Dave Holland Quintet, Critical Mass (Dare2 Records). Bassist Dave Holland, who emerged from some of Miles Davis’s top ensembles, may be jazz’s most underrated bandleader. His latest is a typically consistent effort that allows collaborators like trombonist Robin Eubanks to shine even as it showcases Holland’s graceful songwriting and unimpeachable…
Laughs are in short supply on the average Bruce Cockburn disc. He’s a serious fellow, whether he’s addressing personal concerns or global issues. But he’s gotten away with dourness for decades, thanks to a handful of specific, and very impressive, skills; his lyrics are extremely precise and often poetic, and…
When Jeff Tweedy talks, people listen. And if they don’t, well, he makes them. Just ask anyone who caught the cantankerous alt-country troubadour’s solo show at the Gothic Theatre last February. Dressed in Bob Dylan’s beard, Tweedy brooded across the stage with his guitar and harmonica, demanding absolute silence from…
Birthed five years ago in Denver but now based in Chicago, the Lavellas are an atmospheric pop band in the best sense. Instead of taking cues from Radiohead and Coldplay, like the bulk of their peers, they draw inspiration from Catherine Wheel, Slowdive and Swervedriver. Boasting a dreamy wall of…
If ever there was a band that didn’t seem built for the long haul, it’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When they started out in ’80s-era SoCal, the Peppers were a gimmicky concert phenom thanks to (literally) balls-out performances, but most of their material didn’t hold up once the socks…
Think about South Florida’s intimate relationship with Cuba and the Caribbean, and the influence it’s had on that region’s music scene. That same sort of cross-cultural, stylistic leg-humping goes on in Southern California across the Mexican-American border, and there’s no better example than L.A.’s Ozomatli. The bilingual, genre-smashing, Latin-funk-rock-rap outfit…
Steven Williams, the owner of Midwest hardcore label Init Records, once tried to coin the term “emo violence” as a substitute for the now-convoluted screamo subgenre. At the time, it was tough for independent hardcore acts to differentiate themselves from the growing status of their sissy-pants mainstream rivals. The alternate…
I was once a thirteen-year-old girl. No lie. It totally happened, and I can prove it by deciphering C.Y.S.L.A.B.F. — the acronymic release from Los Angeles-based all-chick band Mika Miko. Any girl that survived middle school knows the basics of gossip: a slip of notebook paper exchanged between classes, scribbled…
Patrick Houston is back. Finally. For years, the fleet-fingered guitarist has been bearing the burden of being an ex-member of Angels Never Answer — a band ahead of its time that imploded before realizing its full potential. Although Houston has spoken of new projects and bandmates in the past, things…
In the electronic scene, where “live” usually means “laptop,” L.A.’s skylab2000 is truly an anomaly. The man behind the Skylab moniker — Dennis Barton — creates sounds live in the moment without relying on loops or pre-recorded instrumentation, allowing the vibe of the crowd to dictate where the music goes…
Could there be a worse name for a guy in a band?” asks John Common of his surname. “Look up ‘common’ in the dictionary, and here’s what it says: normal, plebian, standard…having no special distinction, coarse.” Ironically, none of those terms come close to describing Common. In fact, his latest…
If misspelling Shudder to Think’s name in my Jeremy Enigk piece a few weeks ago wasn’t enough to get my hipster credentials revoked, this ought to do the trick: I’m developing an affinity for country music. And I’m not talking about the classics (you know: Hank, Buck, Merle, Waylon, George,…
Genghis Tron’s fans must have strong spines, because the group’s habit of abruptly switching from melodic electronic passages to hardcore explosions is capable of producing whiplash in concert settings. Too bad the musicians don’t get more of a chance to enjoy seeing dozens of necks cracking simultaneously. “The music is…
Two bands, one stage, one burning question: Who would win in a celebrity death match between these two ’80s icons? For the curious, here’s the tale of the tape. Why Journey Will Win: With hits like “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Open Arms,” “Wheel in the Sky”…
Five years and as many releases into its existence, Supply Boy is still somewhat of an obscurity in the Mile High City, which is unfortunate in light of the act’s startlingly sophisticated musicianship and its penchant for creating smartly crafted pop songs that don’t fit neatly into any specific subgenre…
Dramatic, cinematic and unflinchingly poppy Austin quartet What Made Milwaukee Famous writes intelligent songs, plays them with heart-stopping passion and never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously. While Schlitz might have given the band its name, Michael Kingcaid, Drew Patrizi, John Farmer and Jeremy Bruch are clearly under…
So this is what the concert industry’s come to: a large-scale reunion tour for a relatively minor band that’s been all but forgotten for decades. Granted, the James Gang’s most notable lineup produced one future star, Joe Walsh, and a couple of good tunes, “Walk Away” and “Funk #49.” But…
When the Black Crowes bring their reliable brand of anachronistic rock to town this weekend, the true draw of the evening will be supporting act Drive-By Truckers. Although often compared to Lynyrd Skynyrd by lazy scribes who can’t see past the triple-guitar threat of Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason…
Dir en Grey appears to be filling the Rammstein slot on this year’s Family Values tour as the super-visual, non-English-singing band that wins the crowd over through sheer live intensity. Although its new disc, Withering to Death, marks its American debut, the Japanese group has actually been around for a…
Anyone who grew up in the ’80s remembers the original Nintendo video-game system. Equally memorable was some of the unusual and inventive music written by programmers for the different levels in each game. With all things retro coming back into vogue in bizarre ways, it should come as no surprise…
There aren’t many rock bands led by drummers, for obvious reasons; most listeners prize melody above percussion, even though beats are primarily responsible for getting them off their cans. Nevertheless, timekeeper Damon Che’s primacy in the math-metal instrumental outfit Don Caballero makes perfect sense, because his playing provides the tricky…
Aggressive, obnoxious and frequently unlistenable, the music of Salt Lake City’s Agape is also often dangerously danceable, hypnotically seductive and pleasantly disorienting. The experience of an Agape show lies somewhere between the scrotum-shrinking rush of jumping out of an airplane and the exquisitely unendurable pain of being trampled by a…
