Email Author Darryl Smyers

2007 Stories by Darryl Smyers

• Having It All

  published April 5, 2007

  I hate the interview process, the whole thing," says Ira Kaplan, guitarist and founder of Yo La Tengo, one of the most critically acclaimed and... More >>

• From Autumn to Ashes

  published April 5, 2007

  When vocalist/drummer Francis Mark moved from behind his drum kit to replace departing lead screamer Benjamin Perry, hopes were high that this... More >>

• Guster

  published April 5, 2007

  For those hipsters out there who think Coldplay is too big to remain trendy, Guster might just be the band for you. Over the course of a decade,... More >>

• Jerry Lee Lewis

  published March 29, 2007

  At 72, nobody still fucks with the Killer. On his recent effort, Last Man Standing, Jerry Lee Lewis goes toe to toe with, among others,... More >>

• Widespread Yawning

  published March 22, 2007

  With the passing of Jerry Garcia, not only did the Grateful Dead (thankfully and belatedly) end as a functioning unit, but also hordes of... More >>

• Graham Parker

  published March 22, 2007

  At 56, Graham Parker has lost little of the caustic bile that informed so much of his best work of the mid- to late '70s. Always mislabeled as... More >>

• Pretty Damn Catchy

  published March 15, 2007

  Dave Faulkner, singer-songwriter for Australia's legendary punk-pop combo the Hoodoo Gurus, sips coffee in his home in Sydney and talks about the... More >>

• Life in the Fast Lane

  published March 15, 2007

  "I don't chase trends, categories or genres," says Walter Salas-Humera, leader of the Silos. Speaking from the tour van as the band makes its way... More >>

• The Tragically Hip

  published March 15, 2007

  Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005, the Tragically Hip continue their brand of off-kilter power rock on the substantial... More >>

• Various Artists

  published March 15, 2007

  Unless you want to spend megabucks on the massive Complete Stax-Volt Singles box set released 15 years ago, this double disc distillation... More >>

• Calla

  published March 15, 2007

  With roots in North Texas (singer Aurelio Valle and percussionist Wayne Magruder were in Denton's the Factory Press way back in 1993 before... More >>

• Solitude Aeturnus

  published March 8, 2007

  The promotion materials for this Dallas band declare them to be "the masters of doom metal," and though such claims are certainly difficult to... More >>

• Darryl Lee Rush

  published March 8, 2007

  East Dallas resident Darryl Lee Rush is the kind of gritty and straightforward songwriter that gives country music a chance to escape its... More >>

• RJD2

  published March 8, 2007

  Acknowledged as much for his production and mixing skills as for his own recordings, Ramble John "RJ" Krohn deftly incorporates the working class... More >>

• Millennium Man

  published March 1, 2007

  In 2003, Richard Thompson was No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of the top 100 guitar players of all time, right between John Frusciante of... More >>

• T-i-i-i-im-ber!

  published March 1, 2007

  Although his recent output includes a relatively good acting performance in Alpha Dog and the hilarious "Dick in a Box" spoof on... More >>

• Jesu

  published March 1, 2007

  Some folks hide from their past while others are content to rehash old glories to the point of tedium. Justin Broadrick is the intriguing... More >>

• Moneen with Pistolita

  published March 1, 2007

  The Red Tree, the first release from Ontario's Moneen in three years, is the kind of effort that can even give emo a good name. Dense and... More >>

• Roky Erickson

  published March 1, 2007

  One of rock's most renowned burnouts, Roger Kynard Erickson was a legend at 18, when he wrote "You're Gonna Miss Me" while a member of the 13th... More >>

• Retro Nothing

  published February 22, 2007

  Listening to Can't Go Back, the newest release Jason Quever has made under the Papercuts moniker, it's not difficult to hear echoes of... More >>

• Rhys Chatham / Glenn Branca

  published February 22, 2007

  These two renowned minimalist composers, though thematically dissimilar, have always stood at the vanguard of what rock guitar could accomplish in... More >>

• The Broken West

  published February 22, 2007

  Despite a bad name (which was changed due to threatened legal action from the equally awful the Broke Down), this Los Angeles quartet is a... More >>

• Cobra Starship

  published February 15, 2007

  Side projects, especially those featuring members of nondescript emo bands, are not usually known for being earth-shattering propositions. And... More >>

• Coco Montoya

  published February 15, 2007

  Even thought he was a member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for more than a decade, Coco Montoya remains one of the most underappreciated... More >>

• Sour Puss

  published February 8, 2007

  Lemonheads' founder and pop/punk pretty boy Evan Dando couldn't care less about his upcoming birthday or about reaching an age that is often... More >>