Email Author Darryl Smyers

2006 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• Furs Trade

  published August 17, 2006

  Possessing one of the most recognizable voices in rock, Richard Butler has delivered his stylish rasp for nearly three decades. With the... More >>

• Evangelicals

  published August 17, 2006

  Judging by the intrinsic eccentricity of the Flaming Lips, Starlight Mints and now Norman, Oklahoma's Evangelicals, there must be something in... More >>

• Left Alone

  published August 17, 2006

  Dead American Radio, the third album by L.A. quartet Left Alone, seems like your standard punk rehash, complete with two members sporting... More >>

• Boys With Burning Eyes

  published August 10, 2006

  Alasdair MacLean, front man for British retro mope rockers The Clientele, is as unapologetic about his band's signature sleepy sound as he is... More >>

• Snowbyrd

  published August 10, 2006

  It's nice to catch an act before everyone knows what's going on and enjoy that giddy satisfaction of having a pocket band all your own. San... More >>

• Corrine Bailey Rae

  published August 10, 2006

  This British singer's eponymous debut has created quite a buzz in her homeland, becoming only the fourth release by a female to ever debut at the... More >>

• Presidency of the Wild

  published August 3, 2006

  Inspired by fellow showbiz folk turned politicos (Schwarzenegger, Ventura, Friedman), one Theodore Nugent, aka The Motor City Madman, is said to... More >>

• Public Image Ltd.

  published August 3, 2006

  Reissued the way John Lydon requested, Metal Box gets magnificently de-digitalized as three 12-inch 45s sealed in a metal faux film... More >>

• The Bittersweets, Rose County Fair, Doug Burr

  published August 3, 2006

  The Life You Always Wanted, the sparkling full-length debut from San Francisco quintet The Bittersweets is music of an uncommon, almost... More >>

• Say Hi to Your Mom

  published August 3, 2006

  In his Brooklyn apartment, Eric Elbogen creates detailed narratives based on classic science fiction and horror themes and somehow manages to make... More >>

• Soul Asylum

  published July 27, 2006

  As part of the big three Minneapolis godsends of the '80s (along with Hüsker Dü and the Replacements), Soul Asylum, despite... More >>

• Rhys Chatham

  published July 27, 2006

  nspired by seeing the Ramones at CBGBs, noted composer Rhys Chatham was one of the first to see the value of the electrified guitar in a... More >>

• Kevin Welch

  published July 27, 2006

  In the late '80s and early '90s, Kevin Welch, much like his friend Steve Earle, never fit any major-label marketing scheme. Lost between rock and... More >>

• Whole Wheat Bizkit

  published July 20, 2006

  "I look like Fred Durst in this fucking hat," says Jakob Sereno, lead singer of the Uncontrollable Urge, as he tosses the offending cap to drummer... More >>

• Daddy-Daughter Day

  published July 20, 2006

  Peregrine, the monumental sixth effort from Kansas' Appleseed Cast, represents not only a stylistic shift from their regrettable emo past... More >>

• The Bottle Rockets

  published July 20, 2006

  Along with Uncle Tupelo, Missouri's Bottle Rockets have to be considered the godfathers of the '90s alt-country/roots-rock revival. Their... More >>

• MXPX

  published July 20, 2006

  Of all the labels to be unfairly saddled with, the oxymoronic "Christian punk" tag has dogged this Pacific Northwest trio for more than a decade.... More >>

• The Beatdown

  published July 13, 2006

  In 2000, lauded producer, remixer, DJ and label owner Peter Rauhofer won a Grammy for Remixer of the Year. For all those who even knew such a... More >>

• Slaid Cleaves, Hayes Carll

  published July 13, 2006

  Although working in similar veins of country and folk, singer-songwriters Slaid Cleaves and Hayes Carll come to greatness from remarkably... More >>

• What Made Milwaukee Famous, The Lord Henry

  published July 6, 2006

  Taking their name from Jerry Lee Lewis' best country song, one might wrongly assume Austin's What Made Milwaukee Famous would fall squarely into... More >>

• Carla Bozulich

  published June 29, 2006

  While her eerie alt-country creations with the Geraldine Fibbers were moody to say the least, Carla Bozulich's second solo release,... More >>

• Turned Off

  published June 22, 2006

  "I have the emo bangs," laughs Donnie DeBoer, pulling his lengthy locks away from his face. The singer and main songwriter for local rockers Auto... More >>

• Boys Named Sue

  published June 22, 2006

  Country music has always found room for both the shitkicker and the guy who falls in shit. Even Buck Owens and Roy Clark suffered through the... More >>

• The Beatdown

  published June 22, 2006

  Londoners Will Kennard and Saul Milton spent their snotty, late teenage years tagging bridges with the moniker "Chase and Status." Luckily for... More >>

• The Beatdown

  published June 15, 2006

  These days, being French doesn't provide the advantages it once could. Riots in Paris, political scandals, "Freedom Fries" and, hell, even Lance... More >>