No idea how you can be gloomy in LA, but something’s bumming out the kids in War Tapes. On The Continental Divide, the band’s first full-length, the group draws strongly from fellow somber rockers like Joy Division, Interpol and Echo and The Bunnymen. The result is a solid effort, if a bit repetitive.
Land of the Lost may have tanked in theaters, but the movies co-star Danny McBride more than makes up for it with the soon-to-be released DVD debut of the HBO series East Bound & Down. With stellar cameos by Will Farrell and Adam McKay (Anchor man, Talladega Nights), Jody Hill (Observe and Report), David Gordon Green (Super Bad) directing, the humor hues closely to the Judd Apatow variety and the…
The Boy Bands for the new millennium may not have the horrible facial hair of their predecessors, and tattoos may have scuffed up the squeaky clean image a bit, but the same paint-by-numbers formula of passionless music and over-earnest lyrics remain a hallmark. Clad in neon t-shirts and hoodies (depending on the weather), The Friday Night Boys is the latest variation in the evolution of Boy Band rock (OK, so…
The only surprising thing about R.E.M’s sophomore full length getting the deluxe double disc treatment is that it took so long. Long considered one of the best efforts from one of the most influential bands to come out of the 80’s, the rerelease come 25 years after it was first issued. A college radio station staple then and even now, “Reckoning†finds the band gaining confidence. The lyrics are a…
It’s clear just a few pages into it, that Poisoned Heart, Vera Ramone King’s memoir of her time with Ramone’s bassist Dee Dee, was not easy to write. The book comes off as part therapy, part twisted love letter to the clearly disturbed rocker. King, who met and fell in love with the punk rocker in 1977, just before the band helped introduce punk rock to the world. Her relationship…
Some bands just know how to leave you wanting more. It’s been five very long years since Nashville-based psychedelic indie rockers The Features released their major label debut, the grossly underrated “Exhibit Aâ€. The band is finally back with the second act, and it was well worth the wait. “Some Kind of Salvation†is brimming with the same combination of sunny harmonies, 60’s psychedelic organ and Motown horns that made…
Like wearing a cowboy hat with a Sex Pistols t-shirt, the Von Ehrics have no problem mixing dirty country with a little punk rock. The Dallas-based trio thankfully sounds like nothing else being played right now. On Loaded, their third effort and first for Wisconsin indie Crustacean Records, the band is at their best so far in their admittedly short career. Loud, fast guitars and drums serve as the perfect…
After six seasons, you know where you stand with the often polarizing duo of Penn & Teller and their sacred cow tipping Showtime series Bull Shit! For those easily offended and potentially horrified for the group’s crass, profanity-laced, straight-to-the-point documentaries… well change the channel. For those with an open mind however, the series is entertainingly addictive and season six, now on DVD, is no different.
It would be easy to write off Great White as just another way past its prime hair metal band trying desperately to relive the 80’s. But Great White, like Tesla and a handful of others who got caught up in the atrocious metal scene 20 years ago, had actual talent and some great songs to back up their bluster.
The premise is funny enough that it’s amazing someone hasn’t thought about committing it to film before. A struggling metal band at night plays kid’s parties during the day to pay the bills. The best part about it is that it’s based on a real band. IFC picked up this original and surprisingly addictive half-hour TV series.
