Andrew Jackson Jihad/Cobra SkullsUnder the Influence Vol. 6(Vinyl Collective, 2009)1. “Two-Headed Boy”2. “Subterranean Homesick Blues”Availability: Vinyl Collective will gladly sell you a copy. (www.vinylcollective.com ) Vinyl Collective has taken it upon themselves to give their artists some already-earned cred. And what better way to do this than by letting them cover their favorite bands? As was the case with the previous five installments of the Under The Influence series, Volume 6 once again features two bands and...

After it has been in place and thriving for a while, it's very easy to forget when a given institution wasn't there and punk rock is no exception. By now, it's a safe assertion that punk's presence has become virtually universal – there are a couple of kids making noise with three chords and something they want to say in even the smallest, most backwoods little town the whole world over – but that hasn't always been the case. After...

I have a method for reviewing albums. Start with some really strong coffee, boot up iTunes, and type haphazardly. And generally, as I listen through, I hunt for gems. The songs that really pop from the rest of the album, either because of their sound, rhythm, construction, lyrics, or really badass solos. And these become signposts for the album—they sort of lead you through your listen, encouraging markers that keep you from feeling like the band leading this little caravan...

I have a method for reviewing albums. Start with some really strong coffee, boot up iTunes, and type haphazardly. And generally, as I listen through, I hunt for gems. The songs that really pop from the rest of the album, either because of their sound, rhythm, construction, lyrics, or really badass solos. And these become signposts for the album—they sort of lead you through your listen, encouraging markers that keep you from feeling like the band leading this little caravan...

I have a method for reviewing albums. Start with some really strong coffee, boot up iTunes, and type haphazardly. And generally, as I listen through, I hunt for gems. The songs that really pop from the rest of the album, either because of their sound, rhythm, construction, lyrics, or really badass solos. And these become signposts for the album—they sort of lead you through your listen, encouraging markers that keep you from feeling like the band leading this little caravan...

Modest Mouse is one of those bands that capture the randomness of life while pulling out the ridiculousness and sometimes beautiful coincidences that really don’t make sense. Then they put it all together in high doses of imagery, confusion and cartoon-like song titles. Add crazy but sometimes calming vocals to it from Isaac Brock, and it seems like there is a hidden message from this band’s music. I still can’t figure out why their albums are so addicting. So after...

Modest Mouse is one of those bands that capture the randomness of life while pulling out the ridiculousness and sometimes beautiful coincidences that really don’t make sense. Then they put it all together in high doses of imagery, confusion and cartoon-like song titles. Add crazy but sometimes calming vocals to it from Isaac Brock, and it seems like there is a hidden message from this band’s music. I still can’t figure out why their albums are so addicting. So after...

Every member of every musical group in creation – if they've been around long enough – has intimated that their band is a family, but what happens if you extend the metaphor? If indeed a band is a family, it stands to reason that the songs they produce are that family's holdings; the baubles they produce and collect over time to build the household that is as much a part of the family's identity and outward reflection as the individuals...

At this stage of the game, the group of people under the age of eighteen making music professionally (it gets called 'kid rock,' 'underage rock' and a variety of other such titles that all seem passively condescending) has been polarized into two clearly delineated groups: there are the ones – like Tiny Masters Of Today and Please Quiet Ourselves – with more underground credibility (read: they do not regularly appear on TV) and those – like The Jonas Brothers and...

It's a safe assumption that, if you came of age in the Nineties, you're well aware of who Jason Mewes is. As the loud, foul-mouthed, 'hetero life-mate' to Silent Bob in Kevin Smith's New Jersey series of movies that included Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Clerks II, Mewes' character Jay has long since been established as an unlikely hero, moral barometer and holder of herbal refreshments in pop culture. The directory of slogans that the character has given viewers...