Over the last couple of decades (pretty much since LPs began to lose ground in popularity to cassettes, and then even more so when CDs came along), the process of a band creating an involving “experience” for listeners to enjoy has really fallen from favor. Where once tremendous care and thought were put into album artwork (like the stuff that Storm Thorgerson did for Pink Floyd) and lithographs of lyric sheets, now the act of assembling an album seems terribly...
Over the years, plenty of bands have indulged in mind-expanding substances and their music has duly reflected it with vibes of “methodical otherness” radiating from the results (see Butthole Surfers, 13 th Floor Elevators, Pink Floyd and even Queens Of The Stone Age to name a few) which implies that some pharmaceutical weirdness is going on. Such workings have become commonplace in rock at this point, but Captain Nowhere's music is something else again. On Party Time Inc., the band...
In the way of a brief notice:After taking a three-week break (the longest in some of the Ground Control staff's respective careers) for Editor-In-Chief Bill Adams' honeymoon, Ground Control is now once again firing on all cylinders. During the break, Bill drove, ate plenty of bad and greasy food, associated with alligators, Disney characters and Paula Deen. Thanks to the Ground Control writers for keeping the pilot light on in his absence. It was fun, but now we're getting back...
Playing in a big town with some indie credibility is a blessing because people will actually pack a club on a Sunday at 10:00 p.m. to see your gig. It was Yuck’s first headlining show in Toronto and although there was an obvious appreciation for them (why else would people have paid to watch?) the crowd was dull and motionless. Yuck joked that they were in Montreal the previous night but that Toronto was a better crowd. If that was...
Uh oh, are bassists in trouble? The White Stripes, No Age and even Yeah Yeah Yeahs didn’t use one and those are considerably some of the most innovative bands of this generation. It's obvious the bass has been gradually phased out of indie rock songwriting and it seems some new bands want to prove the extent of their ferociousness by ditching it completely to find out where the fire burns the hottest. Such is the state of Japandroids and their...
Darkness is a funny thing. Sometimes it can be filled with emptiness and despair but, if you look hard enough, it can also contain a wink of hope and elements of profound beauty. Over the years, many, many bands have tried to create dark music and most have failed, often times comically. It takes more than some de-tuning, minor chord progressions and charcoal-hued eye makeup to make music that is moody but also has a complexity and depth of character....
Darkness is a funny thing. Sometimes it can be filled with emptiness and despair but, if you look hard enough it can also contain a wink of hope and elements of profound beauty. Over the years, many, many bands have tried to create dark music and most have failed, often times comically. It takes more than some detuning, minor chord progressions and charcoal-hued eye makeup to make music that is moody but also has a complexity and depth of character....
The day Justin Pearson stops forging underground supergroups will be a sad day in the music world. JP, as he is known by his loyal subjects, has nourished an entire sub-culture within the San Diego music scene. As co-owner of record label Three One G, author of two books, and member of too many bands to keep track, Pearson is carving his way into the heart of San Diego’s music culture. The newest offering from Pearson (playing as frontman on...
Hey Junky,Awright, I can't make dis long – since ol' fi' dollar Billy went onn'is honeymoon, I ben trying ta keep myself occupied an' – how wid'e say it? – "pursue other avenues." Anyway, I'm a little slower than usual when it comes ta bein' onna run, so I gotta make dis quick. I nabbed a coupla primo songs fo'ya, n' I wis gonna throw 'em inna full-lentgh SWAG Report, but I ain't got time so dis is gonna hafta...
Oh, before I go,I always thought it was kind of weird how, when folks get married, there's all this gift-giving, but those who couldn't make the party don't get anything. That doesn't seem right to me, so I've commandeered the SWAG Report again to offer you fine readers a little celebratory wedding gift: a bunch of free music! Not only that, but it's a pretty sweet deal too; you're getting some fine new Americana, some other bits and pieces and...