A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the “War On Love” 7” single by Roadside Bombs. It might not be for everyone but, for me, some of the coolest things to hear are those which crosswire a few different sounds and styles which feel as though they should stand at odds with one another. A perfect example of such an unusual stylistic counterpoint can be found on Roadside Bombs’ new single, War On Love; pressed on “super” cyan blue...

Artist: Great Apes Album: California Heart Label: Asian Man Records It may have taken a few releases for the band to get the bugs worked out of their sound (they’ve already got one full-length album, one comp which collected a bunch of previously released tracks and a bunch of singles and EPs on top of that too), but Great Apes have truly found their magic on California Heart – their sophomore Asian Man-released album. That is not to say California...

  Thee Oh Sees Drop   Our Thee Oh Sees coverage ends with a special entry. I remember when I heard that Thee Oh Sees were breaking up. An incredible workhorse of a band like this one just calling it quits like that? Did leader John Dwyer just burn out from putting out more than one album a year? How can someone’s creative juices just stop flowing?   Well the hiatus lasted 4 months and everyone both rolled their eyes...

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Nemo Trilogy Hardcover Slipcase by Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill Who would have ever thought that Alan Moore would have a consistent series he would be putting out for fifteen years, and who would have thought that it would be about the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? More or less, at least. The Nemo trilogy is a spin-off of sorts, but just as smart and witty as we would expect from Moore. Centered around Janni, who is...

Artist: The Dean Ween Group Album: The Deaner Album Label: ATO Records/Cadence Ever since Ween announced its dissolution in 2012, the band’s fans have agonized over what might come next from founding members Aaron “Gene Ween” Freeman and Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo. Some of them figured they pretty much had the group’s dynamic nailed; because Melchiondo was the huskier-voiced entity in the group and already had side projects like Moist Boyz on his resume, the lighter, more “songwriterly” material must...

Venture Bros.: The Complete Sixth Season   Let’s back up a second and talk about why the Venture Brothers is arguably the best show on TV right now. First of all, because Breaking Bad is over, obviously. Second, because the proof is in the pudding and the Venture Brothers is mighty tasty pudding. Watching the Venture Brothers is a delight for many reasons. Not just that Doc Hammer and Jackson Public have created a show so perfectly immersed in...

  WHO: toyGuitar   WHAT: Move Like a Ghost   WHY: I swear to God, Jack Dalrymple is the unsung hero of punk rock. Everything he touches turns to gold. The man has brought his unique style to toyGuitar, Swingin’ Utters, Dead to Me, and One Man Army (RIP), and will probably continue to do so on many more bands in the future. It’s hard to say which band this man calls home (he personally assured me years ago that...

  Thee Oh Sees Mutilator Defeated at Last It’s a funny thing when you think a band has topped themselves to the point of no return. That happened to me when I first heard Mutilator Defeated at Last by Thee Oh Sees. Now this statement (topping oneself) is a hard one to make for a band like this. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: Thee Oh Sees put out records like Donald Trump lies. Now there’s a...

How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman I’ve been reading Bart Ehrman ever since my journey away from Christianity first started. And although I’ve found some of his writings more compelling than others, I’m still glad there’s someone like him out there doing God’s work. Or not-God’s work, which is actually more important. How Jesus Became God mainly deals with the questions and issues church figures were dealing with when they...

In Search of Mike Watt. By Ollie Ottoman Photos by Steve Garcia. Originally conducted on May 1st, 2009 @ The Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA It’s been said before, I’m sure, but Mike Watt needs no introduction. If the name doesn’t sound familiar to you, a quick search on Wikipedia will change your perspective on that name. The important thing to me on May 1st was that I was going to meet Mike Watt and talk with him briefly about his...