New York’s A Place to Bury Strangers has been around for nearly a decade, and, in that time, the band has garnered a solid fan base for its unrelentingly loud slabs of noise. The band’s sophomore record, 2009’s Exploding Head, which the band is still touring behind, found APTBS exploring…
For over 25 years, Roger Miret has been the rough-hewed mouthpiece for New York’s Agnostic Front. In that time, his band has become one of the landmark hardcore/metal outfits, releasing hyper-aggressive slabs of animosity that just seem to keep getting better with time. My Life My Way, Agnostic Front’s tenth…
Last week, Hank Williams III released four CDs of new music — songs that he had written over the span of six months. Sure, a lot of the ideas have been percolating in Williams’ brain for a while as a nasty spat with his former record label has worked itself out…
Best known as the leader of the psychobilly outfit Tiger Army, Nick 13 took a bold step by releasing a solo album of traditional, old-school country back in June. No longer content to wallow in the retro-rock and punk stew of his own band, Nick apparently decided to go way back…
Along with Weather Report and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Chick Corea’s Return to Forever brought jazz music to a rock audience. And though the “jazz fusion” label seemed to piss off the purists, Corea and the other talented musicians didn’t mind the increased profile and accompanying profits. Nearly four decades after…
Buddy Guy, Buddy Whittington, Jim Suhler, The Rick Kelly Band, othersBedford Blues & BBQ FestivalSeptember 4, 2011 Better than: sitting outside and soaking in the blues when the summer hasn’t ended. As a stiff breeze blew the last remnants of excessive heat from the area, legendary bluesman Buddy Guy headlined…
At 75, guitarist Buddy Guy remains as nimble of a string-bender as he was when his career started over 50 years ago. And what a career it’s been: Eric Clapton calls Guy the greatest player ever, and, clearly, Guy has influenced generations of blues guitarists. He still makes great albums, too: Living…
Singer-songwriter Lee MacDougall hails from England, but the guy just can’t seem to get enough of America. Earlier this year, MacDougall made his maiden tour of our fair country. Just a few months later, he’s back for more. And, seeing that MacDougall’s music is heavily influenced by Bruce Springsteen and Tom…
Formed in 2006, the Handsome Furs have released three albums, each one a bit more seedy that the last. The recently issued Sound Kapital is by far the darkest and most depraved of the band’s career. But Alexei Perry says things are going according to plan. “It’s important for artists…
Nicholas Thorburn, leader of the indie-rock band Mister Heavenly, is one of those classic West Coast slackers. His answers to the simplest questions are all bathed in tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. “I don’t really live in Los Angeles as much as I reside here,” Thorburn says over the phone from his, well,…
Los Angeles’ El Ten Eleven has an unusual name and an equally unusual sound. But the band is fairly prolific: In a little less than a decade, the duo of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty has produced four albums of nerdy, precise, new wave-influenced rock. Now, with a sizable, international fan…
Soft-spoken to a fault, Jimmy Tamborello comes across like some kind of computer nerd who’s checking out porn, afraid of waking his parents. A shy, friendly kind of guy, Tamborello makes music under the name Dntel; he either won’t explain the moniker or simply can’t find the strength to do…
Death Cab for Cutie, Frightened RabbitVerizon TheatreAugust 13, 2011 Better than: sweating in the heat only to watch a band implode. After living through the nightmare that was the Kings of Leon show a few weeks back, it was nice to be in the cool confines of Verizon Theatre Saturday…
He’s just 30 years old, but alt-country singer-songwriter Javi Garcia has the world weary soul and voice of someone in their 50s. As such, even though the New Braunfels native has only been playing music professionally for a couple of years, his songs reek with the pathos and anger of…
Although the band’s name suggests cooking instructions, The Browning is actually a talented progressive metal outfit hailing (at least half the time) from Dallas. Led by one Jonny McBee, the band is just about to release its full-length debut. Due out in October on Earache Records, Burn This World is…
Here’s the deal: Slobberbone and the Old 97’s both arrived on the scene at right around the same time in the 90’s, and, though Brent Best and Co. took some time off to focus on other projects in recent years (read: The Drams), both bands are once again currently active…
If only known for his work with the seminal punk band Black Flag, guitarist Greg Ginn would still occupy a revered spot in the annuls of alternative music. His fractured, feedback-laced style immediately stuck out within the hardcore punk movement of the early ’80s. But Ginn also established SST Records in…
Michigan’s Tally Hall has been together for over a decade, yet has only released two proper, full-length efforts. That’s because, like many bands, Tally Hall has been plagued by the major label blues.Seems the folks at Atlantic Records were happy to sign and record the band, just not to promote…
Opinionated, but still down-to-earth, Austin’s Ryan Turner is the epitome of an old-school country singer. He prefers Merle Haggard to Kenny Chesney any day, and believes most popular country singers have simply lost their way. Turner has just released a new EP called Sweet Time, a five-song affair that showcases…
Hailing from Alaska, singer-songwriter Marian Call is one odd duck. With songs that feature themes prevalent to geek culture (technology, science fiction, etc.), Call has cultivated a dedicated worldwide fan base. Her soon to be released double album Something Fierce was completed funded by donations from her devoted following. Call…
Kings of Leon, Band of Horses Gexa Energy Pavilion July 29, 2011 Better than: watching a train wreck. About three songs into Kings of Leon’s set, lead singer Caleb Followill addressed the crowd: “My voice is shot,” he said. “My voice is completely, one hundred percent, gone. But I’m going…
Many bands start out with big dreams and big plans. But very few of them even make it to studio, much less get a recording contract. Most bands go at it a few years, play a few bars and then the members go on to other bands or go back…
