Remember when punk rock was a lawless, 'anything-goes' province that was more about personal expression than it was about stringing together just the right set of power chords? It's okay if you don't – it was a long time ago – but that torch...
It is said that the night is always darkest before the dawn and, for his band's last two albums, Eels singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett has followed that adage to the letter. First, on Hombre Lobo, Everett got excited about love and every aspect of it –...
When watching Live Voodoo, it will suddenly hit long-time fans that it really is just that good to have Jane's Addiction back. There are a few heretics who will say the band never left; after they reformed in 2001, the band maintained a reasonably consistent...
Hey folks! Welcome to yer twenty-first edition o'the SWAG Report! I'm excited in a big, big way, 'cause I don't remember the last time I turned twenty-one. I know it was a couple o' years ago an' I remember goin' out, but things get hazy...
The Dears may not reach every city until early next year, but fans can share in the musical magic of the fall residency dates by participating in a tour poster design contest. Fans are encouraged to submit their own design for a poster to commemorate the eight...
Ever been present and able to recognize when you're witnessing an exceptional moment? It's not always easy to do because, nine times out of ten, you're usually doing nine other things at the same time so you're only able to catch it peripherally but,...
You have to respect the chutzpah of an artist who chooses to work in the 7” vinyl medium. Think about it; basically, a band has little choice but to offer just two songs in hopes of establishing itself in a listener's mind. Even more daring are the groups who...
By now, it must be common knowledge that NoFX is one of the best EP-producing bands in modern rock – if not the best. Since the band first came together in 1983, NoFX has kept up a long tradition of releasing EPs, and has seemed to relish specifically in the...
There's a sort of limbo period for any band at a certain level that can prove to be difficult to take initially, and it is the downtime that comes when a tour recently let out and it isn't yet time to record another album or head back on the road again. For The...
Hey kiddies, Can you believe it? This SWAG Report thing has reached twenty editions and nobody's clamped down on us yet! Who woulda thunk it could trail on so long? Not me, that's for sure – I figured somebody woulda tried to shut me up or shut me down by...