Death reported at Gathering of the Juggalos

Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes are covering the annual Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois for our sister publication, The Riverfront Times. Daniel HillThe now-closed “drug bridge” The Gathering of the Juggalos’ infamous “drug bridge” is closed today, following reports of a fatal overdose last night. Ambulances were on…

Camping with Juggalos: Ten must-have items

Daniel Hill and Drew Ailes are covering the Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-in-Rock, Illinois for our sister publication, The Riverfront Times. We hope to see them again! At some point in your life, you may find yourself sitting in a minivan in rural Illinois, stressed out as you wear…

Here’s what the Bluebird looked like in 1933

The Bluebird Theater. You know it. You love It. You’ve been to hundreds of shows there, and have probably driven past it ten times that over the years. You’ve probably heard the folklore about how at some point the theater apparently used to show dirty pictures sometime before it hosted…

The ten worst collaborations in metal

Magic can certainly happen in the recording studio, but with some collaborations, a witch’s brew with a horrid stink can also boil over. Huge, lottery-sized paychecks evidently blinded the poor fools involved from seeing what truly awful things they were creating. Where’s Marty McFly when you need him? If only…

The ten best metal videos

Music videos are the artistic representation of a band’s music, a visual extension of muscle from the shoulder to the fist, jarring a deeper emotion in your brain. If music videos were never created, who knows what would’ve happened? Well, actually a couple things are certain: We would have been…

The ten best metal reunion/revitalization efforts

When musicians reconvene, it can often be as unpredictable as a high school reunion, but at least when band dudes get back together or merely rediscover their original inspiration, it’s something to look forward to rather than dread. Keep reading for a rundown of the ten best metal reunion/rivitalization efforts…

The ten heaviest metal deaths

Unless you’re the Highlander, death is simply inevitable. Be that as it may, the untimely passing of these metal men left us all in shock, defying the natural order of things. From Jeff Hanneman and Chi Cheng, most recently, to Randy Rhoads and Cliff Burton, all of these revered metal…

Terence Blanchard on the state of jazz today

In this week’s Rough Mix with trumpeter Terence Blanchard, who is due at Dazzle this Saturday and Sunday, we spoke with him about recruiting younger players and how composing for film has rubbed off on his jazz playing. In this extended Q&A, he talks about new Blue Note effort, Magnetic,…

The ten best Southern metal bands

Because of the relentless, pounding humidity and heat, a different kind of anger boils in the veins of Southern metal cowpokes. Southern metal is at all times heavy, like metal should be, but it’s also lethargic at times, with a sweet tea in hand, sitting on the porch, and sometimes…

Carnage wants to be the biggest DJ in the world

Propelled by a well-received collaboration with Borgore, Carnage’s stock is steadily rising in the EDM world. He recently headlined the Bass Pod at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, and threw some wild parties before and after. In advance of his appearance at Global Dance Festival this weekend, we spoke…

40th Day talks about Lovely Like a Snake

In 1986, 40th Day, reconvening for a show this weekend at the Larimer Lounge, came together when drummer Sid Davis and then guitarist Todd Howell formed the project in the D.U. area, where many of the band members over the years lived. That’s also where the band’s practice space was…

Adam Ant on going DIY with his new record

Born Stuart Goddard in London, Adam Ant was the bass player for a band called Bazooka Joe, an outfit that opened for the Sex Pistols for its first live gig. In 1977, he formed Adam and the Ants, and while early on the group was coming out of punk, after…

The ten biggest arguments in metal

Along with booze and a bowl, a metalhead’s favorite pastime is arguing about all things metal — the who, what, where, when, why and how something is the best of the best. These arguments typically end with broken teeth, bloody noses, fat lips and a cold can of beer on…