Nothing ever dies on the Internet. Last week, drummer Mark Holland of the North Carolina band Jennyanykind–which released its fourth album, Big John’s, late last year–was searching for any references to his band on the Web, when he stumbled across the following: “30 years later, there still exists no band…
His old friends, men whose own names are synonymous with myth, often wondered what became of the man named Red. For years, they couldn’t understand what in the world would persuade William M. Garland to abandon New York City for the boonies, his hometown of Dallas. The pianist’s departure seemed…
The last waltz Good Night, Little Girl of My Dreams Budapest One Self-released When all else fails–when description becomes banal, when praise becomes hyperbole–then perhaps it’s best to fall back on the old, familiar standby: friggin’ brilliant. Somewhere among these 12 tracks, on a record that lasts no longer than…
One of the prime tenets of Hinduism and its Buddhist offshoot is the notion that becoming unattached to temporal objects and issues provides the means to achieve nirvana. By giving up the small shit, we can get the big enchilada. Simple, right? Hardly. Life on this earth is so fraught…
Detention rock The Donnas Get Skintight Lookout! Records “Rock and Roll High School” is the Donnas’ alma mater, but “Fuck School” is their anthem: The only thing these four gals ever studied was the history of three-chord punk–and most likely they skipped that class too, so they could smoke in…
The area in front of the stage at Austin’s Waterloo Park is one stray cigarette away from bursting into flames, a loose bed of hay piled on top of the park’s green grass like an accident waiting to happen. A few days ago, when it was raining, the hay seemed…
MP3 is a joke There’s a Poison Goin’ On… Public Enemy Atomic Pop Public Enemy’s Chuck D used to proclaim hip-hop as black folks’ CNN; too bad he changed the channel and stuck the remote on the Home Shopping Network. A year after the soundtrack to He Got Game, Chuck…
For a man who has appeared on The Tonight Show a handful of times–most recently, only days ago backing singer-songwriter (and, yes, Madonna’s brother-in-law) Joe Henry–Earl Harvin can be made to feel self-conscious rather easily. Take this moment: It is 6:33 p.m. on a Friday, and the patio of the…
The short goodbye Going Away Transona Five Drawing Room Records The title of Transona Five’s follow-up EP to last year’s Duffel Bag couldn’t be more apt: The band will indeed be going away in the coming months, beginning with bassist Scott Marks’ departure for upstate New York. The remaining members–guitarist…
For a man who died 25 years ago, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington is one hell of a prolific man. This year alone, he has released some 10 albums–not to mention an eight-disc boxed set, and another mother containing 24 CDs with a list price of $407.97. The labels in charge…
It was an anxious Tom Ze, guitarist, singer, and experimentalist, who took the stage in New York City’s Central Park six years ago. Back then, Ze was a complete unknown in the United States, and not even terribly famous in his native Brazil. Indeed, less than five years before, Ze…
The Kahn method of doing business appears to go something like this: Come up with a molten nightclub concept. Find a hot spot, one to lure excited investors looking for a glamour buy. Generate enthusiasm among contractors and vendors charged with crafting the sizzling slot by boasting about all the…
Jesse Camp first came to public attention as the winner of MTV’s “I Wanna Be a VJ” contest in 1998. His lanky frame, incorrigible hair (a vintage heavy-metal electric-socket situation), and distinct mannerisms so appealed to MTV viewers that his original stint of several weeks was extended to the rest…
August: Toadies release Interscope Records debut Rubberneck. Aug. 31: The Wonderbra is introduced. Sept. 14: Baseball owners and players can’t resolve labor issues, forcing an early end to the season–and the cancellation of the World Series for the first time. September: E.R. debuts on NBC; Chicago Hope premieres on CBS…
Old men, young chests Bad Love Randy Newman DreamWorks Records Randy Newman has always wanted to be popular; he always moans about not racking up the hits like Billy Joel or Paul Simon. He even closes Bad Love by insisting “I Want Everyone to Like Me”: “I want to earn…
Until a few weeks ago, this performance space beneath the Majestic Theatre was nothing more than a place where dancers killed time before going on stage–stretching out, shooting the breeze. You can still see the ballet bars and mirrors behind the black drapes that valiantly try to masquerade the room’s…
Every few minutes, Baboon frontman Andrew Huffstetler abruptly leaves the table, breaking off the conversation to disappear briefly into the thinning crowd of diners at Sushi Nights. None of the other members of the group–bassist Mark Hughes, guitarist Mike Rudnicki, and drummer Steven Barnett–pays much attention to Huffstetler’s comings and…
Pal Joey…and Marky This is…the Savage Young Wallys The Wallys Amp Records Day One On the Double On the Double Records There hasn’t been anything new to say about The Wallys since the Ramones released their eponymous debut in 1976, and The Ramones Leave Home and Rocket to Russia a…
Trick of the trade Music for Hangovers Cheap Trick Cheap Trick Unlimited Nothing at all unseemly about this live one-off, culled from four sold-out shows at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago last year; the only thing missing is the Smashing Pumpkins’ opening performances, though Billy Corgan’s weepy liner notes and…
Cedar Walton was 25 years old when he made history, then faded into it. He was a kid from South Dallas beginning to find his way around New York City, a piano player at the start of what would become one of the most estimable, if most unheralded, careers in…
The directions lead to a nondescript office building off Central Expressway, just south of Meadow Road–a five-story tan-brick box that saps the life out of you just looking at it. There is no sign on the outside, just an address in large white numbers on the facade, the sole identifying…
Smokin’ in the noise room Walkin off Naked Jalopy Womb Tune Records No one could ever accuse the modern-day psychedelia crowd of not being awfully damned funny, even if it is usually unintentionally so; hell, that makes it more enjoyable anyway–a belly laugh instead of a hidden snicker. For proof,…
