Email Author Darryl Smyers

2007 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• Ian McLagan, Bugs Henderson

  published July 26, 2007

  It's a shame, but it seems most piano-men end up behind the scenes and known only to those who obsessively read liner notes. Though not known... More >>

• Chris Knight

  published July 26, 2007

  After years of writing songs for the likes of John Anderson, Randy Travis and Confederate Railroad, Chris Knight is finally getting the... More >>

• Living Off Experience

  published July 26, 2007

  Sitting across from Jacob Rodriguez, it's easy to be taken aback by his well-spoken demeanor and baby-faced good charm. Although he plays... More >>

• Greyskull

  published July 26, 2007

  If these local punks had a bit more chutzpah they would have covered the Psychedelic Furs' song they poke fun at with the title track of this... More >>

• Misdirection and Irony

  published July 19, 2007

  When asked what disc is currently in his car's CD player, Ben Templeton's expression is one of bemused sincerity. "I listen to me a lot," says... More >>

• Mark Olson

  published July 19, 2007

  After leaving the pioneering roots ensemble the Jayhawks, Mark Olson married singer-songwriter Victoria Williams and retreated to the California... More >>

• Stan Ridgeway

  published July 19, 2007

  Although tremendously talented, Stan Ridgeway can be both pretentious and annoying. Such disparagement does not prevent his music from being... More >>

• Changing Stripes

  published July 12, 2007

  "Any line-up is like a marriage," says Nick 13, leader of Tiger Army and one of the best practitioners of psychobilly. "You hope it will work, and... More >>

• The Rounders

  published July 12, 2007

  This Oklahoma City five-piece plays a brand of bluesy rock with just the right amount of grit and soul. Wish I Had You, the band's recently... More >>

• Backtrackin'

  published July 5, 2007

  Initially, the only thing that separated folk music from rock was electricity, and Bob Dylan quickly (but certainly not quietly) did away with... More >>

• Asia

  published July 5, 2007

  The Loch Ness Monster does exist. It has to, because there is no other explanation for the resurrection of the dinosaur known as Asia. It's been... More >>

• Virgin Black with TODIEFOR, Shatter Messiah, Epicurean

  published July 5, 2007

  Hailing from Australia and describing themselves as a "symphonic/ gothic/classical act," Virgin Black are a dour quartet who revel in all that is... More >>

• Suckers!

  published June 28, 2007

  For almost 20 years, the Supersuckers have been playing their brand of full-throttle punkabilly, praising everything associated with sex,... More >>

• Sodajerk

  published June 28, 2007

  Longtime friends Bucky Goldstein and Poppa John Tucker formed Sodajerk in Pittsburgh in the late '90s, intent on proving that country music didn't... More >>

• Johnny and the Moon

  published June 28, 2007

  Dante DeCaro (Hot Hot Heat and Wolf Parade) fronts Johnny and the Moon, a pleasantly engaging and sloppy folk/rock ensemble from Canada that... More >>

• Chomp on This

  published June 21, 2007

  I wanted to create a 'chill out' record," says Glen Reynolds about In Between Days, his solo debut. "I wanted to sing about things that I... More >>

• Hardline History

  published June 21, 2007

  This fall will mark the 32nd anniversary of the wreck of the freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, sunk in the cold waters of Lake Superior in... More >>

• The Fold, MxPx

  published June 21, 2007

  With a career spanning nearly 15 years, Washington state's MxPx has always belied the Christian-themed punk-pop tag that is often used to describe... More >>

• Jesse Malin

  published June 21, 2007

  With a history that includes redundant hard-core punkers Heart Attack and pretentious glam rockers D Generation, it would be fairly easy to write... More >>

• Guitar Heroine

  published June 14, 2007

  "Guitar has always been associated as a male right of passage," says Larkin, "but women like Rory Block, Memphis Minnie and Elizabeth Cotton broke... More >>

• Dustin Kensrue

  published June 14, 2007

  Most notably known as the lead singer, lyricist and guitarist for the post-hard-core quartet Thrice, Dustin Kensrue tackles an entirely different... More >>

• Minus Story, Shearwater

  published June 14, 2007

  Hailing from Missouri but with strong ties to the Lawrence, Kansas, rock scene, Minus Story is highly influenced by Flaming Lips, living in a... More >>

• Backtrackin'

  published June 7, 2007

  Punk rock got me through high school. Not the quivering-lip brigade currently masquerading as punk under the emo banner, but the real deal: late... More >>

• Ian Hunter

  published June 7, 2007

  Approaching his 68th birthday, Ian Hunter is still the consummate rock star. With his flowing, blond locks and those ever-present sunglasses,... More >>

• Two Cow Garage

  published June 7, 2007

  Two Cow Garage For the many folks, including me, who miss Slobberbone, this trio from Ohio could be just the alt-country fix you've... More >>