Of the litany of instruments a rock band uses, the organ just doesn’t come to mind as a tool that would cause audience members to nod their heads in approval. Somehow, something like the triangle or the cowbell resembles that rebellious symbol so akin to rock...
Ground Control's coverage of the Paid Dues Festival is in three parts. This is Part II. Click here to jump back to Part I or here to read Part III . I wasn't prepared for Hieroglyphics. I'd seen the logo on t-shirts and stickers, I bought Handsome Boy...
Imaad Wasif is big believer in rock and the epic force of the mid-paced riff. He's also been seen about as the touring guitarist in Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But his style and approach have very little to do with YYY's artful yelp-rock. This record, Strange Hexes, had...
Mezzanine section, row 0, seat 212. Located at the very top of the Wiltern; I could almost touch the venue’s ceiling. That increased elevation only accentuated the rush given off by the night’s performers: Austin’s Explosions in the Sky. By the end of...
After two and a half minutes of anticipation and grand orchestration on an almost non-track fittingly titled “Opening Credits,” Ghostland Observatory’s new disc transitions to the monotonous strains of “Heavy Heart.” With vocals that sound...
Ground Control's coverage of the Paid Dues Festival is in three parts. This is Part I. Click here to read Part II and Part III. You almost didn't read this. Maybe because it was a hip-hop show, or maybe because it was San Bernardino, but either way, security...
The singer/songwriter perhaps best known for her work with the Moldy Peaches, and now for her magnificent contribution to the Academy Award winning Juno, will be embarking on a massive 30 date US tour. Mixing humor and sorrow with wordsmith agility, Kimya has...
There’s a common misperception among many groups of music enthusiasts that those making the stuff that the rest of us listen to are somehow different. They’re artists. They’re special. At some point in the last forty years, pop music groups—no...
Before I knew any better, I asked Honus Honus (Ryan Kattner) a rather innocuous question after one of his band’s harrowing 2006 sets showcasing the Tom Waits/Frank Zappa/Gogol Bordello Molotov cocktail that is Six Demon Bag. “Where are you guys from?”...
There are definitely a few issues when it comes to live albums. For one, you can’t see the band. And when said band is known for their showmanship, and I put the emphasis on “man” here, you kind of lose everything the band is known for. However, if...