievous smile before literally launching himself into his first song.
Propelled by the heavy bass beat of album track “Pacemaker,” Jamie leapt off the stage and into the midst of the expectant audience. Heavily-accented and half-intelligible lyrics spilled from his mouth as h... Read More
|
|
| Review: Emmy Rossum: From the Big Screen to the Music Studio* |
| : |
By Matthew Anderson
2007.09
Once upon a time it was something of a joke for an actor or actress to have enough hubris to actually go into the music studio and record an album. Things only got worse when the album was given the light of day, sometimes to an unintentionally legendary effect. Anybody care for a spin of William Shatner’s The Transformed Man?
I didn’t think so.
Well, now it’s more common for artists to seek crossover appeal and making the leap from TV to the big screen or from movies to pop music doesn’t carry quite the same skepticism it did in the days of yore.
R... Read More
|
|
| Review: Peter Bjorn and John Love Boston’s 'Young Folks,' September 7, 2007* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Editor
2007.09
Peter Bjorn and John are back in the United States for their second tour this year, and they want you to whistle along with them.
In late 2006, three Swedish men under the clever moniker Peter Bjorn and John took US radio stations by storm with that song… you know, that whimsical little song with the bongo drums and the whistling. “Young Folks” is the big single that catches you, but, as Boston concert-goers quickly discovered last Friday, there is much, much more to the trio.
The crowd of hipsters sporting skinny jeans slung low on their hips,... Read More
|
|
| Review: Connect Festival, Inverary Castle, Scotland - Day 3: Sunday, Sept. 2nd* |
| : |
By Kenneth Maclellan
2007.09
'I haven't played up here often, but you guys are always a great crowd. I guess that's cause you don't get much sunshine, huh?' While there is unquestionably a truth in what SEASICK STEVE said from the main stage, Sunday at this year's Connect Festival proved to be an occasion where that bottle of sunblock justified its inclusion in the backpack. Yes, even before PATRICK WOLF's lunchtime set, the clouds had dispersed and the hot, yellowy one joined the party.
And just as the sun lit up the sky, so 'Seasick' Steve Wold illuminated the main stage with t... Read More
|
|
| Review: Connect Festival, Inverary Castle, Scotland - Day 2: Saturday, Sept. 1st* |
| : |
By Kenneth Maclellan
2007.09
Waking up and noticing that the outside of your tent has gotten all glistening and pearly from overnight rain isn't good. When that observation is followed by the thought that you don't possess any Wellington boots, it’s even worse. Yet there were a staggering amount of people at Connect who began day two of the inaugural Inverary event in this way - myself included I must admit - making you wonder if the Welly vendors made more money than some of the acts performing on the stages.
The need for good quality rubber boots was not exclusive to the festivalgoers. But w... Read More
|
|
| Review: S.F. Captivated by Frames – Great American Music Hall, Sept. 5, 2007* |
| : |
by Luke Pimentel
2007.09
Things have changed a lot for The Frames since their lead singer became a movie star.
Though Frames-buffs might remember Glen Hansard’s turn as guitarist Outspan in Alan Parker’s terrific 1991 film The Commitments, it’s safe to say he is not generally known for his acting chops. So last year, when the charismatic redhead accepted the lead role in a little indie musical called Once – under the direction of former Frames bassist John Carney - he probably was not expecting it to be a skeleton key for breaking the U.S. market.
Of course, t... Read More
|
|
| Review: Connect Festival, Inverary Castle, Scotland - Day 1: Friday, Aug. 31st, 2007* |
| : |
By Kenneth Maclellan
2007.09
It’s not often you get to spend the weekend at the home of the Duke of Argyll in the company of Bjork and The Jesus & Mary Chain, but this was the unique selling point of Connect, Scotland's newest music festival.
Indeed, like grey hairs on the head of a twenty-something, new music festivals have continued to sprout up without invitation in Scotland's summer calendar in recent years. Undoubtedly, there is a demand for more events of this type, best evidenced by tickets to the country's main music festival T in the Park becoming as hard to come by as those you... Read More
|
|
| Review: Whiskey on a Tuesday: Drunken Lullabies with Flogging Molly, Aug. 21, 2007* |
| : |
by Luke Pimentel
2007.09
In spite of their seemingly ubiquitous presence on the festival circuit these days, most fans would argue the only real way to see Irish folk/punk rockers Flogging Molly is within the confines of a sweaty nightclub, surrounded by several hundred drunken revelers singing their lungs and stomachs into oblivion.
