Email Author Zac Crain

2004 Stories by Zac Crain

• Eisley, Radiant*

  published December 30, 2004

  For now, it's easy enough to judge these two bands by their past deeds: two whimsical, wonderful EPs (Laughing City and Marvelous... More >>

• Dirty Life and Times

  published December 23, 2004

  By now, if you were at all interested in "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott--either as a fan of Pantera and/or Damageplan, or simply from a... More >>

• Sparrows

  published November 11, 2004

  Not many musicians can casually drop a little Ludwig van Beethoven--Opus 27, No. 2, better known as the "Moonlight" sonata--amid a set of (mostly)... More >>

• Fast Times at MotorSport Ranch

  published November 4, 2004

  Jack Farr smiles as he asks the question: "So, you ever been around a road course before?" Before I have a chance to make sure my seat belt is... More >>

• Ted Leo + The Pharmacists

  published October 28, 2004

  Michael Moore timed the release of his Fahrenheit 9/11 DVD to hit stores in the weeks leading up to the November 2 election so he could... More >>

• Pixies

  published October 28, 2004

  The people who turned out for the Pixies' first Dallas-area gig in more than a decade were nothing short of orgasmic in their response. I thought... More >>

• Jimmy Eat World

  published October 21, 2004

  Three years doesn't seem like a long time between records, but kids today--sorry, that's who buys Jimmy Eat World albums--don't have that much... More >>

• From Horror to Heroes

  published October 7, 2004

  In the field outside the village, where he and some of the other young boys from the tribe spent long, hot days tending to the cattle, there was a... More >>

• The Thrills

  published September 16, 2004

  With help from producer Dave Sardy, The Thrills trade in some of the Laurel Canyon loveliness of their debut, last year's So Much for the... More >>

• Elvis Costello

  published September 2, 2004

  As Rhino's long-running reissue campaign winds down, it's fitting that three of Elvis Costello's most misunderstood and unappreciated albums are... More >>

• Guided By Voices

  published August 19, 2004

  Things you always knew needed to happen on the last Guided By Voices album: It has to be on Matador Records, the home of Alien Lanes and... More >>

• Badly Drawn Boy

  published August 12, 2004

  All of Damon Gough's albums lack focus, indulging his fondness for his kaleidoscopic record collection until they become high-concept mix tapes,... More >>

• Turf Wars

  published August 5, 2004

  When Tommy McHenry steps onto his porch, it's obvious what the problem is. Or part of it, anyway. To the elderly ladies who've lived here in Casa... More >>

• Golden Oldies

  published July 22, 2004

  Drag It Up is the Old 97's sixth album and their first since 2001's Satellite Rides. Since that album, the band has been dropped... More >>

• Sahara Hotnights

  published July 1, 2004

  On their last album, 2002's Jennie Bomb, Sahara Hotnights were a badass girl gang, switchblade sisters whose game plan was summed up by... More >>

• Love Shaq

  published June 24, 2004

  Everyone in Dallas is salivating over the prospect of Shaquille O'Neal playing for the Mavericks next season. No one on the Mavs has been... More >>

• "Nice Kid, But..."

  published June 17, 2004

  The kid calls it luck, says it with a little laugh and a small smile, as if he´s sharing a secret. Says it casually, his dark eyes flitting... More >>

• By the Book

  published June 17, 2004

  My wife belongs to a book club, a monthly, no-men-allowed assembly at the home of one of her girlfriends where the gossip and red wine flow as... More >>

• Midlake

  published June 17, 2004

  There are good bands that write well-crafted songs and play them capably, even managing to inject their heads and hearts into the process. And... More >>

• Kill ’em All

  published June 10, 2004

  No one's really sure how Bobby Weaver got in or what, exactly, he's doing on the couch. Well, besides sleeping. But here he is, sprawled out in... More >>

• Artists in Residences

  published May 20, 2004

  Jack Matthews was the only one who saw it, the only one who looked at the deserted buildings on a forgotten street off downtown and pictured a... More >>

• Draft Dodger No More

  published May 20, 2004

  When we ran our cover story on LaMarcus Aldridge ("He Wants to Be a Millionaire," April 29), it seemed as though the Seagoville High... More >>

• The M's with The Chemistry Set

  published May 20, 2004

  Check out the reviews from the recent Coachella Festival in California (and ticket sales while you're at it). Look at what's being downloaded on... More >>

• Descendents

  published May 13, 2004

  Go back in time and destroy every copy of the Descendents' 1982 Milo Goes to College, and the Warped Tour never happens. Because without... More >>

• He Wants to be a Millionaire

  published April 29, 2004

  Every few minutes, the man screams the same desperate sentence, hands cupped around his mouth in a futile attempt to be heard above the crowd.... More >>