Comix Current #1 / Free / 16M / comixcurrent@hotmail.com / sylkates@yahoo.com / The first piece in Comix Current is an explanation about the history of comics and comic strips. I had no clue that the art form had such a long history, but apparently it can be followed all the way back to the 17th century. The piece is relatively short but does not leave anything out in the way…
Independent singer Allen Watty has just taken controversy to another level. Watty is best known as the singer of the “Hurricane Song,” which won rave national reviews from ABC News, MSNBC.com, and CNN. Now, he’s back with another tune called “Sometimes I Wish I Was White.” In the song, Watty reveals that he’s not at all ashamed of being Black — but that he has learned that you have to…
Eric Clapton – Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007 / 2007 Rhino / 240 Minutes / http://www.ericclapton.com / http://www.rhino.com / This DVD features the events that occurred during the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, an event set up by Eric Clapton to help the Crossroads Center in Antigua. While all the tags on the DVD point to this being a Clapton-only DVD, there are performances captured by a number of other individuals. For…
Clamor Magazine #34 / $4.50 / :45 / 76M / http://www.clamormagazine.com / Clamor Magazine is always an interesting read, and this issues theme, “Academia Under Attack†is no exception. To be honest, there is maybe a little too heavy of a focus on traditional academia; this focus is merited but seems to be a little dry at times barring the cover piece about Ward Churchill). This piece creates two distinct…
Danish born, Los Angeles based pop-punk trio HorrorPops will unveil their hotly anticipated third album, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, on February 5th courtesy of Hellcat Records. Inspired by thematic elements from vintage films and classic soundtracks, the noir-influenced release emphasizes the band’s unique ability to intermingle a variety of influences ranging from punk, rockabilly, new wave and surf.
Doug Neumann – Does Decaydance / 2007 Decaydance / 14 Tracks / http://www.dougdoes.com / Do you remember all of those lounge singers that would go and put their own spin on popular songs? Well, Doug does that with a number of Decaydance artists, which means that “Does Decaydance†has Doug’s interpretation of Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, Panic! at the Disco, and more. Educated at the Berklee…
Mike Watt is a underground rock institution; he’s nothing short of national treasure. beloved by all who know him or have ever worked with him and multitudes that have only seen and/or heard him play with the seminal art punks minutemen, fIREHOSE, and since that redoubtable combos ending — as a solo artist frontman for many amazing ensembles and “sidemouse” for many more including Iggy & The Stooges, banyan, hellride.…
This is another of my friends’ zines, this time done by Dan from Breaking World Records. This zine is very spastic in the choice of pieces, and I personally feel that I am missing out by not having a chance to read the other issues of this magazine. Some pieces I just personally can’t get into, including the two formal pieces about Hitchcock movies. The deconstructionalist poetry is always fun…
Metal Mind Productions presents “End Of The Weakness†– Archeon’s debut album. Influenced by Jan Sebastian Bach as well as In Flames, Archeon creates songs which are heavy but, at the same time, melodic, diversified and easy to listen. The band perform with great precision and technique and their music wins them very positive feedback of the audiences from Europe and North America.
Eazy-E – Featuring Eazy-E / 2007 Capitol / 16 Tracks / http://www.emicap.com / “Featuring Eazy-E†is an album that collects all of the different songs that were milestones of Eazy-E’s career, whether it be with other individuals or were songs that were hidden away for about the last fifteen years. This means that there are songs on here like “Automobile†(with N.W.A.), “Get Yo Ride On†(with Mack 10 and…
Internet radio/art collective expands archives and makes ambient, headphone-masterpiece available digitally. Approaching their Proton Drive goal and celebrating their 8th anniversary, pioneering internet radio station DUBLAB is plenty pumped heading into 2008 with a new, more-functional website and a shift into nonprofit status. In appreciation of their 300,000+ listeners worldwide, DUBLAB will be steadily expanding their ever-growing archive of sonic gems in the upcoming weeks premiering an arsenal of live…
There is a new web site for those individuals that are looking for writing tips. This web site, dailywritingtips.com, has a number of tips on writing. The web site will give individuals the ability to increase their writing skills to a degree that will put them at the top of their friends, family, or other social agglomeration of individuals.
Clamor #31 / $4.50 / 1:00 / 80M / http://www.clamormagazine.org / Clamor is a zine that tries to model itself after the higher-print run zines like The Progressive. They succeed with this, and with a fairly light entry into this issue (the first actual article comes a full seven pages into the zine) individuals might wonder where’s the beef (or soy/tofu as the case may be). This feeling will soon…
The musical and award-winning talents of MARY J. BLIGE, MAROON 5, and internationally acclaimed Latin pop stars RBD, will be showcased in the NFL PEPSI SMASH SUPER BOWL CONCERT SERIES on Thursday, Jan. 31, and Friday, Feb. 1, in Glendale, Arizona.
Hellraiser 20th Anniversary / 2007 Anchor Bay / 93 Minutes / http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com / Hellraiser is one of those lines of horror movies that seem to get the shaft when compared to either the Jason or Freddy movies. The plots are always interesting, the deaths always innovative, but yet the films typically reside at a level below that of the more established horror franchises. Luckily, Anchor Bay noticed that the movie…
Vickie Winans and Marvin Winans, Jr. Lead Nationally Known Christian Lineup During Two-Day Event Expected to Draw 13,500 A new Christian Music Festival has been launched by veteran Oakland County attorney, C. Daniel Harry, with the aim of inspiring thousands of people to come together in peace and worship to enjoy two days of music and family fun in the outdoor, pastoral setting of Northern Oakland County.
Clamor #23 / $4.50 / Full-Sized / 68 Pages / PO Box 20128, Toledo, OH 43610 / http://www.clamormagazine.org / My first experience with Clamor was really a mixed bag. While all of the pictures and layout look decent, with the layout seeming a little sterile but workable, some of the pieces collected in this issue really seem diffuse or lacking in any sense of cohesion. Take, for example, the interview…
On his first studio album since 2003’s highly praised Later That Day… (called “easily one of the most creative hip hop albums of the year†by Amazon.com), Lyrics Born (aka Tom Shimura) once again raises the bar with Everywhere At Once. Long known for his innovative beats, creative collaborations and crooner-esque vocal performances, Lyrics Born furthers his song-craft and incorporates elements such as pop, reggaeton and R ‘n B on…
Black Tide – Shockwave / 2007 Interscope / 2 Tracks / http://www.blacktidemusic.com / http://www.interscope.com / This single is Black Tide’s first foray into the major label scene, and their brand of classically influenced metal will go over big with a populace that has been lusting after anything retro. “Shockwave†is so close to a Judas Priest song that I’m frankly afraid that Black Tide will be tapped as a copycat…
Across the pond, British Sea Power fans are kicking up quite a ruckus in the name of rock music as anticipation builds for the release of their forthcoming album in early 2008.