Posts by Zach Johnson

When thinking about quintessential summertime songs released over the years, many tunes come to mind, but if you’re looking for a song that best encapsulates all the good-time vibes of the season, you’d be hard-pressed to top Mungo Jerry’s classic “In the Summertime.”  There’s something timeless about the simplistic joy that characterizes this jaunty little […]

It’s officially summer for everyone in the northern hemisphere, which is typically cause for celebration for most people, unless you happen to live somewhere really fucking hot, that is. Take Sacramento, for example, where triple-digit heat and scorching sun are par for the course this time of year, a fact that apparently inspired Sactown native […]

With its location in the heart of Wicker Park, Subterranean has been a magnet for attracting up-and-coming bands ever since its inception as a live music venue way back in 1994. Celebrating its 30th birthday this year, it’s remarkable to think about all the epic performances it’s played host to the past three decades, especially […]

In honor of the incomparable Sir Paul McCartney (who celebrated his 82nd birthday yesterday), for this week’s special Juxtaposed June edition of Weirdo Wednesday, we’re sharing this somewhat hilarious clip of him enjoying some good old fashion American death metal with legendary producer Rick Rubin in the studio. Indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find two […]

When thinking of legendary NYHC (New York Hardcore) bands, the originators of that scene from the 80s (like the Cro-Mags or Agnostic Front, for example) tend to get most of the notoriety. And rightfully so, considering they pioneered the genre. Still, the next generation of bands that emerged in the 90s and injected new energy […]

Continuing our special Juxtaposed June edition for Weirdo Wednesdays this month, today we bring you another particularly odd pairing that clearly does not go together in the form of this Suicidal Tendencies performance on Miami Vice from 1986. Where to begin here? First of all, when most people think of Suicidal Tendencies’ fanbase, it’s probably […]

With the exception of Coachella or maybe Lollapalooza, has there been a more iconic and celebrated festival in the 21st century than Tennessee’s very own Bonnaroo? It’s certainly in the conversation, but whatever the case, given it’s slated to kick off this week, we dug up this classic performance by The Growlers from not too […]

Hard to believe it’s been 26 years since The Jesus Lizard last released an album, but that drought will apparently be broken later this year when their new record Rack drops on September 13th via Ipecac Recordings. They’ll also be hitting the road for an extensive tour to boot, so to help get everyone excited […]

For a special “Juxtaposed June” theme on Weirdo Wednesdays this month, we’ll be showcasing some particularly odd pairings that, quite simply, do not go together (which will only accentuate the weirdness of course)! That said, just because two things may not go together on paper, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t work, as this clip […]

Summer is a beautiful time of the year, particularly in northern latitudes, where folks tend to celebrate its arrival after a long, harsh winter. A case in point is Chicago (where this writer happens to hail from), where you can already start to feel that jubilant feeling in the air as people start congregating en […]

NYHC is a subgenre of punk rock that took its roots in, you guessed it, New York City back in the mid-80s. As the name suggests, it was a style that heavily leaned into the aggressive sounds established by hardcore-punk pioneers like Black Flag and Bad Brains a few years earlier, but usually with a […]

It’s hard to believe it’s been over 30 years since Beck first burst onto the alternative music scene with his classic Mellow Gold album in 1994. If that doesn’t already make you feel old enough, check out this clip from MTV’s 120 Minutes, which features a strikingly awkward interview between Thurston Moore and a babyfaced […]

Jimi Hendrix was a phenomenal guitarist. It’s probably safe to say that fact has been fairly well established for the last half century or so. Everyone knows he was a revolutionary figure in music, haven brought a certain swagger, groove, and rawness to rock n ’roll that made practically everything else that came before him […]

For a lot of people, Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with the unofficial start of summer and all the festivities that go along with that. That often involves hitting the beach (if you happen to live close to one anyway), but regardless of your proximity to open water, here’s a classic summer punk-rock jam that […]

When thinking about some of the most delightfully weird and outright fun bands to emerge from the new-wave scene, did anyone do it better than the legendary B52s? While they always had a natural oddball quality about them, few bands managed to channel that energy into something as infectiously danceable as the B52s, as this […]

1966 was a pretty epic, downright revolutionary time in the history of music. Between The Beatles’ mind-bending studio wizardry on Revolver, Bob Dylan capturing that self-described “thin wild mercury sound” on Blonde on Blonde, and the seeds of psychedelic rock starting to sprout all around, it’s easy to forget about another genre taking root back […]

For today’s edition of Manic Monday, we’re keeping it metal by spotlighting one of the most promising bands to emerge from that genre in the 90s, the mighty Machine Head. We say promising because, while they certainly came charging out of the gate strong with their classic debut album Burn My Eyes, they subsequently suffered […]

Closing out our Steve Albini tribute week with this classic interview with the perpetually weird Nardwuar, who discusses, among other things, smashing toilets, lighting farts on fire, Gene Simmons pranks, “pet” cockroaches, and fluffy coffee.  There’s also a hilariously brief George Martin impression from Mr. Albini himself here, so gotta love that.This is a pretty […]

With the untimely death of Steve Albini still weighing heavily on hearts and minds, we’re dedicating this week’s Manic Monday to his most notorious band, noise-rock pioneers Big Black. The below clip captures their legendary last gig in Seattle way back in 1987, which features the likes of Soundgarden‘s Kim Thayil, Mudhoney/Green River‘s Mark Arm, […]

Many people regard particularly compelling live shows as not merely great performances but great “experiences.” If you happened to witness Swans’ performance at The Metro in Chicago on May 11th, chances are you can now relate to that sentiment wholeheartedly.  Granted, Michael Gira and company have been decimating audiences in one form or fashion for […]