Northern California fans got to see just that on August 21st, when the seven-piece band made a brief pit stop from the Vans Warped Tour to play a rowdy headlining gig at The Catalyst, in the small coastal town of Santa Cruz.
“It’s a Tuesday night. Normally on Tuesday nights, I’m playin’ Bingo,” lead singer Dave King joked, t... Read More
|
|
| Review: Cabin’s I Was Here is Heartfelt, Haunting, and Heavy on Hooks* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.08
Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, the rock-pop quartet called Cabin has inspired all kinds of top-shelf comparisons and accompanying acclaim.
The grumpier critic could cry “We hardly need another band with sweet sounding epic anthems to elicit more comparisons to Coldplay and Keane.” Put another way: The gruff cynic in all of us might moan for more grits without so much syrup. But frankly, why be so gruff and grumpy? With Noah Hewett-Ball’s soaring singing and Sarah Welder’s fruitful fiddle, listeners will want to be soothed and seduced.
After listenin... Read More
|
|
| Review: Bad Case of Stripes: Jack and Meg Haunt Alabama’s Sloss Furnaces* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.08
Whoever conjured the notion that Alabama’s Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham would provide a weirdly wonderful venue for a rock show surely shares a lowdown logic of rustic ambiance with Jack and Meg White. The allegedly haunted site of the former blast furnace feels more like the abandoned post-industrial ruins of Detroit than a southern museum devoted to chronicling industrial progress; thus, it’s an alarmingly perfect place for a White Stripes show.
Being a general admission show, the kids line-up for hours before the gates open just ... Read More
|
|
| Review: Dancing in the Dust: Dispatches from the Sixth Annual Bonnaroo* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor and Allan Aguilar, Guest Writer
2007.07
The timeliness of this report has slipped into what we hope will be timelessness. If any rock festival’s lingering memories should resist fading too fast, Bonnaroo’s should.
As one colleague put it to me in an email, “If you’re gonna be hung over from something, be hung over from 'roo.” For this editor, the recovery was more than mental and spiritual but brutally physical. Four days of bruises, blisters, and blood were also four days of sun, sin, and sonic over-saturation—and worth every minute of pain and... Read More
|
|
| Movie Review: Michael Moore’s ‘Sicko’* |
| : |
By Jennifer B. Kaufman
2007.07
Two years ago I was mugged and beaten close to my home. I was just out of school, working a crappy temp job and woefully uninsured. But being a victim of a violent crime did have an upside. All my related medical bills were covered by a special Wisconsin program that pays the medical expenses of victims of violent crimes. I never had to worry about adding crushing medical bills to my student loan debt.
Now it’s two years later and I have a good job. I also have health insurance. If I get sick, suffer an injury or, heaven forbid, become a victim of another violent c... Read More
|
|
| Book Review: ‘AC/DC: Maximum Rock and Roll’ by Murray Engleheart & Arnaud Durieux* |
| : |
By Jonathan Swartz
2007.07
The rock band AC/DC has been touring and making music around the world for over thirty years. They are responsible for one of the most successful albums of all time, Back in Black, as well as Highway to Hell and many others. The band is cherished and beloved by their fans around the world, and ridiculed by social conservatives for their controversial lyrics. Murray Engleheart and Arnaud Durieux’s new book AC/DC: Maximum Rock and Roll is a very appealing and thought provoking chronicle of AC/DC, starting from their humble beginnings in Aus... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Redwalls, The Wall to Wall Sessions EP* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Editor
2007.06
Stir together a tablespoon each of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, and Fats Domino, add a dash of Etta James, and flavor to taste with Bob Dylan. Presto, you’ve whipped up your very own Redwalls.
