Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble Release Second Album ‘Couldn’t Stand The Weather’
Weirdo Wednesday: Nardwuar Interviews Steve Albini
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 […]
On ‘Neon Pill’ Cage the Elephant Injects Subtle Grooves & Infectious Melodies’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
In 2019, Cage the Elephant released its safest and softest album, Social Cues. Though the album has some great songs, it’s pop rock that is easy to digest, stripped of the aggressive, primal nature of the band’s early work. The band’s latest offering, Neon Pill, follows that trend. The Kentucky rockers have a knack for […]
Tim Easton Paints Most Fully Realized Work On ‘Find Your Way’ (ALBUM REVIEW)
Seldom has there been a more appropriate title than Find Your Way for well-traveled, veteran singer-songwriter Tim Easton. He’s been a busker in Paris and Prague, he’s lived and worked on both coasts and had a long stint touring through remote places in Alaska. He’s been in rock bands, is currently with a folk supergroup, […]
LISTEN: Subway Rat Offers Melodic Freestyle On “7 Train”
Subway Rat is an indie-alternative singer-songwriter from Flushing, Queens, New York City. A relative newcomer to the alt-rock scene, he has gained over 5 million streams on Spotify in only 12 months. With a background in marketing and technology, David Polanco, the project’s brainchild, expertly infuses elements of hip-hop and classic rock to appeal to […]
LISTEN: Leah Callahan Drops Chrissie Hynde Vibes On Slinky “Super”
Leah Callahan made DIY waves in the Boston music scene as a frontwoman for the bands Turkish Delight US, Betwixt & The Glass Set. Reinventing herself as a solo artist, she has released four albums so far this decade. Curious Tourist was released on April 29, 2024. Callahan’s waltz-inspired melodies twirl around sliding guitars on “Super.” Fitting […]
Kathleen Hanna Shares Deep and Introspective Stories in Memoir ‘Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk’ (BOOK REVIEW)
Kathleen Hanna’s memoir, Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk, vividly captures her extraordinary journey as a musician, activist, and avatar of the Riot Grrrl movement. From her challenging childhood to her influential roles in Bikini Kill, The Julie Ruin, and Le Tigre, Hanna offers an unvarnished portrayal of her life, marked by deep […]
The Avett Brothers Make Ambitious Return with Self-titled, Rick Rubin-produced LP (ALBUM REVIEW)
It’s been five years since The Avett Brothers last released a new record, and at nine songs, their new self-titled LP is one of their shortest to date. But it still manages to tackle some of their biggest themes yet, centering on spirituality and purpose. The result is a mixed bag. The album opens on […]
Futurebirds Announce New LP ‘Easy Company’
Athens, GA indie rock band Futurebirds have announced the release of their new album, Easy Company, on August 9, 2024 via Dualtone Music Group, a MNRK Company. To give listeners a taste of the album, the band drops the Easy Company EP today, a 3-song teaser with a song from each of the band’s distinct […]
40 Years Ago Today – Violent Femmes Release Second Album ‘Hallowed Ground’
The Blood Brothers Announce First Tour In Ten Years
Today, Seattle’s venerable post-hardcore five-piece The Blood Brothers are celebrating two decades of their seminal album ‘Crimes’ with a limited vinyl reissue out on October 4th and the announcement of their first shows in ten years. On the occasion, vocalist Jordan Blilie muses: “As we’ve been putting together the 20th anniversary reissue of ‘Crimes’, what I’m struck by most listening back is […]
Monsters of Folk Celebrate 15 Years With Expanded New Self Titled Release Edition
Monsters of Folk – the acclaimed band comprised of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) – are celebrating the 15th anniversary of their self-titled, one-and-only album with an expanded new edition, arriving Friday, June 14 via ATO Records on clear vinyl and digital download. Pre-orders are available now. In addition, a number of multi-colored vinyl options will also be offered exclusively […]
Nada Surf Signs To New West Records – Releasing New Album ‘Moon Mirror’ 9/13
Nada Surf has signed to New West Records and will release their anticipated new LP, Moon Mirror on September 13, 2024. The 11-song set was produced by the band with Ian Laughton (Supergrass, Ash) and recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales. Moon Mirror is Nada Surf’s first album in four years and marks the 30th anniversary of […]
SONG PREMIERE: Rainy Eyes Chooses Not to Settle For Less with Simmering Blues-soul Tune “You Just Want What You Can’t Have”
Rainy Eyes is a young Lafayette, Louisiana-based singer/songwriter by way of Bergen, Norway where she was born and raised. After leaving home and moving to Denmark at 18, she met and fell in love with an American free jazz musician. The couple eloped to San Francisco, where Rainy embedded herself in the local music scene, […]
Tuesday’s Gone: Steve Albini Recording Magnolia Electric Company’s ‘Josephine’ – 2009 Mini Documentary
Continuing with our Steve Albini tribute this week, it’s no secret that he “engineered” (his preferred term to describe his work as a studio producer) some absolutely classic albums by the likes of the Pixies, Nirvana, Slint, and PJ Harvey (just to name a few). But not many people know that he also worked with […]
55 Years Later: Neil Young & Crazy Horse Unleash Epic Song Fury On ‘Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere’
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is ground zero for a collaboration between Neil Young and Crazy Horse that has lasted for over a half-century. The personnel has not always been the same as on this second post-Buffalo Springfield album by the Canadian rock icon, and there have been some protracted intervals when Young has deliberately worked […]
Grateful Dead: Dave’s Picks Volume 50 – The Palladium, New York, NY 5/3/77 (ALBUM REVIEW)
Given that 1977 has become one of the most highly regarded epochs in Grateful Dead history, it only makes sense that Volume 50 of Dave’s Picks is devoted to two shows from that year. After all, the concert from May 25 at The Mosque in Richmond, Virginia, was the initial exhumation from the vault for […]
LISTEN: The Harpoonist Keeps The Harp Alive On Anthemic “Good People”
Originally from Toronto, The Harpoonist is the alias for the harpoon/harmonica/harp prodigy, otherwise known as Shawn Hall. Having performed for almost two decades, spending 17 years as part of The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer (with guitarist Matt Rogers taking the name of the latter), the duo released six albums, playing countless sell-out tours, and […]
LISTEN: Brookside Mall Drops Hypnotizing Indie Flair On “Young Champions”
A seven-song survey of displacement, Brookside Mall’s No More Fragrant Thoughts places proper nouns in improper places. Whether bending a love song to fit an homage to television’s Forensic Files or the surreal irony of tugging at a string of mailer daemon emails like a loose thread, the album balances a blank slate with the anxiety of […]
Eliza Hardy Jones of The War on Drugs on The Emotion and Maximalism Behind Her New Solo LP ‘Pickpocket’ (INTERVIEW)
Philadelphia-based Eliza Hardy Jones is a full-time member of The War on Drugs, has been in Iron & Wine and Grace Potter’s touring bands, and has also been a vocal coach/performer on The Philly Specials (members of NFL’s Eagles) holiday albums. Very recently, she released her new solo album, Pickpocket, which arises from a very […]