AltWeeklies Wire
The Rise and Fall of The Viewmastersnew
I meet The Viewmasters at Pizzeria Luigi in Golden Hill after they finish one of their final practice sessions at nearby Black Box Studios. It's a "Last Supper" of sorts for a San Diego band that's nearing the end after six tumultuous years.
San Diego CityBeat |
Dave Tow |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Viewmasters
Kill Me Tomorrow Survives Rock's Rigors to Play Another Daynew
The trio might be a different band entirely if not for a string of drama-queen drummers.
San Diego CityBeat |
AnnaMaria Stephens |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Offbeats Finally Found a Producer They're Happy With--Themselvesnew
The Offbeats have released several EPs over the years, recorded and produced by friends and professionals, but lead singer and second guitarist Bryan Foster says the band continually left the studio disappointed in the final product.
San Antonio Current |
Jeremy Martin |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Offbeats
Bubba Hernandez Finds Life After Brave Combonew
Two decades of Brave Combo beat deconstruction--turning "Satisfaction" into a cha-cha or "Stairway to Heaven" into a swing tune (with Tiny Tim on lead vocals, no less)--provided Hernandez with an invaluable musical education, but it also made him hungry for a chance to explore his own ideas.
San Antonio Current |
Gilbert Garcia |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Notes from Pendleton Rock Campnew
Recently completing its third year, local promoter/musician Peter Walters' Pendleton Rock Camp spent a week crafting bands out of around 50 emo-loving Eastern Oregon kids.
Willamette Week |
Casey Jarman |
08-06-2008 |
Music
King Louie's Portland Homecoming Stirs Up Bittersweet Memories.new
Eight years ago, a stocky, irrepressible young man from Louisiana named Louie Bankston decided to move to Portland, lured by the promise of a new band—the hard-charging garage-blues outfit 10-4 Backdoor—and a full-time job at Oaks Amusement Park.
Willamette Week |
Robert Ham |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: 10-4 Backdoor, King Louie
Folk Artist Matt Jennings is Singing a Different Tune From His Big-time Sibling Masonnew
The brothers Jennings grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and learned how to write songs together at a young age. With Matt writing guitar riffs and Mason composing lyrics, the two would record their songs onto an old Radio Shack tape recorder.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Myers |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Cataracs Have the Fans, Lack the Lyricsnew
For all the group's musical and marketing savvy, when they open their mouths, their words are equivalent of cheap pickup lines: passable for getting your foot in the door, I guess, but hardly charming for guys who seem performance savvy.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: R&B, The Cataracs
Gnarls Barkley: Open-heart Surgerynew
Cee-Lo Green offers silver lining behind The Odd Couple's moody blues.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Why Does the Bay Area Have a Hard Time Harboring Hip-Hop Venues?new
Hip-hop is one of the most popular genres on earth, and San Francisco is a world-class city. Yet this town seems hostile toward this musical nightlife with such revenue-generating potential. Why?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Garrett Caples |
08-06-2008 |
Music
Slut Sister Gets Epic and Violent on 'Raw Meat'new
Although the band describes its music as "metal/hardcore/Southern rock" on its MySpace page, I'd say that description's only about two-thirds accurate. It's definitely hardcore metal, but I'm not hearing the "Southern rock" aspects.
Phoenix New Times |
Niki D'Andrea |
08-05-2008 |
Reviews
Circa Survive's Anthony Green Makes Solo Debut with 'Avalon'new
What Roots godfather Ahmir Thompson is to hip-hop, Green is to local progressive punk — a good housekeeping seal.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
08-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Anthony Green, Avalon
CSS Take a Badass Turn on 'Donkey'new
Countering claims that this slight sonic shift is some sort of betrayal—critics have accused CSS of aping British indie bands, of rendering their sound overly slick and of undercutting their sense of fun with grim lyrics—Lovefoxxx explained that Donkey is in fact more CSS than CSS.
Montreal Mirror |
Lorraine Carpenter |
08-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
On Waiting For Ariel Pink's Warped Pop Songs to Catch Up to The Now Adult Artistnew
Between 2004 and '06, the imprint promoted the bejesus Pink's work then the full-court media press stopped dead. Information about his activities became much harder to come by, and recordings--now tougher to track down--began flowing through no-name labels.
Baltimore City Paper |
Raymond Cummings |
08-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ariel Pink
The Seeing Eyeballs Release 'Who Always Puts Acid in My Coffee?'new
Just as rootsy as it is spacey, Acid in My Coffee moves restlessly through the lo-fi underground, like a subterranean UFO abducting your senses in the blink of an eye.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Andrew McKeon |
08-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