For over half of their young lives, this Chicago-based band has been remaking the great music they love. Though they never got the chance to see these acts in their heyday, the band has spent its first two albums (Universal Blues and De Nova) cha... Read More
|
|
| Review: Nelly Furtado Gets “Loose” in Denver, Colorado, June 15, 2007* |
| : |
By Matt Anderson
2007.06
Nelly Furtado is hot. That’s a given. But she’s even hotter when she straps on her white jumbo acoustic guitar. She’s hotter yet when it’s her white electric guitar. But then she also steps behind the drums and provides back up to her own lead drummer. En fuego.
It’s always a pleasure to see this multi-talented artist do her thing. After bursting onto the scene back in 2000 with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and her first single, “I’m Like a Bird,” Nelly has carved out a niche for herself and there’s every reason to believe that nich... Read More
|
|
| Preview: Eleven picks to take us to Bonnaroo heaven* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.06
While the best thing about Bonnaroo for some may be the addition of the seven dollar showers in general camping, most will agree that it’s the line-up’s potential for pure levitation. The only bad thing about the ‘roo—besides the heat—is that you can never see all the shows you want, no matter how hard you try. Here are eleven shows I sure hope to catch, although when I write again on this site next week, it may be a very different itinerary I share. For more detailed dispatches from Manchester and digressions of a cultural variety, consider reading my... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Best Come Out for Boston’s WFNX/Phoenix Best Music Poll 2007* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Editor
2007.06
Bloc Party and Bang Camaro steal the show as fourteen bands play on Boston’s famous Lansdowne Street.
After three days of rain and a couple of Red Sox losses to arch-nemesis the New York Yankees, Bostonians were notably pessimistic as a cloudy and chilly Wednesday, June 6th dawned over the city. Yet midday, as roadies and sponsors prepared for the WFNX/Phoenix Best Music Poll 2007, fate smiled as the sun came out over Fenway Park and neighboring Lansdowne Street.
For each of the past nineteen years, listeners of Boston’s WFNX radio station and reader... Read More
|
|
| Preview: With Festival Season Simmering, Summer Turns to High* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.6
Next week, UK native Raiph Mellor will attend his first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee (http://www.bonnaroo.com/). Besides working as a volunteer, he can’t wait to see Tool, The Police, The Flaming Lips, and many more.
Although not a festival aficionado like some of his traveling companions, when hearing of the potential mudbath if Manchester gets too much rain, he vividly recalls his first rock festival—the Longest Day festival at Milton Keynes Bowl in 1985. Although seeing U2, REM, the Ramones, and Bi... Read More
|
|
| Review: Arcade Fire Preaches to Its North American Choir for the Last Time This Tour* |
| : |
By Luke Pimentel
2007.06
The word amongst the faithful these days is that Arcade Fire have saved rock. While there is ample evidence of this in their critically-lauded studio recordings, much of the hyperbole surrounding their importance stems from their amazing live shows, which are quite unlike anything else on the planet.
Naysayers—those sour folk who would dismiss the band as bombastic and overly-romanticized—were clearly not in attendance at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre on June 2nd, where the band put to rest their triumphant North American tour with a thunderous ... Read More
|
|
| Review: It’s their show: Kings of Leon rock Asheville* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor and Jonathan Marx, Phographer
2007.05
Like prodigal renegades armed with loud guitars, gifted voices, and gritty lyrics, they emerged from the back of a barn and rambled into the weeds of a music industry in perpetual identity crisis.
The ferocious Followill brothers are worth following, a fast rising flame that has blazed a straight shot from the backwoods of Tennessee to front and center, on tour and on the stage of sold-out clubs in America, and by the end of the year, their first arena tour of the UK. On the first Saturday in June, the tour in sup... Read More
|
|
| Review: Jet “Shine On” in Boston* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Editor
2007.05
“Hello Boston!” wailed Nic Cester with characteristic rock ‘n’ roll aplomb as Jet took the stage of Boston’s Avalon Ballroom on Thursday, May 10th.
