AltWeeklies Wire
The Globe-Straddling Music of South Africa's BLK JKS Transcends Racenew
When a quartet of black South Africans reclaims that whitest of white genres -- progressive rock, long the bastion of pimply tech-heads and doughy shut-ins -- the predominately Caucasian world of indie rock sits up and takes notice.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
10-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: After Robots, BLK JKS
Old Lights' David Beeman Gets by with a Little Help from His Friendsnew
Old Lights played its first official gig in April of this year, and after only about fifteen shows, the band has become one of the most talked-about -- and most promising -- new bands to emerge from St. Louis in the last few years.
Riverfront Times |
Christian Schaeffer |
10-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Brooklyn's Grooms Have a New Album and a Distinctive Take on Today's Soundnew
The band doesn't quite fit in with the current, decidedly '60s and '70s signifiers of indie rock cool. "Sometimes people will listen to our music and say, 'It’s kind of '90s, and it reminds me of Pavement,' and I really don't think it does. We sometimes worry that we're out of step with the trend."
New York Press |
Adam Rathe |
10-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Andrew Whiteman's Apostle of Hustle Cooks Up an Ornately Far-Out Experiencenew
As he lives in an overpopulated world conquered by an excess of information, Whiteman's artistic theft is his way of balancing the creative eco-system. "My music is made up of stolen things," he says.
East Bay Express |
Reyan Ali |
10-14-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sprial Stairs Dishes on His New Album and Pavement's Hyped Reunionnew
Five years after the last Preston School of Industry album was released, Scott Kannberg is ready to present his fans with an album full of material that sounds nothing like his previous bands' output. He's back to being Spiral Stairs, but this time, there's not as much to joke about.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dryw Keltz |
10-14-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Romani Music and Punk Rock? Together? Yup. Meet Gogol Bordellonew
Under the balls-out direction of the band's founder, Eugene Hütz, Gogol Bordello has redefined punk rock ethics and brought traditional Romanian music to the headphones of popular music fans around the globe.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
10-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Gogol Bordello
Sunny Day Real Estate's Dan Hoerner Leaves a Quiet Life to Play Rock Star Againnew
For Hoerner, a Spokane resident and native, this isn't just a reunion tour. It's a visit to a past life -- a life buried under births and deaths, under 9-to-5 jobs, long-gone fame and quiet anonymity.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
10-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
In Step with New Model Armynew
Justin Sullivan explains why he and his band will not go gently into anyone's good night.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
10-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Matt Wilson Throws Some Left Hooks into the Rite of Swingnew
"The reason jazz is such a great music is that everybody is enjoying it in the moment, and it's never gonna happen the same way again."
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
10-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Toubab Krewe Branches Out with New Instruments and Geographic Influencesnew
In some ways, Toubab Krewe may actually come closer to giving us a sense of West African music than any Putumayo production. In fact, you could say they're the real deal, were it not for what some ethnology snobs might consider a cultural-appropriation problem: The band hails from Asheville, N.C.
Tucson Weekly |
Linda Ray |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Former Ghosts Have a Long-Distance Relationshipnew
This trio makes beautiful music together, even though they all live in different places.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Fleurs, Former Ghosts
Husband-and-Wife Duo Jucifer Are no Sonny and Chernew
At every Jucifer show, a very tall and very, very loud wall of amps stand sentinel behind the band, floor to ceiling -- stacked neatly at some shows, haphazardly arranged on top of each other at others. That wall of amps is not simply loud -- it's practically the third member of the band.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jucifer, heavy metal
Onstage, the Demure Sallie Ford Becomes a Brassy, Magnetic Sirennew
Before and after a song, Sallie Ford is just a 22-year-old girl from North Carolina who likes music. The person Sallie Ford becomes in between -- in the full speed and inertia of a song -- is remarkable.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Rosewood Thieves' Revivalist Sound is Earning Them Lots of New Fansnew
Whether or not the Rosewood Thieves intend to do it, their music leans heavily on musical eras long passed: the tra-la-la of mid-'60s American pop-folk and the drone of experimental music from that same era.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Rosewood Thieves
While Their Peers Rake in Reunion Tour Cash, The Jesus Lizard Says It'll Be One and Outnew
While the rekindled friendships and passions have been something the entire band has thrived on, frontman David Yow warns that those hoping for more shouldn't expect a prolonged presence.
San Diego CityBeat |
Paul Saitowitz |
10-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
