AltWeeklies Wire
Joe Pug Outgrows the Solo Stagenew
"It's always good to be in just a little bit more water than you're used to being in, and just barely keeping your mouth above it, taking in those breaths."
INDY Week |
Peter Blackstock |
04-06-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Joe Pug
Drip City: Everything Old is New Again in Portland's Coffee Scenenew
The history of coffee in Portland is one of constant, obsessive refinement, of obtaining better beans and pulling better shots. Staying on the jittery edge of the culture requires constant attention. Which is what we've been doing over the past several weeks. And what have we found?
Willamette Week |
Ben Waterhouse, Ruth Brown |
04-06-2011 |
Food+Drink
Idaho Vodkas Make High-End Use of the Humble Potatonew
From boutique distilleries to multi-brand companies, Idaho's most famous crop is getting fermented instead of fried.
Boise Weekly |
Guy Hand |
04-06-2011 |
Food+Drink
Budget Problems Have Florida Reconsidering Mandatory Minimumsnew
Despite the fact that some judges complain that mandatory minimums reduce their ability to use discretion in sentencing, making them drones serving the system, the state's mandatory minimums for drug crimes remained unchallenged for more than 30 years. Recently though, the state's budget has cast a light on Florida's prison spending, which has gone up along with its jail population.
Orlando Weekly |
Jeff Gore |
04-06-2011 |
Crime & Justice
Akron/Family Creates Multiple Stories Through Multiple Versions of its Newest Albumnew
Like everything else about Akron/Family, Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT sprawls all over the place.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-06-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hurried 'Jane Eyre' Adaptation Still Shinesnew
Charlotte Bronte's 19th-century masterpiece, Jane Eyre, has already been filmed nearly 20 times for screens big and small, so what more can possibly be said about this well-worn gothic romance? Not much, apparently, but at least director Cary Fukunaga's version is superfluously good -- an elegant, classicist picture of quality with just enough sinister gloom darkening its romantic edges.
Orlando Weekly |
John Thomason |
04-06-2011 |
Reviews
Obits Keep it Simple on Sophomore Albumnew
Obits is a wonderful band precisely because they aren't trying to reinvent the wheel. The guiding motto of the band's sophomore album, Moody, Standard and Poor, seems to be: "Rock has been rolling along perfectly well for many years, thank you very much, and we don't need to muck it up with a bunch of extraneous bullshit."
Orlando Weekly |
Nicholas Hall |
04-06-2011 |
Reviews
Surf City Sit Out SXSW & Prep New Music Insteadnew
For an upcoming band, the commercial and numerical growth of SXSW isn't necessarily a beneficial one. The likelihood of catching someone's ear naturally diminishes when there's greater competition. So instead of enduring the rigmarole of a 24-hour flight from Auckland just to play Austin, Surf City is touching down in the U.S. to kick off a short tour, during which the band will hopefully scrounge together enough cash to fund an extended stay in New York City so they can record more music.
Orlando Weekly |
Phillip Mlynar |
04-06-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Desert Flower' Needed a Better Gardenernew
Considering its subject matter and broad scope of characters and landscape, Desert Flower comes across as a bunch of posies pulled from the ground rather than a florist's carefully designed bouquet.
Boise Weekly |
George Prentice |
04-06-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Desert Flower, Sherry Horman
The Infamous Stringdusters Begin to Break Out of Genre Prisonnew
Musicians and bands frequently spend their early years imitating their primary influences. It's why third albums are often watershed moments. Full of assurance from prior studio efforts and years on the road, record number three is when a band or artist emerges into their own -- from Born to Run to London Calling to OK Computer.
Charleston City Paper |
Chris Parker |
04-06-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Oakland Overgrown: Trees Are Growing Out of Control Due to Deep Budget Cutsnew
In one fell swoop in November 2008, the city's Tree Services Division shed 40 percent of its workforce. The deep budget cuts forced the department to curtail one of its most essential services: routine trimming and pruning, which help keep trees from becoming overgrown to the point that they require immediate attention.
East Bay Express |
Nate Seltenrich |
04-06-2011 |
Environment
Atlanta City Court Should Waste Less of our Timenew
Making more fines payable online would unclog the court and save citizens grief.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Editorial Board |
04-06-2011 |
Policy Issues
After Being Captured and Released in Libya, Journo Anthony Shadid Feels Lucky to be Alivenew
"I think I'm getting too old for it," Shadid tells the Gazette. "I've never been lucky in anything except journalism, and I wonder if my luck in journalism is running out."
Oklahoma Gazette |
Clifton Adcock |
04-06-2011 |
Media
Three Erstwhile Punks Are Once Again Packing Houses Across Americanew
In a way, The Cleveland Confidential Book Tour is just like the old days, when Pagans frontman Mike Hudson, Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and Human Switchboard frontman Bob Pfeifer would pile into a van, drive across the country, and convince occasionally indifferent audiences to listen to them. They're even calling the readings "gigs" -- gigs with less equipment, as Pfeifer says.
Cleveland Scene |
Michael Gallucci |
04-06-2011 |
Music
Let's Stop Arguing About the Civil Warnew
Instead of rehashing our disagreements about how the Civil War started, we should ask if there are lessons that can be learned from the conflict that are still applicable today. Although the specific issues may have changed, several others are still relevant.
Charleston City Paper |
Dwayne Green |
04-06-2011 |
Commentary