Hoisting beer-holding fists high into the air, the enthusiastic crowd cheered as Cester strapped on his electric guitar and mounted the massive bank of speakers at stage left. Towering over the crowd, Cester wielded his guitar like a weapon, finally breaking the anticipation with an ear-splitting feedback howl that launched the band into their set. A five-song opening salvo seamlessly blended rock an... Read More
|
|
| Review: We’re Wide Awake, It’s Evening: Bright Eyes Brings Its Noise to Nashville* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Editor
2007.05
The healing power of the Bright Eyes “Cassadaga” tour descended on the Nashville venue known to old-timers as “the mother church” last Saturday night for an almost four-hour, triple-bill feast supported by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings along with Oakley Hall.
On his second visit to the Ryman, with a humorous and humbled accolade, singer Conor Oberst echoed many performers who have previously graced this stage. Instead of being entirely reverent, he suggested he felt like he was still “waiting to get thrown out the back door.” When support act ... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Cosmic Choir Kicks In: Polyphonic Spree Previews New Album in Nashville* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.05
While a live show is often a magical experience, many bands never match the sheer musical precision and lasting presence of their recorded works. But with the Texas cult-like miracle that is the Polyphonic Spree, the CDs simply pale in comparison to the real thing. In fact, comparing the digital replica to this Dionysian reality is dangerous. Fans of musical theater would never expect that original cast recording to compare to the stage show, and the same logic applies here.
This past Monday, the Spree launched a mini-tour to build up some b... Read More
|
|
| Review: Viva Killers in Nash Vegas* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.04
“Don’t give the ghost up just clench your fist
You should have known by now you were on my list”
—“My List” by the Killers
Killers frontman Brandon Flowers put Nashville on his list for a magical Monday night show at the historic Ryman Auditorium. To a few thousand Tennesseans (and some who had traveled from around the region), the boys from Las Vegas seemed right at home, embracing the churchy kitsch and consumer corniness of the city to tune right in to the spiritual channel of the homeland we know as Nash Vegas.
When t... Read More
|
|
| Review: TV on the Radio on the Brain in the Nashville Rain* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.04
The world is a dark place run by what TV on the Radio like to call a “Dry Drunk Emperor.” But as a divided culture taught us decades ago, dreadful days can produce some truly great art. Yet not many were thinking about the ignorance of war or the imminence of tax day when the TV on the Radio entourage tore into Nashville last Saturday for a packed show at the Cannery Ballroom.
A cadre of core fans were joined by hundreds more, hungry to see and hear what the hype is all about. Supported by the fiery presence of UK’s Noisettes, Brooklyn’s ... Read More
|
|
| CD Reviews: Kings of Leon, Klaxons* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.04
Kings of Leon kick out the sin and salvation on “Because of the Times”
“She don’t care what her momma says no she’s gonna have my baby” begins the much anticipated follow-up to “Aha Shake Heartbreak” by Lebanon, Tennessee’s Kings of Leon. And a lot of girls would acquiesce—and could have already—if the stories the boys bragged about on the last record were true.
As an opening track, “Knocked Up” just nails it. Not waiting to be nabbed by the naysayers who will inevitably defile this as poetry that could be scraw... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Black Angels and VietNam at Nashville’s Mercy Lounge* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.04
If the Black Angels were trying to throw off the unshakable notion that their music is just an irresistible flashback serum that turns the listener’s entire life into endless Hunter S. Thompson hallucinations and backwoods drunken bonfires, the band probably should not have asked VietNam to be tour-mates on their first headlining jaunt.
Given that both bands share roots in Austin, anti-establishment swagger, and influences at least as old as their parents, this teamwork makes infinite sense in a an OM-chanting meets coke-snorting sort of way. I... Read More
|
|
| Interview: Moises Szarf, ‘The Ethereal Connection: a Synthesis of U2 and The Beatles’ |
| : |
By Mark Reed
2007.04
Moises Szarf has an unusual idea. One not many people may necessarily agree with (some people think he's a bit … odd, which is understandable). His hypothesis is that the eight-year career of The Beatles matches the 30 or so years of U2 in both style and content.
“The Ethereal Connection: a Synthesis of U2 and The Beatles” is the website he uses to posit this idea: a vast, and sometimes confusing archive of theories and explorations. It is neither easy to understand or explain.
Over several months, Interference en... Read More
|
|
| Review: Snow Patrol Brings Victory Lap to New York* |
| : |
By Carrie Alison, Editor
2007.03
Currently one of the biggest bands in the world, Snow Patrol is often pelted with the assertion that they have no balls, by cynics and taste-making music bloggers alike.
