Author Archives
We Came In Peace
Reminiscent of those old Hammer Studios horror flicks from the 1950s and 1960s, add to that the creepy Jim Diamond of Detroit garage gods The Dirt Bombs-production, and Peace, though ironically named, could easily be its soundtrack. read more »
Notes From Middle America – The Factory Workers
“I would drive by this factory everyday on my way to work or class and think, I bet those people are working really hard,” lead singer and guitarist Alheim “Al” Amador told me. “I want to work as hard at my music as those people in the factory are working at their job. I wanted to be respected like I respect them.” read more »
Sewn Together
The sound the Kirkwoods fostered was not embraced by the mainstream, the one exception being 1994’s Too High To Die, but it was borrowed from and built upon by some of the most influential bands of my generation including Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Flaming Lips, Dinosaur Jr., Nada Surf, the Replacements to name just a few. The band’s latest album, Sewn Together [Megaforce] is exactly that, a sewn together tapestry of all the influences and substances that morphed into the creature that is The Meat Puppets. read more »
Notes From Middle America – Black Gasoline
I have to ask. What happened to rock? Has it become passé or uncool for a band to struggle, tour, play shows night after night to build a fan base without the help of excessive internet buzz or douche bags in the “hip” magazines who supposedly have their fingers on the pulse of the American youth culture? If a band has to work hard to get what they have, is that far less important than the mandatory polo shirts they wear on stage? read more »
Directed By Jeff Fisher
Though as a fan of the slasher genre I felt cheated by the sheer lack of imagination and the high level of cliché, I kind of expected it. Let’s face it, all slashers are a bit clichéd and there are only so many ways to cut someone in half. Killer Movie may not be the greatest slasher film of all time, but it’s not the worst either. So get some popcorn, sit back and waste 91 minutes of your life. Happy Friday the 13th. read more »
New Music Thursdays – High Diving Ponies
Many musicians try different sounds, vibes and configurations before hitting on one that seems to ring true. Josh Thomas had been through a couple of different bands prior to landing on the post-shoe gaze freak-out that is Kansas City’s High Diving Ponies. read more »
Midnight At The Movies
It is truly exceptional that a man as young as Earle possesses the ability to grasp the subtle nuances of music that was recorded at least two decades before his birth; then take said nuances a place them into his original compositions without it become hokey or a parody of a bygone era. read more »
Notes From Middle America – Bloodshot Records Turns 15: A Conversation With Label Founder Rob Miller
In light of Touch and Go’s recent decision to shut its doors, Bloodshot Records may not be Chicago Illinois’ longest standing label, but at 15 years old, it might now be the “new” reference point for venerable Chicago indies for years to come. read more »
Notes From Middle America – St. Joseph, Missouri
Since its founding in the late 1800s, St. Joe has grown to be both famous and infamous, joyfully remembered and sadly forgotten. She has been a hometown for the famous: Walter Cronkite, soap opera legend Ruth Warrick, The Pony Express, Aunt Jemima, Goetz Beer, Seitz Hot Dogs and jazz great Coleman Hawkins. It has also been a place of famous final breaths, most notably that of legendary Old West outlaw Jesse James. But I digress. This is a column about music, not a history lesson, so perhaps I should step away from the blackboard, turn off my overhead projector and get down to discussing the music that is rising up from Old Man Robidoux’s bosom. read more »
