Mark Lanegan was once a major player on the rock scene, but that was a long time ago. Ask the average person about Screaming Trees, and he’ll probably assume you’re referring to the Ents in The Lord of the Rings, not Lanegan’s grunge-era group. That’s just as well, though, since…
Growing up, Blake Sennett was just another Corey Feldman, destined to milk the reality-television circuit as an adult. With roles such as Pinsky on Nickelodeon’s short-lived Salute Your Shorts and Joey the Rat on Boy Meets World, his acting career was about as promising as G-Dub’s chances for re-election in…
With her squelched sensuality, sandpaper howling and sweet whispers, April Parks wields a powerful and multi-faceted voice. Unfortunately, that voice is already taken. If a reality show is in the works for Rock Star: No Doubt, Parks is a shoe-in. Despite the uncomfortable shadow of Gwen Stefani, her rich warblings…
Stoned Emotion’s freshman release drips with echoes of My Morning Jacket, John Mayer, Warren Haynes and even ’80s alt-rockers the Feelies. Lushly produced, the disc moves from one pleasing track to the next. Vocalist, lead guitarist and principal songwriter Phil Dudden’s everyman voice proves flexible, whether biting into the Southern-rock…
Richard Cheese, The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese (Surfdog). Yes, lounge versions of rock songs are an old joke (see New Morty Show, Pat Boone, etc.). But as long as the arrangements are as well done as these, the joke doesn’t get old. Cheese sends…
At its peak, Stereolab was among the most distinctive combos on the planet. Throughout a succession of discs capped by 1996’s unimpeachable Emperor Tomato Ketchup, the act, led by multi-instrumentalist Tim Gane and beguiling French-born singer Laetitia Sadier, offered up an irresistible blend of electro-dabblings, twisted kitsch and left-wing ideology…
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Exene Cervenka’s arrival in Los Angeles and the fiftieth anniversary of the punk grande dame’s arrival on earth. To prove she’s still going strong, Cervenka has released a brand-new album with her “band,” the Original Sinners — made up of collaborator Jason Edge…
As evidenced by his last two albums — Pigeon John Dates Your Girlfriend and Pigeon John Sings the Blues! — Pigeon John is the kind of guy who talks about himself in the third person. Narcissism is not an unusual trait for a rapper — heck, Eminem’s entire career is…
The difference between Gilmore Girls and The O.C. is that the former’s too-fast-to-be-believed witty banter is obviously fueled by writers well versed in punk rock, whereas five minutes into the latter self-serving teen drama, no one over the age of 21 cares one iota for the misguided characters. Stole Your…
It’s one to thing to say that Band of Horses is influenced by Built to Spill, the Flaming Lips and the Shins. But there isn’t a single sound on Everything All the Time, the Seattle group’s debut, that doesn’t come from one of these three influences. Still, it’s a pretty…
Judging by the moniker under which he performs, Jackie-O Motherfucker leader Tom Greenwood isn’t interested in impressing middlebrow music lovers — but the collective’s name is only the most obvious example of his outsider tendencies. He founded the project circa 1994, and over the course of ten releases, he’s studiously…
Musicians who are fortunate enough to experience longevity in their careers are sweet on experimenting in order to keep themselves from losing interest and becoming completely sterile. This often upsets longtime fans who would prefer that each album simply sound like an extension of their favorite. Experimentation, however, is necessary…
A few years back, the Casualties were accused of punk-rock misconduct over a couple of cans of Aqua Net. Rumors were that the New York-based foursome had hired a personal hairdresser to pomp up its members’ cowlicks. Known for their three-foot-high Mohawks and Liberty spikes, the Casualties were easy to…
With an acronym that could either stand for Piece of Shit or Product of Society, P.O.S. sounds more ’80s hardcore throwback than hip-hop backpack. As it turns out, the latest MC from the Rhymesayers crew to bust out of the Twin Cities is a little of both. While rap-rock hybrids…
When you call the first song of your demo “The Band That Was Sad About Something,” you’re really asking for it, especially when the song itself is as majestically moping as Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish or Spacemen 3 on a glucose drip. But is Quadramess the subject of its own song?…
Japan’s electronic-music scene remains a fanatical one, with a long history of genre-defining artists who could hold their own with any of their U.S. and U.K. counterparts. Japan’s scene is a bit more self-contained, though, and few of those artists, if any, manage to cross over and find success in…
When it opened last summer, Manny’s Smokehouse quickly developed a reputation as a hot spot for barbecue and blues. But now you can scratch barbecue — and the club’s original name, too. “Manny is no longer with the company, and there’s not barbecue anymore,” explains bar and kitchen manager Jake…
If anyone said, ‘You can have a time machine and travel to play with any band ever,'” declares Machine Gun Blues guitarist Josh Terry, “I’d probably go back and play with the Spencer Davis Group.” Terry and his cousin Aaron Collins, who fronts Machine Gun Blues, have been making racket…
There are plenty of reasons why singer-songwriter Ben Taylor might seem cranky. Perhaps he doesn’t like conducting interviews from his tour bus. Maybe he’s lost patience with one of his companions, a Jack Russell terrier (it belongs to tourmate Tristan Prettyman’s percussionist) that’s eager to escape the vehicle by any…
Good teachers learn from their students — and Utah Phillips is the best. For fifty years, the California-based folksinger and activist has crisscrossed America via hopped trains and hitched rides, absorbing songs and stories to pass along to all who would listen. But it hasn’t been a one-way street. While…
All hail Jurassic 5! They were a breath of fresh air, bringing pleasure and fun back to the type of hip-hop listened to by indie-rock fans. But they did not come alone — and the group that came with them, the Black Eyed Peas, has turned from a fun bit…
It’s been six years since the Greyboy Allstars brought their blend of jazzy funk to the masses. Formed and produced by DJ Greyboy in San Diego in 1993, the Allstars dropped a couple of studio albums and a live effort before embarking on separate solo endeavors. Most notable was onetime…
