AltWeeklies Wire
Eliza Rickman Creates Haunting Melodies with a Big Voice and Tiny Instrumentnew
Eliza Rickman just might be a ghost, or, at the very least, a medium channeling vibes from days of yore. That’s not to say the chanteuse is only slanging rehashed classics in the vein of Madeleine Peyroux, it’s just that there’s a decidedly old-timey, almost spooky, air to what she’s doing.
San Diego CityBeat |
Paul Saitowitz |
12-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
She Comes in Colors: Niagara's Tale is Pure Detroitnew

Niagara — the same woman who did time with the late Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton in the universally cultish bands Destroy All Monsters and Dark Carnival — whose drug-fueled, gun-toting, sexually vivid pop art is known the world over.
Metro Times |
Brent Callwood |
12-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Neo-mod Brit Brats the Arctic Monkeys are Slowing Down, Growing Up and Branching Outnew
A crusty British music scribe whose name I am unable to recall recently theorized that no one likes the Arctic Monkeys—until they actually listen to one of their records. But as soon as they were built up as the saviors of British rock music, they were knocked down.
Montreal Mirror |
Erik Leijon |
12-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
La Strada Feel at Home North of the Border, Cozying Up with New Pals Hey Rosettanew
La Strada's music is the kind usually molded by cold winters and small communities. It's an indie-rock fuelled by group harmonies, violin and cello. La Strada finally made it to Canada earlier this fall, opening up for Cuff the Duke.
The Coast, Halifax's Weekly |
Mike Landry |
12-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Eric Blowtorch: The Jamaican Connectionnew
A prolific recording artist always willing to share the microphone with guest stars, Eric Blowtorch’s musical endeavors have been more a vocation in the traditional sense than a career. He has reached a new height on his latest album with his band the Welders, The Alphabet.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
12-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
An American Primitive Guitarist Looks Back on a Bittersweet Journeynew

In the late '90s, Glenn Jones' band Cul de Sac recorded an album with John Fahey. As a high school student, Jones had become obsessed with the legendary guitarist after his art teacher introduced him to one of Fahey's early albums.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
12-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Candye Kane's More Than 20 Years of Blues, Country, Roots Rock and Jazznew

The singer's most recent challenge was the discovery that she had pancreatic cancer, an illness she has since overcome. The healing process inspired her to create her ninth album, Superhero, which was released earlier this year by Delta Groove Records.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Superhero, Candye Kane
Pete Rock, DJ Premier and the Praise of Disciplesnew
Hip-hop producers Pete Rock and DJ Premier remain among the most musically and culturally important in hip-hop's lifespan. We talked with five area artists (two of whom will perform Saturday) whose careers have been influenced by Pete and Primo.
INDY Week |
Eric Tullis |
12-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Q&A: Jay Farrar on Kerouac, 'Big Sur'new
Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar has been reading Jack Kerouac since he was a teenager. But writing the music and lyrics for the soundtrack to One Fast Move or I'm Gone, a documentary about Kerouac's semi-autobiographical novel Big Sur, provided plenty of firsts for the songwriter.
Seattle Weekly |
Chris Kornelis |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Bill Callahan Balances Uncertainties on His New Albumnew
With an eye for such tragic ironies as Cain's ignoble fate, Callahan has written toward various shades of darkness and light, from pitch black to only slightly dim.
The Memphis Flyer |
Stephen Deusner |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Califone's Multimedia Funeralnew
There's always been something cinematic about Califone, but not in the traditional Hollywood widescreen sense.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Made of Metallicanew
Robert Trujillo, who joined legendary heavy metal band Metallica in 2003, talks about the on the past, present and future of the famous band.
Boise Weekly |
Amy Atkins |
12-03-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Air Apparents Zero 7 Veer Away from Their Downtempo Rootsnew

Five years after being described by Rolling Stone as "Air without irony," Zero 7's Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker are still amazed by the persistence of comparisons to the French electronica duo.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
12-03-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Chill-Out, Eska, Henry Binns, Martha Tilston, Sam Hardaker, Simple Things, Yeah Ghost, Zero 7, Air
Hawthorne Heights Brings Back Screamnew
Hawthorne Heights moves on from the death of Casey Calvert with a new record label.
Tucson Weekly |
Linda Ray |
12-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Hawthorne Heights, Skeletons
Fanfarlo's Acoustic Alchemynew
The special blend leads to deeply textured and layered songs.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
12-02-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews