Author: James McQuiston

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Clamor #36

Clamor #36 / $5.50 / 100M / http://www.clamormagazine.org / I always feel bad when I review earlier issues of a magazine, especially those that have shut their doors recently. However, this issue is just too good to pass up. There are pieces with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club (which shows a humorous side of Clamor that does not usually come through during issues of this magazine), along with a…

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Strange Mike Steel

Strange Mike Steel / 2005 Mouse Chew / $3 / 32M / [email protected] / Strange Mike Steel is a comic that feels as if it came out about thirty years ago. Philip is extremely influenced by this earlier style, but is able to tell a story without really going into the more fanciful story-telling styles of the stories of the era. The first page starts out with an interesting note,…

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

OST: Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof

OST: Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof / 2007 Warner Bros / 16 Tracks / http://www.warnerbros.com / http://www.deathproof.net / Everyone knows that this soundtrack is for the movie that was Quentin Tarantino’s part of Grindhouse, “Death Proof”. The tracks here feel like they are taken from an earlier period. The first track on this score is Jack Nitzche’s “The Last Race”. This track has the seventies orchestral heaviness present in droves, with…

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Slug #223

Slug #223 / Free / 1:00 / 68M / http://www.slugmag.com / For those individuals that have not seen any of the prior reviews of Slug, this is a free zine that is handed out in the Salt Lake City (Utah) region. However, the zine gets a little more in the way of legs when individuals read the feature pieces in the issue. The one thing that seems to have changed…

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Trapt Has World Premiere of “Stay Alive” on Yahoo

Trapt is holding the world premiere of their new video “Stay Alive” on Yahoo today. The band wanted to do something a little different and utilize some of the great talent that exists on the web to create their new video. The band searched hard and found Mile Kalbach, an amazing claymation artists who was a fan of the band.

Posted on: July 26, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Nerve #1

Nerve #1 / Free / 28L / :45 / Nerve House, P.O. Box 12255, Milwaukee, WI 53212 / I was really looking forward to Nerve when I looked at the first page of the zine. In it, it says “There’s no poetry in it”.  I assumed that there was no poetry in the entire issue, but I guess the author just meant that there is no poetry in the word…

Posted on: July 25, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Protest Hill – The City Echoes Our Hearts

Protest Hill – The City Echoes Our Hearts / 2007 Latest Flame / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/protesthill / http://www.latestflame.com / Protest Hill plays a brand of indie-heavy pop-rock that is similar to the work of a Fray, Ben Folds, or Jack Johnson. “All That You Need” is the first track on “The City Echoes Our Hearts”, and it blends Tori Amos ‘s style of piano playing with bassy instrumentation and…

Posted on: July 25, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Different Kind of Dude Fest Announce

With all the summer music festivals coming around this year, Different Kind of Dude Fest is offering something different but necessary—it bills music along with an anti-sexist education. Through workshops, discussions and large-group art projects, Different Kind of Dude Fest aims to present an alternative to the self-indulgent culture of the average music festival.

Posted on: July 25, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Hotel Alexis – Goliath, I’m On Your Side

Hotel Alexis – Goliath, I’m On Your Side / 2006 Broken Sparrow / 14 Tracks / http://www.hotelalexis.com / http://www.brokensparrow.com / There is little more to say about Hotel Alexis besides the fact that they play a brand of indie rock that has no time referent; tracks like “Soft Soft War” and “San Diego Backslide” paint a quiet yet nuanced picture of the band. “I Will Arrange for You to Fall…

Posted on: July 25, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves

Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves / 2007 Epitaph / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/gallows / http://www.epitaph.com / Gallows play a brand of hardcore metal that goes into the style of acts like Men’s Recovery Project and Agoraphobic Nosebleed at times. However, during tracks like “Kill The Rhythm” and “Come Firendly Bombs”, the band create a much more approachable sound than any of those two acts. This means that during a “Come…