Why does being lyrically abstract, or a drug-addict, or Canadian or bookish with a side-swept haircut and funny glasses make a band more edgy, ballsy and relevant over another? On the contrary, Snow Patrol does have balls, and here’s why: they make perfectly lovely, fuzzy, spacey rock music for any occasion, and vocalist Gary Lightbody’s beautifully resonant pitch always goes down smoo... Read More
|
|
| Review: Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club and Delta Spirit Storm Nashville* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.03
The touring collective that combines the Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club and Delta Spirit is a torrid indie-rock trifecta. After breathing and being at this shakedown of a show, fans and band members alike may need triage.
While each group apparently has its own van and the collaborative is not traveling in a schoolbus-cum-biodiesel-circus caravan (though the latter would be entirely appropriate), the vigorous crew has the spirit of a carnival-esque blues brotherhood and an old-school road show.
Combining one Canadian anti-rock ensemble with two... Read More
|
|
| Book Review: ‘Dying to be Famous: A Pop Culture Murder Mystery’* |
| : |
By Matt Anderson
2007.03
“Dying to be Famous” is a murder mystery that musters all the tension of a Scooby-Doo caper.
Murder on the Dancefloor
The plot is simple. During the early rounds of “Star Maker” (an obvious parody of “American Idol”) the most promising candidate is found dead in his room, drugged and asphyxiated. Was it the pizza delivery boy? Was it one of the other talentless hacks competing to become America’s next throwaway sensation? Was it that egotistical lead judge with a British accent? Or was it some random third party contrivance?
Well, Jim ... Read More
|
|
| Franti Tells Sweet Little Lies and the Jacket Jacks It: Langerado Day Two* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.03
Tell me that the rain won't fall today
Tell me that the tax man lost his way (oh, oh)
Tell me that the hurtin ain't gonna hurt no more
Tell me that somebody stopped the war (please tell me)
—Michael Franti, “Sweet Little Lies”
Michael Franti, lead singer of Spearhead, whispered his sweet “Lies” into my ears and pumped many other tracks from the tremendous and relevant “Yell Fire.” An album released in the middle of 2006 and being supported with a tour that will last most of 2007, Franti has come a long way from the Beatn... Read More
|
|
| Langerado Day One Roundup* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.03
That the sweet tongued and socially charged soul vibrations of Dubconscious would open the main stage at the 5th Annual Langerado Music Festival makes complete sense. A white reggae band from Athens, Georgia, this crew serenaded the sun-soaked throng of early birds for a stellar start to what’s inevitably going to be a sonically cosmic weekend.
Their infectious and inspired presentation resonates with everything that the post-modern hippy festival has become: a social mash-up and spiritual mix-tape where a complicated pastiche of cultural influence... Read More
|
|
| Interview: Dwight Richter and Nicole Nelson’s Captivating Bluesy Soul |
| : |
By Jonathan Swartz
2007.03
The music of Dwight Richter and Nicole Nelson has been described as soulful and energetic. Their music consists of a blend of blues, soul, and various other musical styles. Their CD compilations “Live at Club Helsinki” and “Dwight and Nicole” show that they are about to become noticed in the mainstream. The compilations display their talents in such a way that listening to them brings you back to old times, and people and places that you fondly remember.
I recently sat down with Dwight Richter and Nicole Nelson for an interview at the Coffee Shop in... Read More
|
|
| Review: Antidote for the Age: Arcade Fire's ‘Neon Bible’* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.03
What do you get when you mix politics and religion? Sometimes you get Ted Haggard. Sometimes you get a “Neon Bible.” Giving an old-school analog kick to the digital age, Arcade Fire cut and paste the provincial with the pyrotechnic, sort of like spewing gasoline on a candlelit dinner. An inner flame gives way to a wildfire of popularity.
