Yes, as a rule actors and musicians should stay in their own lanes. But like every rule there are exceptions and Rob Benedict, singer/guitarist for the LA-based indie rock band Louden Swain may just be one of those exceptions (I refuse to concede that Jared Leto is).
In 1969, after his single “Space Oddity,” managed to garner a decent amount of attention, David Bowie with his wife Angie moved into a massive house in London along with a slew of other hippies, that went under the name Haddon Hall. The house is the setting for the quirky yet inventively creative book by graphic designer/comic artist Nejib. The hardcover comic tells the story of Bowie putting together his…
Since 2007, Missouri’s favorite sons have been churning out one great alt country/indie rock album after another and 10 years later they show no signs of giving up the ghost. “Heart-Shaped Mountain,” their fifth record is just as strong as anything they have put out before. Apparently, the band was already a week into recording this album when a hardware crash deleted everything they had recorded. The crisis forced the…
“Make It Be” is a Lo-Fi/Power Pop dream team mash up. The album pairs lo-fi legend R. Stevie Moore, who has played on hundreds of albums going back to 1969, with Jason Falkner, who aside from his solo work is best known for the brilliant and short-lived early ‘90s Power Pop band Jellyfish.
There is something heartening about a kid raised in the ‘90s who doesn’t immediately track to the obvious pop punk or neo-emo clichés in making music. Ron Gallo’s New West Records debut (and second solo album), draws in from a deep well of garage rockers, psychedelic pop and classic punk and just about everything in between. The fuzz-laden guitar riffs on the first few songs sound like them came out…
The Roy Orbison special “Black & White Night” was a must-see by rock fans of all ilk when it first aired on Cinemax in 1988. The star-crammed supergroup special has long since been hijacked by PBS stations across the country looking for an attention-grabber during pledge season, but the appeal is just as strong as when it first aired 30-years ago, (the special was recorded live in LA in 1987,…
Lone Star state native Scott H. Biram started blending punk rock, Blues and country years before anyone decided to christen the cobbled-together genre, folk punk. Across nearly a dozen releases, Biram has been one-man banding it since 2000, churning out one great record after another. And “The Bad Testament,” his first full length in about three years, is no exception.
For the past few years, Austin-based musician Matthew Squires has been turning out one great album of quirky indie pop after another and “Tambaleo” shows no signs that he is letting up anytime soon.
The British feminist punk trio Skinny Girl Diet are a reminder that the Riotgrrl movement, though a little more under the radar, is still alive in bands across the globe. Their first full length, the scorching, distortion-layered “Heavy Flow” is one hell of a statement from the band.
They may be Boston-based, but Clem Snide was still one of the best alt country bands going throughout the ‘90s and early aughts. Their debut, “You Were a Diamond,” which came out in 1998, is finally getting a proper vinyl re-release courtesy of Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records. This is one of those albums that was just begging for the warmth of vinyl; It’s a stripped down, minimalist sound…
Arcade Fire has been an enigma ever since 2004’s brilliant Springsteen-influenced “Funeral” brought the Montreal band global attention. Their refusal to stay in one musical place too long, incorporating a more dance-heavy vibe on later albums and the invitation for crowds to dress in costumes or formal attire for their concerts, just continued to puzzle many and thrill even more.
Almost as a rule, musician autobiographies are a chance to settle scores, name names, spew vitriol; essentially an exercise in one-sided venting. Obviously, someone forgot to mention that to Johnny Marr. And while this revelation may turn off some of the realty TV-warped Smith out there, for those looking to get an honest sense of who Marr is as a person, Set The Boy Free makes for a fascinating read.
Midwest-based group The Legal Matters is the power pop supergroup made up of members from bands you’ve likely never heard of (Hippodrome, anyone? The Phenomenal Cats? An American Underdog?). Regardless their collaboration in The Legal Matters is bound to bring the attention these guys clearly deserve.
Aaron Lee Tasjan may be prolific, but he is anything but easy to categorize. He’s played guitar with the New York Dolls and Drivin N’ Cryin, started his own Glam Indie rock band and can still manage to pay homage to some of the great acoustic singer/songwriters of the ‘70s on his solo efforts. His latest, “Silver Tears,” tips a hat to everyone from Harry Nilsson to John Prine, in…
There’s certainly no dearth of Bob Dylan live records out there. Thanks to the Bootleg series, just about every Dylan concert ever put to tape has found its way to the public (or likely will soon). “The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert” is the latest and one of the most curious in Dylan lore. It also happens to be a fantastic set.
There have been a slew of great stories around the Rolling Stones for generations now, maybe more so than any band, so you’d be forgiven if you’re sporting a tattoo of the Tongue logo, but can’t exactly recall the short-lived band, The New Barbarians. Thankfully, rock journalist Rob Chapman’s got you covered.
In the 11-year span of their first run, Australia’s Crowded House could simply do no wrong, churning out one brilliant album after the next at a rate of just about an album every other year until their split in 1996. The band has since reunited two times – between 2006 – 2011 and again in 2016 – but it’s hard to find a period as creatively solid as their first…
![Cowtown – Paranormal Romance [12”] (Vinyl LP)](data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCAxMjAwIDEyMDAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMjAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjEyMDAiIGRhdGEtdT0iaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZuZXVmdXR1ci5jb20lMkZ3cC1jb250ZW50JTJGdXBsb2FkcyUyRjIwMTYlMkYxMiUyRmE0MDQ0NTM4NzU5XzEwLmpwZyIgZGF0YS13PSIxMjAwIiBkYXRhLWg9IjEyMDAiIGRhdGEtYmlwPSIiPjwvc3ZnPg==)
UK-based group Cowtown, along with having a truly great band name, have a jerky, frenetic sound that is equal parts Talking Heads and Oingo Boingo with just enough pop hooks to recall a band like the Knack. Their latest, “Paranormal Romance,” takes the sound that’s been hinted at in earlier records to chaotically perfect new heights.
Long before shows like Black Mirror, there was The Twilight Zone. Arguably the greatest intellectual Sci-Fi series ever created for TV. CBS/DVD has finally put out all 156 episodes of this groundbreaking show, across 24 discs.
Grinder was proof that network television channels are capable of creating original, smart comedies; That witty sitcoms were no longer just meant for cable stations. Then again, Grinder was also proof that network channels are also clueless enough to kill a great thing after just one season.