Interviews

Glide's Chris Calarco was able to catch up with Marc Brownstein, bass player for The Disco Biscuits and Conspirator when Conspirator played Portland, Oregon on Wednesday February 9th. After some BBQ Korean Tacos Calarco sat down with Marc, one of the most enthusiastic and accessible musicians you will ever meet.

Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter Brooke Annibale certainly knows a thing or two about getting help from her friends. Her fourth and latest release, the phenomenal Silence Worth Breaking, might not even exist were it not for the support she received from a Kickstarter.com campaign last fall.

Cold War Kids' recorded mission since the beginning has been to "match what they've done on-stage." With their latest album, Mine is Yours (their third full-length), the goal was to finally realize that vision, taking a little more time in the studio to craft a long-lasting sonic monument, one that would stack up to their peers like TV on the Radio and Arcade Fire, who, according to Willett, "sound very labored with so many layers of tracks." Working in Nashville with big-name producer Jacquire King (well-known for his contributions to Kings of Leon and Modest Mouse albums), Cold War Kids wanted to go the next step in their journey, achieving a "eureeka" moment that could serve as a fresh start.

What a wonderful sound, when two beautiful voices converge in harmony to form a melody that is so pleasant you feel as if you could reach out and touch it.

Washington D.C. legends The Dismemberment Plan released four hugely influential albums in the burgeoning indie rock scene of the late '90s and early 2000s, earning vast critical praise for their unique blend of calculated math-rock rhythms, dexterous instrumental skills, and quirky, off-beat tunes about disconnect and confusion in a rapily changing world. They've also proved to be one of the most influential bands of its era, along the way influencing everyone from Death Cab for Cutie to At the Drive-In.

They have one of those names that makes you wonder what the heck they were thinking when they chose it but in actuality it fits them very well. The catchy jittery unrestrained songs that come from a happy jittery unrestrained singer that you can’t seem to well…. “cage."

Hackett's been especially busy lately: Besides his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis (Finally, prog rock gets some Hall of Fame love!), he's released two albums within the last year-and-a-half (2009's full-length Out of the Tunnel's Mouth and the 2010 live album Live Rails). Glide recently had the chance to catch up with Hackett, touching on his recent projects, his inspirations, and the inevitable Genesis questions…

We present parts 1 and 2 of Hidden Track's two-part e-mail interview with Anastasio in which Trey shares his thoughts on the current lineup of TAB, the return of the acoustic set, the signs that have popped up at Phish shows and much more…

Showroom of Compassion, Cake's newest album, is no exception to this recipe. After a nearly seven year break (Has it really been that long?), McCrea and company have returned with another great—not mind-blowing—but great album. Which is totally fine—in today's "Make A Grand Statement" age, it's nice to know that Cake are still the great little band we've always loved, even if they aren't blowing anyone's minds. This time around, the band did decide to record with 100% solar energy, which is undeniably impressive, but outside of that press release-clogging tidbit, pretty much nothing has changed.

Let England Shake continues where PJ Harvey's White Chalk let off– not in sound but in aesthetic endeavor. It’s a daring step forward for Harvey. Dissenters may cite alienation as their key grievance for this new era in Harvey’s career, wishing for a return to the lower register singing and gripping guitar playing that characterized much of her 90’s work. In many ways, they’re not wrong to feel frustrated at Harvey’s new sound; however, reinvention is central to her artistic process, and to deny expansion is limiting and hampers potentially new avenues for Harvey’s self expression.

Is David Lowery going solo these days? Yes and no, according to him. His latest collection, The Palace Guards, takes Camper and Cracker’s frontman to untouched territory within his mind and music.  What may sound familiar is the trusted circle of musicians Lowery has relied on for over 17 years and who are once again instrumental in creating the sounds for The Palace.

    The groundbreaking rock duo The White Stripes announced Wednesday they are splitting up and "will make no further new recordings or perform live."   Jack White and Meg White say there are a "myriad of reasons" for the breakup, but the main reason is to "preserve what is beautiful and special about the […]

Under the Avey Tare moniker, Dave Portner released his debut album, Down There, under this dark shadow, creating electronic soundscapes filled with oscillators and sequencers, odd synthesizers bubbling underneath pitch-shifted vocals and sound effects. He envisioned the album as a swamp (which explains the album's crocodile-themed artwork) and as a journey through hell. Glide spoke with Portner about his debut album, the dark themes permeating through the music, and his love of both filmmaking and the music of Steely Dan.

Glide recently had the pleasure of chatting with some members of the fantastic New Orleans gutter gospel rock group, The Rough Seven.  Bringing to the forefront honesty, a blazing sound that’s ready to run off the rails at any moment, and a smile to the most fucked up situations injects the Rough Seven with a sense of vitality.  The band is a conglomerate of local All-Stars, but their coming together and release of Give Up Your Dreams allows us all to get a glimpse inside the gritty greatness of the group. 

If you think you have heard their name before it’s probably because you have. With their 2008 full-length debut WRECKING BALL, they gained some noteworthy success with the song “The Rat”. Following that up with a moodily engaging opus called SUGAR, The Confederate has come back with more songs about not-so-happy things. Their goal is to make meaningful music that pleases not only their fans, but themselves as well.

Satriani’s releases have encompassed everything from straight ahead rock ‘n roll to funk, from blues to electronica, from epic jams to blink-and-you-miss-them ditties. Now, well over two decades into his career, Satriani talks about his passion for the music he loves so much and how that fervor has helped make his latest album, Black Swans & Wormhole Wizards, one of his most eclectic—and satisfying—releases in years.

The resurgence and renaissance of Hall and Oates, which for those paying attention is simply a continuation of the hip hop sampling of their hits that began in the 1980s, is both exciting to fans and surprising to some critics. Most surprised are likely those critics who have always missed the point and lost the story of the most successful pop duo in music history.

Although I have never spent any considerable length of time in the South, Mike Farris all but assures me that the stories are true: The first question people often ask is “Which church do you attend?” and the second is “Which team do you root for?”’"Because up in the Northeast it’s not that big a deal. But down South? Oh my God, it’s all about your Alabama Crimson Tide fans, and then it’s NASCAR…and they eat, breathe, sleep, and die of loyalty to a jersey, you know? A lot of that—your salvation and who you root for—sometimes goes hand-in-hand. So it’s a different world down here, but it’s my home!”

Shreveport, Louisiana, native Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been listening to the blues since his early childhood. After discovering Muddy Waters in his father’s record collection, Kenny Wayne has been mixing some rock & roll with those blues and blasting out something that catches fire once he hits a stage, because that is where he comes alive. On his new CD, Live In Chicago ( which has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album), Kenny Wayne has been able to capture that spirit while playing alongside some of the legends of the blues.

On  the 2010 edition of The Glide 20, there are no secrets or under the radars in store here (except maybe Hendrix somehow slipping in again)– most of these albums are ones you probably own, have downloaded, or perhaps you've seen these artists peform live in 2010.  But what the f#!k, they are all stellar and go without saying makes the best of the year. So, as we've done the past eight years – The Glide 20 – The 20 Best of 2010.