At a time when even post-everything art rockers TV On The Radio decided sign to a major label, Arcade Fire hold the indie-torch high in a way that would make Ani DiFranco and Ian McKaye very proud. At a time ... Read More
|
|
| Loving the Langerado Lineup: How’s this for an ‘Alternative Spring Break’?* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.02
Can’t get tickets to Coachella? Can’t wait until Bonnaroo? While these may be the Super Bowl and World Series of rock festivals in North America respectively, the up-and-coming Langerado is spring training. And tickets are still available. This southernmost sonic carnival takes place in a little more than two weeks at Markham Park in Sunrise, Florida on March 9-11, 2007.
Calling itself “South Florida's most eclectic music festival,” Langerado apparently borrows a good part of its musical philosophy from its wildly successful big sister celeb... Read More
|
|
| Under the Influence of Giants Warm the Cold Boston Night* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf, Contributing Editor
2007.02
On this past wintry and windy Sunday evening, Under the Influence of Giants brought their inspiring brand of dance-pop sunshine to warm up local Boston bar, Great Scott. A small crowd filled the floor as these four SoCal boys, disguised in winter coats appropriate to the 12 degree weather, hung out next to the bar’s bathroom and waited for their crew to finish setting up the stage. When ready, they shed the coats and quietly assumed the stage to check sound levels.
As the last strains of the tune-up by his bandmates faded, Singer Aaron Bruno jumped onto the stage and announced, “We’re here to have a great time and we hope ... Read More
|
|
| Review: Join Bloc Party for a ‘Weekend in the City’* |
| : |
By Astrid Richardson
2007.02
Two years ago, Bloc Party was just another one of those new, hyped up UK bands full of dance-rock energy and post-punk influence. Debut album “Silent Alarm” received glowing reviews, praised for its intense rhythm and jarring yet undeniably catchy guitars and ambition. A standard was thusly set, so expectations for the sophomore album were therefore high. “A Weekend in the City” is, thankfully, not just more of the same. Here, Bloc Party not only more lives up to the ambition hinted at with “Silent Alarm” —they have successfully moved their sou... Read More
|
|
| Review: Fall Out Boy’s ‘Infinity on High’* |
| : |
By Dan Hanzus
2007.02
For Fall Out Boy fans, the initial inspection of “Infinity on High” —the group’s fifth studio album and first since their 2005 multi-platinum breakthrough “From Under the Cork Tree” —will likely produce a huge sigh of relief. Rest easy, Wentzites. The group has not grown beards. They make no public response to the war in Iraq. Their increased production budget did not beget a strings section.
In other words, they haven’t gone off and gotten all damn serious on us. Bassist Pete Wentz is still writing songs about girls, and singer Patrick Stump is still... Read More
|
|
| Review: Under the Influence of Giants* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf
2007.1
Struggling through the deep winter months? Tired of dealing with snow, rain, and cold? Try going Under the Influence… of Giants, that is. The self-titled debut album from this Southern California band will pick up your spirits and remind you of the warm summer months. At the very least, it’ll get you to dance and generate enough heat to forget the cold for a few minutes!
In 2004, Scissor Sisters began paving the international way for a pop revival of glorious 70s-influenced dance culture. And Under the Influence of Giants’ mission, according to singer Aa... Read More
|
|
| Review: ‘Big Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Works for Boston-based Damone* |
| : |
By Kimberly Egolf
2007.1
Boston rockers Damone have been through a lot that would make a lesser band crumble: an overlooked first release, loss of their guitarist and songwriter, changing record labels, the near-death experience of their bassist, Vazquez… the list could continue. But Damone are thankful for their trials. “In hindsight,” says drummer Dustin Hengst, “it really brought us together musically and emotionally.” And resulted in some genuinely awesome rock music.
Their sophomore album “Out Here All Night” contains rock like you’ve not heard since the ‘80s. Don’t wor... Read More
|
|
| Jacket Ecstatic: Two Nights of Reverb and Revelations in Denver* |
| : |
By Andy Smith, Contributing Editor
2007.1
Having toured incessantly since “Z” was released in October 2005 (including a stint opening for Pearl Jam), Louisville's My Morning Jacket just played the last shows of two short tours that followed the release of their live epic “Okonokos.”
