AltWeeklies Wire
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
If Your Love is Cheap, Windows Loves Your Bandnew
Microsoft's Sponsored Songs program is the latest in a series of variably successful attempts by large companies to use independent music to reach a new audience. If it is to be a long-term strategy, though, many say it must form a stronger bond between the bands and brands it links.
Reaction Jackson: How to Mourn a Messnew
Mourning Michael Jackson felt oddly overdue, as if the sudden death he'd suffered 24 hours earlier were nothing compared to the slow one he'd been undergoing for the previous 24 years.
Boston Phoenix |
Michael Brodeur |
07-01-2009 |
Music
Michael Jackson: A Eulogynew

Why and how Jackson became the most famous person the century ever knew is a matter for the anthropologists. For us, here and now, Jackson was elemental and impossible to ever fully understand; fearsome and heartbreakingly beautiful; at once mortal and deathless.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
David Hansen |
07-01-2009 |
Music
50 Bands, 50 States: The Best New Bands in Americanew

To celebrate July 4th, the Phoenix declares the best new band from each state. Who won in your state?
Boston Phoenix |
Staff |
07-01-2009 |
Music
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
While His Band Remains Inactive, Jon Snodgrass Plays Onnew
Officially, Colorado band Drag the River are on a kind of semi-hiatus. But regardless of what happens with the band, singer Jon Snodgrass is moving forward.
Orlando Weekly |
Justin Strout |
06-25-2009 |
Music
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
Long-Running House Radio Show Returns to San Antonio's Limelightnew
Though it's been a decade since glow sticks ruled the night, the long-running KSYM House Nation radio program is marking nearly 15 years as the voice of San Antonio's electronic dance scene.
San Antonio Current |
Johnston Farrow |
06-24-2009 |
Music
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