AltWeeklies Wire
Industrial Stalwarts VNV Nation Haven't Changednew
Based on a cursory glance at the imagery on VNV Nation's new album, you could easily dismiss Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson as yet another cold, industrial-rock band lacking any sense of connection to its fans. Harris would beg to differ.
San Antonio Current |
Norm Narvaja |
07-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jarvis Cocker Takes Delight in 'Knowing All This is Crap'new
I could talk to Cocker on a plane, I could talk to him on a train, and I could talk to him about blues music being "used to sell a hell of a lot of cars" in the passenger seat of an Audi tearing back to SF from Point Reyes, via iPhone and earplugs, while tapping on the trusty laptop. He's that good, that much of a closet mensch keeping it as real as a man of style and taste can.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kimberly Chun |
07-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels Rolls With Life's Impromptu Flownew
It's not McDaniels' voice that makes conversations with him strange, it's his habit of trailing off on confusing, lengthy digressions. For example, rather than speaking directly about his recent visit to the White House, he launches into a seven minute diatribe about foster children.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
07-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'If Tomorrow Comes ...' Doesn't Really Work as an Albumnew
Maino doesn't have enough variation in his style, too many of the songs sound alike, and the narrative skits throughout are not especially believable or interesting. Still, in an era when the traditional long-version album has all but disappeared as an art form, it's hard to hold these complaints against him.
Danny Dirtnap and The Video Nasties Are 'No Hope Kids'new
Before he could legally drink, Danny Valdez was married with a kid. Now he's the part-time custodian of a 3-year-old son, along with his ex-wife. Yet he makes time for a band and a 'zine. Danny's biggest aspiration is to set something in motion with the Phoenix punk scene, and he's confident it'll happen.
Phoenix New Times |
Martin Cizmar |
07-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
What Happens to Ticket Prices When Live Nation & Ticketmaster Merge?new
This is a story about fat cats agreeing to merge with rivals rather than outperform each other and getting one over on the consumer. Enjoy the rest of the summer concert season -- it might be the last you can afford.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brian McManus |
07-21-2009 |
Music
Ani DiFranco Talks Music and Motherhoodnew
DiFranco says the greatest inspiration in her current life as a world-famous rock star and activist is being the mother of 2-year-old Petah Lucia DiFranco Napolitano, her first child.
Boulder Weekly |
Irene Joyce |
07-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ani DiFranco, Parenthood
The Stark Folk of Tiny Vipers is Not for Everyonenew
Jesy Fortino writes dark, contemplative songs that require serious focus from a listener. Actually, these songs (which she records under the moniker Tiny Vipers) don't require focus so much as they slowly entangle the listener like tentacles, pulling you in tight 'til you're left with no choice but to pay close attention.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
07-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Eight-Track Lives On In Texas!new
Turns out, Kathy and Dan Gibson of KTS Productions may be the last of the eight-track-tape makers -- most other local CD and cassette replicators believe the concept near unfathomable, given its demise 'round 1988
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
07-20-2009 |
Music
Carsie Blanton Gets Her Groove and Goes Motownnew
Carsie Blanton has higher hopes for her new disc, Buoy. She works a lot of words into her songs, but she wants you to savor every one.
Philadelphia City Paper |
M.J. Fine |
07-20-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Buoy, Carsie Blanton
Buddyhead Redux: L.A.'s Most Loved and Feared Music Website is Backnew
Travis Keller describes the origins of Buddyhead's notorious "take no prisoners" gossip column, his record label, and why it went quiet in 2005. He then digs into the details of his latest project, creating Buddyhead 2.0.
L.A. Weekly |
Erin Broadley |
07-17-2009 |
Music
'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
Jenny Owen Youngs' Latest Album is a Charming 'Failure'new
Transmitter Failure is richly layered, confessional ballads snuggling up to wry admissions, strings that sweep sharing space with ukuleles that chirp, but Jenny Owen Youngs' voice is the eye of the lush, poppy hurricane.
Eugene Weekly |
Molly Templeton |
07-16-2009 |
Reviews
The Beautiful Harmonies of the Northern California Jesus Freaksnew
The two-disc Northern California Jesus Movement restores the post-gospel legacy of the Lighthouse Ranch, a seventies-era Christian commune in Humboldt County.
North Coast Journal |
Joel Hartse |
07-16-2009 |
Reviews
Jason Lytle's Debut is Like Granddaddy, Stripped Downnew
Three years after the breakup of Grandaddy, Jason Lytle returns with a collection of dreamy pop songs about nature and modernity, bathed in quirky pathos.
Tucson Weekly |
Michael Petitti |
07-16-2009 |
Reviews