To mark this moment, two dedicated fans from Nebraska got stuck in the ice and missed Friday night but finally made it Saturday for their first Jacket show. Traveling devotees flew in from around the country, including one woman from Los Angeles who came via the band's last show in Salt Lake City—she'd t... Read More
|
|
| Review: Hoobastank Says ‘Every Man For Himself’* |
| : |
By Conor FitzPatrick
2007.1
The drill sergeant’s voice in the background of “Born to Lead” (think “Full Metal Jacket”) may be a bit cheesy, but it is the perfect start to “Every Man For Himself,” Hoobastank’s third commercial release. Dan Estrin’s thundering guitar riffs drive a song that tries so hard to be against authority. In doing so, it follows a path that far too many hard rock artists have followed. Regardless of the subject matter of their songs, this is a band that seeks commercial success, and does so without any edginess. Lead singer Doug Robb may exclaim “we wer... Read More
|
|
| It’s Been a Long Time from Stage to Screen, but ‘Dreamgirls’ is Well Worth the Wait* |
| : |
By Jennifer B. Kaufman
2007.1
Let’s face it—movie musicals are not easy to pull off. Most of us do not break into song and dance during our typical day (well, usually). It is often difficult for movies to transition from spoken dialogue to musical numbers. This could be one of the reasons why it has taken so long for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Dreamgirls” to make it to the silver screen. Fortunately for us, many people, including writer/director Bill Condon, (“Kinsey”) were willing to take on this daunting task.
“Dreamgirls” follows a Supremes-like singing group from their humble beginnings to the apex of fame. Effie White (Jennifer Hudson), Dee... Read More
|
|
| Review: Monty Are I Release ‘Exhilarating’ Debut Record* |
| : |
By Jonathan Swartz
2007.1
Alternative punk/rock/grunge band Monty Are I burst onto the music scene in the summer of 2006 with their impressive debut CD entitled “Wall of People.” The band, originally from Cranston, Rhode Island, consists of Steve Aiello, (guitarist and vocals), Mike Matarese on bass, Andrew Borstein on keyboards and trombone, and twin brothers Justin and Ryan Muir, who play the drums, vocals, trumpet, and guitar. The CD combines alternative, and both mellow and heavy metal styles to teach lessons on life’s tribulations, as well as the obstacles one must overcome to achieve... Read More
|
|
| Forget What You Heard – 2006 a Great Year for Music (in our humble opinion!)* |
| : |
By Andy Smith and Carrie Alison
2006.12
The entire journalistic genre of “Best of” lists is ubiquitous yet ambiguous and ridiculous at best. Who cares what records you wasted money buying or time downloading and actually loving this year?
But we do care—not so much about that bureaucratic labyrinth called the 'music industry' but about music itself. Admittedly, we sometimes care more about our always growing record collections than our daily caloric intake or job security. That’s just fine with us.
Compiling a ‘Best Of 2006’ list required many things: collecting receipts of records purchased since January 1st, 2006; repeated, careful, and unscientific scans of... Read More
|
|
| Ashley Capps and Bonnaroo’s ‘Euphoric Sense of Community’* |
| : |
By Landin King
2006.12
When most Americans think of Tennessee, they think of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the legendary football fanatics wearing orange and white. But today, when alternative music lovers think of Tennessee, they think of Bonnaroo.
Born in 2002 from the vision of Knoxville-based rock promoter Ashley Capps of A.C. Entertainment, Bonnaroo brings together a beautifully eclectic group of people for three days of camping and music in Manchester, Tennessee. Still known to some as a jam-band epicenter, the festival actually reaches far beyond that patchouli-soaked ... Read More
|
|
| Review: Dwight Richter and Nicole Nelson’s New CD a Diverse Treat for Everyone* |
| : |
By Jonathan Swartz
2006.12
The music of Dwight Richter and Nicole Nelson is unpredictable and beautiful in scope, while incorporating varied musical styles suited to their strengths. Nelson is a blues singer in the tradition of Aretha Franklin and Natalie Cole, while Richter is more country than blues, but incorporates several styles into his singing and songwriting. Richter and Nelson, who both live in Brooklyn, New York, have collaborated on a previous CD collection, Nelson’s 2005 CD “Live at Club Helsinki,” a music club in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. While the previous collab... Read More
|
|
| Review: The Killers Put on Audacious, Blissful Show in Philadelphia* |
|
|
