Posts by Katherine Yeske Taylor

In the mid-1980s, The Bolshoi were one of the most distinctive bands to emerge out of the English music scene. Blending post-punk and alternative rock, accompanied by witty and often wry lyrics, they had a darker edge than many of their peers, as they skillfully showed on singles such as “Away,” “Sunday Morning,” and “T.V. […]

A Shoreline Dream’s music has been variously labeled shoegaze, post-rock, and prog rock, but it’s really a seamless amalgamation of each style, all cloaked in a cinematic, atmospheric haze. This distinctive sound has attracted the attention of several noteworthy artists, who then requested to work with the band. As a result, A Shoreline Dream have […]

Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin is in an excellent mood as he calls from Louisiana, as his beloved alternative rock band prepare to perform the final dates on their successful return to the road with their “Legends of the Fall 2022 Tour.” “I’ve had a blast! The tour has gone even better than I […]

Brett Anderson, frontman for The London Suede, seems relaxed during a recent Zoom video call from his home in Somerset, England – but his laid-back demeanor contrasts sharply with the edgy persona he presents on his band’s latest album, Autofiction (out September 16th via BMG). “I describe it as our punk record,” Anderson says of […]

Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hütz calls from Istanbul, Turkey, where his gypsy punk band will soon take the stage in the latest stop on their extensive European tour. Since Gogol Bordello’s inception two decades ago, they’ve become legendary for their exuberant, high-energy performances – but there’s a new urgency now, as they use their music […]

On February 11th, acclaimed alternative rockers Urge Overkill released Oui, their first studio album in more than a decade. But even co-frontmen Nash Kato and Eddie “King” Roeser, calling from their Chicago homes, are at a loss to explain why it’s taken them this long to put it out into the world.  “We can’t possibly […]

Calling from his New York City home, acclaimed guitarist Lee Ranaldo admits that his latest solo album, In Virus Times (released in November via Mute Records) wasn’t even initially meant for public consumption at all. “When I made these recordings, I wasn’t really making them with the idea of releasing them as a record – […]

NRBQ frontman Terry Adams is pleased to hear that his band’s latest album, Dragnet (out on November 12th via Omnivore Records) seems uplifting, despite being created during these dark times. “That’s the highest compliment you could give us,” he says.  The way Adams sees it, keeping a positive attitude is part of his job description. […]

When English alternative rock band The The released their 1983 debut album Soul Mining, founder and frontman Matt Johnson was praised as a particularly astute and exceptional songwriter. He maintained that reputation through 2000’s NakedSelf album – then put The The on hiatus as he turned to film composing and other projects. So it was […]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when most people have been sticking close to their home turf, Mark Lanegan has actually done the opposite: last year, he moved to the other side of the world, from California to Ireland. During a recent call, he says he did this for a “change of scenery.” He finds that his […]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many musicians have struggled to adapt to being separated from their bandmates, shoegaze/dream pop-rock group Film School have been rather fortunate: with members split between Los Angeles and San Francisco since 2006, they’re already comfortable with writing and recording remotely, as they did on their evocative new album, We Weren’t […]

In a career spanning more than forty years so far, Lydia Lunch has taken on many roles: musician, writer, spoken word poet, self-empowerment speaker, podcaster, and actress, just to name a few. Through it all, she’s been an unwavering countercultural voice, using her art as a platform for her outspoken take on a wide range […]

“Being creative, it’s easy to feel counter to the current,” says Yves Jarvis, one half of the esoteric Canadian folk-rock duo Lightman Jarvis Ecstatic Band. That is certainly the approach he and bandmate/partner Romy Lightman took when they resided at Tree Museum, an outdoor art gallery about a two-hour drive north of Toronto, where they […]

Atmospheric instrumental band Lanterna released their seventh studio album, Hidden Drives, on June 4th (via Badman Recording Co.) – but as frontman/guitarist Henry Frayne explains, these new tracks actually emerged from material that he first wrote several years ago. “I have a notebook of chord charts and song ideas, so in 2016 I sat down […]

Violent Femmes singer/guitarist Gordon Gano is friendly when he gets on the line – but when asked where he’s calling from, he quips that he’s in “an undisclosed location.” Then he relents a little: “I’m in the United States,” he says, adding with a laugh, “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to hang up – […]