Interviews

The price is steep, for the secrets we don’t keep,” sings Matthew Ryan on “Meet Me By the River,” just one of the stellar tracks off his new album, Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State (MRVSS). Ryan doesn’t keep many secrets on the 11 tracks that make up the brilliant piece of work—he lays it out for the listener, warts and all. And it’s quite a journey.

Five albums into her career as a singer-songwriter, Allison Moorer wasn’t sure what to do when number six came-a-callin’. The final decision—an attempt at a cover album, one that focused solely on female singer-songwriters. The result is Mockingbird, which is pure magic.

On January 15, LBM released Illembe:  Honoring Shaka Zulu, the latest in a prolific career that has included more than 50 albums, two Grammy Awards and performances for the Queen of England and Pope John Paul II.

Through the incorporation of various styles of electronic music, professionally-run production and an overall unique appeal, Euphonic Conceptions has been stimulating new vigor in the Colorado music scene. Bringing a fresh perspective on electronic music, the new company has been making waves from coast-to-coast.

Vernon Reid, most widely recognized as the guitarist from late 80s/early 90s evolutionary rock group Living Colour, is no stranger to the world of experimental music. He has worked with everyone from the legendary experimental guitarist David Torn, to the avant minded turntablist DJ Logic. For his latest project Free Form Funky Freqs, Reid teams up with free jazz bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and powerhouse drummer Calvin Weston.

Real Emotional Trash is Malkmus’ most complete nod to classic rock and the long-form jams of the Woodstock era.  It is a completion of musical ideas he has toyed with before, both in Pavement (see “We Are Underused,” from Brighten the Corners, or “Speak, See, Remember,” from Terror Twilight), and in his solo career (see “No More Shoes” from Face the Truth).

As they close in on the 20 year mark, moe. steps out of their recording confines by, ironically, holing up in an old church and hammering out a record in isolation.

Speaking with Glide a week before the release of Widespread Panic’s tenth studio album – Free Somehow – John Bell had a chance to "tickle the truth" about a number of relevant items before getting on the road to let the new songs “grow.”

As Tall As Lions is a landscape of instruments that continually overlap to create a sonic cocktail – part orchestral pop, part lounge with a Latin backbeat holding it all in check.

Trinity Revisited, which will be released as a DVD packaged with an audio CD on February 26, 2008, on Latent/Zoë Records, is not an attempt to outdo what holds a special place in music history—it’s a brief look back to see what remained, an exploration with three guest musicians: Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant, and Vic Chesnutt.

On the full mend from shredded vocal chords following six months of tours in the U.S. and Europe with Blonde Redhead, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, and Secret Machines, Brandon Summers had the chance to chat with Glide about their latest record.

Recorded comfortably in the Zebra Ranch studio operated by Luther's and brother Cody’s father Jim Dickinson, Hernando temporarily postponed the release of a documentary on NMAS. All Stars Front-man Luther Dickinson has recently joined the Black Crowes, appearing on their anticipated Warpaint release, making himself one of rock's most prolific guitarists.

With his latest album, Some Mad Hope, Matt Nathanson wants your attention.  But there’s also part of him that wants to be known for writing songs you love.  In other words, he’s not Adam Sandler’s long lost cousin.

The Black Angels hold an enhancement for that lurking guitar drone that turns their songs into blissfully psychedelic sensory overload, gauzy blues, and industrial-edgy shoegaze. What about all that critical posturing about the Black Angels turning "drone into an art form"? It’s one hundred percent accurate.

Mick Jones, former Clash lead guitarist and vocalist, would never have imagined that he would be considered a punk icon, no less a major part of a legendary band. The whole concept is overwhelming as he says, “I try to ignore all of that otherwise my head will explode.” Almost six years ago, Jones teamed up with his old bandmate and fellow punk legend, Tony James (Sigue Sigue Sputnik/Generation X) to create Carbon/Silicon. These days, Jones seems fulfilled to the point where just making music is enough. Getting there though, has been a trip and a half…

With the record industry in flux, 2008 will be full of surprises. Expect new mainstream releases from Coldplay, Madonna and Weezer sometime this year, and indie releases from Toyko Police Club’s, M83, Raveonettes, and Deerhunter's Bradford Cox new band, Atlas Sound. In the first quarter alone, a lot of spectacular releases are expected. And away we go.

Does Eugene Hütz, strike you as particularly laid back? You think he stands stoically in front of his microphone like Thom Yorke? Nope. Hütz, the Urkranian born lead singer of gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello is particularly animated, and he’s not ready to stand back and let his guitarist do the talking.

The Cowsills’ discography may provide memories of a different era, but the music stands the test of time because fans liked the music then and their kids still like it now for what it is—a soundtrack that conveys the excitement, rebellion and nostalgia of the Summer of Love.

Everyone makes their standard "best of's," top 10s" and "year in review" lists, but each December we like to take that model a couple of steps further. We go straight to the artists to see where they found inspiration over the past twelve months, and we don't stop with just album choices. We dig a bit deeper and go for a broader picture of the past year in art. From classic moments on the road to their guilty pleasure confessions, this is a panoramic snapshot of "the best of 2006," and a peek into what to expect in '07.

Every year this seems to come faster and faster, and every year Glide starts off the ‘best of the year’ discussions saying there really weren’t that many great albums to choose from. What used to be flipping through a dozen stacks of CDs, and finding a few forgotten gems, has now become two-dozen page scrolls through iTunes. And before you get to the random, unnamed tracks at the end, you realize how much newly issued music had a truly significant impact on our ears the past twelve months. So, as quickly as we initially dismissed the year, we inevitably end up having a hard time keeping the contenders list under 100.