AltWeeklies Wire
Don Edwards and His Hologram Keep the Singing Cowboy Ethos Alivenew
The Texas Tourism Board, in order to help promote the state as a vacation destination, flew Edwards to New York last year and recorded his performance in front a holographic camera.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Usher's Maturity Makes You Long for His Childish Waysnew
He even reprints Corinthians 13:11 ("when I became a man, I put away childish things") in the liner notes, just to beat you over the head with the point.
Baltimore City Paper |
Al Shipley |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Wolf Parade Shows a Mature, Polished Side on 'At Mount Zoomer'new
Part of it is the recording: It sounds more professional. The drums are mixed down and don't have that ragged, recorded-in-a-concrete-closet feeling. The record has more interest in melody--guitars are used as paint instead of gasoline.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Byrne |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
A Visit to the Motown Museum Still Inspires Awenew
You generally think of a museum as a place where canonical cultural artifacts are assembled and put to bed, where later generations -- the irrationally proud parents -- point and poke their noses against the glass. But at the Motown Museum, the past and the canonical have been dealt with differently.
Metro Times |
Cherri Buijk |
07-08-2008 |
Music
Michigan's Most Important Rock Fest Remains Obscure Footnote in Rock Historynew
In the summer of 1970, the Goose Lake International Music Festival was held in Jackson, Michigan, and attracted over 200,000 fans. Unlike Woodstock, it didn't rain and most of those folks actually paid to get in. Despite this, Goose Lake remains an obscure footnote in Midwestern rock history, the big show that hardly anyone outside Michigan has heard about.
Metro Times |
Mark Deming |
07-08-2008 |
Music
Half-Baked Record Nerd Oddities From Dennis Wilson and Droids Resurfacenew
In the late '70s, both these albums were wonders of displacement--either too far behind or ahead of the time to achieve much more than a ripple.
Baltimore City Paper |
Brandon Soderberg |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: space, epic, Dennis Wilson, legacy, Pacific Ocean Blue, Repressed, Star Peace, stoner rock, The Droids
Three 6 Mafia Show Missteps on 'Last 2 Walk'new
Even though the group is currently down to a duo, survivors DJ Paul and Juicy J are still basking in the glow of victory of their Academy Award.
The Contantines Strike a Balance Between Creativity and Commercenew
Despite a deliberate approach, Kensington Heights, the latest recording by the Canadian combo, doesn't sound fussy or effete.
Westword |
Michael Roberts |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Mark Knopfler a Bigger Gay Icon Than George Michael?new

However belatedly, Michael has gradually eased into a late-career incarnation as a gay icon. But proof exists that Knopfler might be the bigger icon of the pair, and would therefore be more worthy of gay rock fans' hard-earned dollars.
Seattle Weekly |
Mike Seely |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Wolf Parade's Followup Lacks Nervy Zipnew
Wolf Parade has spawned countless offshoots, including Sunset Rubdown, Handsome Furs, Swan Lake, Megasoid, Johnny & the Moon, and the still-active Frog Eyes. Perhaps they have stretched themselves too thin locally.
The Memphis Flyer |
Stephen Deusner |
07-07-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
Polvo Taps the Nostalgia on Reunion Tournew
I saw them perform their first show back at Washington, D.C.'s venerable Black Cat in mid-May. The band took the stage to hoots and hollers from a packed house of exactly what you'd expect -- aging white guys whose glory days had long passed.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Brian McManus |
07-07-2008 |
Concerts
Mira Aroyo of Ladytron on 'Velocifero'new

Co-fronting femmebot Aroyo, the Bulgarian beauty behind much of the group's goth-electro image and lyrical mystique, opens up about adrenalin addiction, teen flicks and the non-influence of Duran Duran.
NOW Magazine |
Jason Keller |
07-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ladytron, Velocifero
Coldplay Evades Musical Immortalitynew
While Viva La Vida is by no means a Razorblade Suitcase-esque debacle, it still leaves you a little frustrated.
Jackson Free Press |
Rob Hamilton |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
Greg Gillis, the Mash-Up Magiciannew
The walls of a live music venue absorb a lot of sound during its time, but it’s safe to say that few walls have ever encountered the amount of sound that the Thirsty Hippo did when Gregg Gillis performed in the tiny Hattiesburg bar last week.
Jackson Free Press |
Vince Falconi |
07-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Girl Talk
Merciless Death Invokes the Best of '80s Thrashnew
You'll have to look twice at this CD's liner notes to confirm you hadn't accidentally overlooked the purest of those speed-metal acts of yore.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Merciless Death, Realm of Terror