Interviews

Every film has a season and February 2007 is the season for films that document the life of a band, with narrative pictures like Half-Cocked and Radiation made by filmmakers Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley being released on their Brooklyn based Rumur imprint.

Much as The Grateful Dead did when they got psychedelic on the traditional folk music they grew up on, Toubab Krewe has blended the deep percussive sounds emanating from West Africa and straight ahead rock n’ roll, creating a style that is revolutionary and imaginative.

"Here’s comes the razor of doubt, here comes the falling out,” Matthew Ryan sang on the opening track of his first album, May Day, released seven years ago. That particular song, “Guilty,” has summed up the majority of his feelings he has touched on since: living with the doubts that life deals you. Matthew Ryan isn’t a happy songwriter. He’s a human being.

In today’s world of rock, it’s hard enough for musicians to get a good gig, no less shine in the sound department. Alexa Ray Joel, 21, is up for the challenge. Yes, she is the daughter of the one and only Billy Joel and super-model Christie Brinkley, but she’s far from living in her father’s shadow.

Photographer Brian Diescher counts down his personal favorite live concert shots of 2006.

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.

The New Deal remains the sophisticate's choice in livetronica almost in spite of the genre's popularity spike. As much as some newer, greener crews oversaturate the markets in hopes of rising above the pack, the Canadian trio has scaled back its operation since returning from a touring hiatus in 2004.

Compiling a best of list is a daunting task as it’s difficult to even remember everything released in 2006. The Arctic Monkeys had an album this year? We’ve already forgotten about them. Longevity is the key to a good song or still liking a song after the hundredth listen. 2007 already looks bright with anticipated releases from the Shins, Bloc Party, and LCD Soundsystem in the first quarter alone. The following list encapsulates the songs that kept us rocking throughout another arduous year.

On the surface, with iPods selling in the millions, downloads becoming more and more accessible, and even the actual coining of the moniker, 'The MySpace Generation,' 2006 may appear to be a relatively quiet year for the album. But taken as a whole, it was actually another solid year for LP releases. Sure, there were less blockbusters and a few too many prematurely hyped 'next best thing' mp3s, but when we sat down to go over the piles of CDs, there were more than enough quality titles that had to be reluctantly voted off the island. What we ended up with was a list that offered a little bit of everything – a blurring of genres and styles, featuring artists who created definitive statements – easily identifiable as 2006, but timeless all the same.

Circus Contraption, the Northwest’s premiere one-ring traveling carnival is not your Mama’s circus. Mixing traditional circus skills such as trapeze and aerial dance, acrobatics, juggling and clowning with elements of cabaret, vaudeville and physical comedy; the troupe also creates its own fantastical masks, costumes, puppetry, props, sets and banners.

Back in June, Brothers Past announced that a line-up change was in the works. Long-time drummer Rick Lowenberg had decided to go back to school to study law and environmental issues and a new drummer, Ilya Stemkovsky, was announced as the replacement. Glide Magazine caught up with Stemkovsky to learn more about his new gig.

ortland, Oregon’s The Decemberists recently shocked their devoted fan base when they bolted from long time indie label, Kill Rock Stars, for the mainstream industry giant known as Capitol Records. The Crane Wife signifies a big middle finger to the rules of what is and what should be an indie major.

As the stakes have gradually risen, and potentially reached a boiling point on a west-coast tour with the Benevento/Russo Duo, the group surprised many members within its camp by deciding to take time off from the road, and indulge in some hard-earned down-time.

The Motet fuse together the Latin with the funk, the new break beats with the experimental sax-laden jazz. Through this fusion of sound and cultures, Boulder, Colorado’s darlings have been worldly instrumentalists since 1998. With the release of their new album, Instrumental Dissent, the experimental sextet has further stamped their claim to a sound that has become trademark The Motet.

Following a series of impromptu jam sessions, The Wood Brothers recorded Ways Not To Lose, a stripped down explosion of folky-blues built around Chris’ distinct bass rumblings and Oliver’s road weary voice and simple, yet soulful guitar. Produced by John Medeski, the brothers’ debut album, was released on Blue Note Records, March 7, 2006.

Having gone from being an unknown Brooklyn band playing in bowling alleys, to selling out major clubs in every corner of the country, the group has recently emerged with a new album that’s been listed in Rolling Stone as the number one college album in the country.

Before most people ever heard of Pete Yorn there was one single drumbeat and one quirky movie, Me, Myself and Irene. The drumbeat evolved into an opener for the track, “Strange Condition” and as for the drummer…six years later and a full trilogy released, this singer-songwriter continues to hold listeners captive.

Sharing the anchor spot with Bill Kreutzmann will undoubtedly by his most notable achievement, but it's far from Mickey Hart's only contribution to music, history and even science.

It is uniquely fitting that the man who is being called the voice of Generation X uses cultural debris the way a flasher uses a trench coat.

It’s been seven years and four albums since Dan Messé first heard Sally Ellyson’s voice, as they would soon form the New York based Hem. With an elegant tone and silky vocals, Hem is crafting intimate southern songs that bite.