AltWeeklies Wire
Goodie Mob Reconnects, Gets Back to the Musicnew
It's hard to love Southern hip-hop and not love Goodie Mob. It seems like the mere mention of the group that gave us "They Don't Dance No Mo," "Cell Therapy" and coined the phrase "Dirty South" makes fans get all nostalgic.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Mike McCray |
02-11-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Goodie Mob
Live Through This: Ten Years On, Otep Shamaya Still Rages Against the Machinenew
What really sets the singer and her band apart from their legion of metal brethren is Otep Shamaya's lyrical bent, which is light years away from good old mythology, misogyny and unrequited hate.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
02-11-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Despite her MS Diagnosis, Exene Cervenka Lives for the Momentnew
The vocalist for L.A. punk stalwarts X, poet, and former wife of actor Viggo Mortensen was assembling a collection of bucolic country songs to be counted among her strongest work. But in the midst of it all she wasn't feeling well.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Somewhere Gone, Exene Cervenka
Sweet Harmonies (and Chicken Jokes) Come to Madisonnew
Modern pop-country music and traditional country music have little to nothing in common with each other. Thankfully, when the Sweetback Sisters play their own brand, it's based on the latter, superior version.
New Haven Advocate |
Mike Sembos |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Fences Mended, Chamillionaire is Comfortable Being the Rapper Next Doornew
Chamillionaire is the rapper you can take home to mom and dad. His albums contain very little swearing, and he won't even curse when quoting other rappers. He recalls Snoop Dogg's famous "Bitches "Ain't Shit" line as: "B's ain't nothing but hos and tricks."
Houston Press |
Ben Westhoff |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Los Angeles Beatmaker Nosaj Thing's a Deft Distillernew
Like many young musicians, Los Angeles–based beatmaker Jason Chung (aka Nosaj Thing) isn’t much more than the sum of his influences. What’s remarkable about Chung is how deftly he distills and commingles secondhand sounds.
The Georgia Straight |
Martin Turenne |
02-08-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jason Chung, Nosaj Thing
The Music of Ebony Bones is as Brash and Brilliant As Her Wardrobenew
If you don’t know London, England’s Ebony Bones (née Ebony Thomas), don’t worry, you will soon. She’s rather hard to miss with her gigantic hair and absurdist outfits of impossible shapes and every colour in the rainbow, cranked up to maximum saturation.
Montreal Mirror |
Rupert Bottenberg |
02-05-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Doomtree Emcee Gets Philosophical About Hip-Hopnew
From an artistic standpoint, it's hard not to be impressed by Dessa's debut album, which was released two weeks ago to widespread acclaim. The title gets it half right: A Badly Broken Code surely deconstructs the tropes of hip-hop and recombines them in unexpected ways, but it's more than competently done.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Anvil's Wishes Have Finally Come True, After Three Decadesnew
When they finally became rock stars, they were old enough to be members of AARP. But for the core members of Anvil, drummer Robb Reiner and singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, it was hardly too late.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Shellshag, the Duo You Just Can’t Knock Downnew
Shellshag is Johnny Shell and Jen Shag. He sings and plays guitar and she sings and plays drums. For years they lived in San Francisco and ran Starcleaners, a record label and public arts space. They were in bands together and apart, but all that matters now is that they are Shellshag.
New York Press |
Adam Wisnieski |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Dirty Dozen's Fight to Stay Relevant Echoes Their Hometown's Strugglesnew
If there’s anything post-Katrina that New Orleanians have come to value, it’s stability, familiarity, and tradition. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band have kept these concepts deep within their grooves for more than three decades, but the musical tradition is much older.
San Antonio Current |
Nicholas Hall |
02-03-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Zeppelin or Not, No Quarter Doesn’t Just Preach to the Choirnew
The stage is their pulpit. And on it, in long, curly wigs, bell-bottomed jeans and chest-baring shirts, they become what they preach, mimicking note-for-note “Stairway to Heaven” and “When the Levee Breaks” the way Led Zeppelin would have played it.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
01-29-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Anvil's Frontman Keeps on Rocking and Reelingnew
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the film, sometimes characterized as a real-life This Is Spinal Tap, premiered at Sundance and served as the catalyst for rock's most unlikely comeback.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
01-28-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Discarded Album Revives Forgotten Chapter of Minneapolis Music Historynew
t all started with Shelley Pierce hunched over the vinyl bin at Cheapo. She had most of the albums she wanted, but enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. As she finished flipping through the new arrivals, a short, plump woman in her 50s came in the front door of the store, lugging a crate full of used vinyl records.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Emily Kaiser |
01-27-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Will Dondria Have to Check Her Personality at the Door?new
What started with a $15 webcam and the simple idea to post YouTube vids of herself singing a cappella R&B covers turned into an Internet phenomenon after her rendition of Ciara's Promise garnered more than 1 million hits. That's when Jermaine Dupri came calling.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Rodney Carmichael |
01-26-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
