Signaling the non-official start to the Bay Area's outdoor Summer concert season, radio station Live 105 brought yet another "BFD" to the Shoreline Amphitheater earlier this month, and it proved to be one of their most diverse lineups yet. With three...
No matter how much buzz they might be generating at any given moment, you have to feel for the “baby band” on the bill of the biggest show of any multi-day, multi-stage music festival. It might be inconvenient to admit it, but the cards are inevitably...
Say what you will, but the Swingin’ Utters (in spite of their name) are an important band: they’ve put out some of the most seminal street punk albums (see the Scared sessions and Streets of San Francisco), and are probably responsible for the...
The Vans Warped Tour is set to kick off its seventeenth run across North America. This year’s edition will feature one of the festival's most diverse lineups with a roster that includes a mix of metalcore, pop punk and hip hop in addition to hardcore and good...
As a longtime Neil Young fan, I have always viewed his Eighties catalogue as "lost years.” Sure – there were some great moments ("T-Bone" on Re-ac-tor, "Sample and Hold" on Trans, "Wonderin" on Everybody's Rockin')...
In my mind, Bob Dylan's career really took off in 1965, when he strapped on an electric guitar and released Bringing It All Back Home. This is not just because I'm more of a rocker than a folkie, it's because his entire songwriting style changed at this...
There's nothing quite like a near-death experience to put things into perspective. Two years ago, producer and punk rock drumming institution Bill Stevenson was diagnosed with a cerebral meningioma which brought his wheels to a grinding halt. It was an...
At forty-seven years old – after a few twists, turns and significant health concerns – Descendents drummer Bill Stevenson is happy to report that he's in the shape of his life – a fact that will come as no small relief to those who are aware of...
If the secret to success as a hard rock band is a matter of sticking to the time-honored adage of "go big or go home," this year promises to be one of the biggest in Toronto-bred band C'mon's eight-year history. Between releasing a ten-inch EP, a...
Occasionally, there are bands or records that cross my path which I admire or enjoy simply because they are overwhelming. These records are usually outside of my comfort zone, are generally aggressive and sometimes odd – but always leave me exhausted and unable...