AltWeeklies Wire
Billy Corgan's Bombast was Mother's Milknew
Given the rise of "mainstream indie rock," the typical reference points are getting elbowed out in favor of other, broader touchstones. Indie's move away from indie influences is little but the result of the collective memory of today's 20-somethings, a group that came of age with a radio dial retooled by the rise of Nirvana.
INDY Week |
Robbie Mackey |
08-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Melvins: An Appreciation of an Aged, Evolving Beastnew
Here we are, 22 years later, and the Melvins stand as one of the most influential American rock bands in history
INDY Week |
Grayson Currin |
08-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: punk, The Melvins
Phonte Coleman Flashes Back with 'Zo! and Tigallo Love the '80s'new
A collaboration with Detroit musician Zo!, Little Brother's Phonte Coleman laughs himself across hip-hop semi-stardom by revisiting the follies of '80s synth-silly chart toppers.
Yahzarah Reintroduces Herself as Purple St. Jamesnew
With the Purple St. James of The Prelude, you get the feeling she could care less if there was music behind her or not: All at once, her voice confabulates, celebrates, massages, cries.
Bowerbirds: Eco-conscious, Europe-boundnew
Taking cues from their surroundings, Bowerbirds writes songs that draw heavily from natural imagery and are rife with overt environmentalist urgings.
INDY Week |
Bryan Reed |
08-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bowerbirds, Hymns for a Dark Horse
Extreme Animals Recreates Itself with Old Soundsnew
Extreme Animals acts like the kids we were warned we might become from playing too much Galaga, but that's not entirely why it's embraced making new music with old MIDI technology.
INDY Week |
Chris Toenes |
07-31-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Extreme Animals, MIDI technology
The Whistlestop Celebrates Faithnew
Several songs--most notably "The Money's Tight," which could have been written in the Great Depression's shadow--are the aural equivalents of the sepia-toned packaging and the vintage postcard included with the record.
Tags: The Whistlestop
The Avett Brothers Rose From Obscurity to Balance on the Brink of Famenew
So many goals are behind them: selling out New York theaters, playing the Grand Ole Opry, wowing the biggest American rock festivals. But this new deal with Rick Rubin's American Recordings puts the band in a different league.
INDY Week |
Grayson Currin |
07-24-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Caltrop's Not Exactly a Metal Bandnew
The band is reluctant to call itself metal, but Caltrop admits its music is heavy and loud. The songs are melodic, but the high volume of old amplifiers lets the tunes crackle in mild distortion. In a word, it rocks.
INDY Week |
Bryan Reed |
07-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Daylight Dies Creates Sweeping Melancholynew
The band follows the template of Swedish melodic metal bands like Opeth and In Flames, reining in Opeth's jarring bipolarities and stamping out In Flames' triumphant flourishes.
Music for Fuel: It's Harder than Ever to Jam Econonew
"Last year, I was worried about getting out to the West Coast with gas at $3.20 a gallon," says Dan McGee, the frontman for heavy-touring Chapel Hill band Spider Bags, "and this year, I'm worried about getting to work."
Navigating Stages at the Eno Festivalnew
As a festival consumer, you need some sort of plan. Or, in the spirit of the festival's fields, several plans, cutting across all three days of the fest. But keep in mind there are more than 100 performers, and we can't mention them all. In other words, yeah, we probably left out your favorite.
Miami's Torche Recasts Metalnew
With Meanderthal, Torche joins the current crop of innovative heavy bands rising from the South, each of them taking historical reverence for divergent forms and funneling it into iconoclastic, brazen hard metallic shapes.
INDY Week |
Grayson Currin |
07-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Kid-friendly Harry and the Potters Want Your Help for 'The Best Show Ever'new
The Potters asked fans to show up early, decorate the venue and bring the toys, props and games to turn the show into what it hopes is "the best show ever." With volunteers changing at every show, each gig will be a unique experience.
INDY Week |
Andrew Ritchey |
06-26-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Valient Thorr's Valient Himself Talks Motorhead, Mortality and 'Immortalizer'new
As Himself was preparing to record Thorr's fourth album, he was undergoing a battery of tests as he prepared to undergo surgery to give his kidney to his father.
INDY Week |
Spencer Griffith |
06-26-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
