AltWeeklies Wire
'70s Commune Band YaHoWha 13 Opens the Fold With a Drag City Collectionnew
Magnificence offers nine vital tracks that touch on garagey psych-pop, ritualized jamming, improvised noise and frantic chanting. The band may follow its own logic, but it's a committed one, roughly like a spiritualized version of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band.
INDY Week |
Marc Masters |
07-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Veils Bring Their Weird Yet Wondrous Music to the U.Snew
Finn Andrews says that he's flattered that anyone would pay attention to his work. "I sometimes wonder why anyone enjoys anything I do," says the singer-songwriter and leader of the London-based rock band The Veils.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
07-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Son Volt's New LP Has Deep Reverence for — And Curiosity About — Historynew
Son Volt's latest is notable for incorporating curls of pedal-steel, wistful strings and multiple nods to St. Louis' regional history.
Riverfront Times |
Annie Zaleski |
07-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Son Volt's Brand-New Album Gets Back to the Basicsnew
With American Central Dust, Jay Farrar returns to familiar musical territory -- pedal-steel moans and shimmers, fiddle flights and trills, percussion passing time or skipping a beat, all surrounding Farrar's guitar in his signature melange of folk, country, blues and ballad pop.
Tucson Weekly |
Linda Ray |
07-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Eyes Wide Open: Blind Pilot Really Sees the Roadnew
For touring bands, a bicycle may not be the optimal form of transportation, but for Blind Pilot, riding velos and seeking adventure along the West Coast sent them soaring down the fast track to success.
Boise Weekly |
Mathias Morache |
07-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Atlanta's The Coathangers Simply Want to Dress Up Like Themselvesnew
For the four girls in the Coathangers, starting a band wasn't about paying homage to any sort of musical deity, nor was it about some kind of artistic/musical vision. It was just about doing something with friends that sounded fun.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
07-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
How a Gamer Used His Celebrity in 'World of Warcraft' to Launch a Music Careernew
Even Michael Bailey -- or Fony, as he's known to fellow WoW gamers -- couldn't have predicted that one day his cyber-world celebrity would bring his real-world electronic music group hundreds of digital download sales and a burgeoning international fanbase.
East Bay Express |
Nate Seltenrich |
07-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Steve Earle Talks Love, Marriage, Divorce and Townes Van Zandtnew
Now sober for more than a decade, Earle has released a brilliant tribute to his fallen and underappreciated idol. The lovingly conceived and intimately understated album is entitled simply Townes.
Seven Days |
Dan Bolles |
07-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
How Dear and the Headlights Became the Most Important Band in Arizonanew
They're as savvy an act as you'll find at this level. In the super-weird music climate that's developed in the decade since Napster started siphoning profits from the Big Four major labels' money-printing operation, this band has a better handle on how to succeed than anyone in the state.
Phoenix New Times |
Martin Cizmar |
06-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Garage Greats The Gories Returnnew
The unskilled Detroit band helped alter the course of rock 'n' roll ... by accident. So why did they disband too soon?
Metro Times |
Chris Handyside |
06-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Punk Heroes Get Back Together for a Pair of Sold-Out Memphis Showsnew
One reason the Oblivians' two Memphis reunion shows feel more impressive than most is that it doesn't feel like musicians trying desperately to reclaim former glory. It was more like conquering heroes returning home: they return to a scene they've helped make bigger.
The Memphis Flyer |
Chris Herrington |
06-26-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Portland Singer-Songwriter Laura Gibson's Meditation on Mortalitynew
Though somber at points, Laura Gibson's second full-length, Beasts of Seasons, never edges toward macabre. The album emerges as more of a tribute to the plights and longings of the living than a fixation on the inevitability of death.
Boise Weekly |
Tara Morgan |
06-24-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Acid Rock Gets a Contemporized and Melodic Twistnew
Ethan Miller of Comets on Fire records a third album with his earthy and eclectic project, Howlin Rain.
East Bay Express |
Dave Gil de Rubio |
06-24-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Dave Alvin Remembers His Pal Chris Gaffney With a New Tribute CDnew
Singer-songwriter Dave Alvin remembers his pal Chris Gaffney onstage and on disc.
OC Weekly |
Matt Coker |
06-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Architects Prepare to Work Their Fourth Release All Summer on Warped Tournew
If ever an album title summed up the makers, it's the Architects' fourth record, The Hard Way.
The Pitch |
Peter Rugg |
06-23-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
