When done properly, the most uproarious of comedies are those based on dark and unhappy circumstances or bleakly ironic images. History is littered with proof that the human condition needs a downside in order to remember where up is; for example, a frowning clown painted monochromatically in blue can bring a bent little smile to the face of someone that sees it, author Daniel Handler has made a fortune from a series of unfortunate events and even Friedrich Nietzsche –...
When a friend of mine emailed me to told me that The Head Cat, a rockabilly "side project" supergroup were going to be playing here in San Francisco, it took me about .0000001 seconds to decide that I was going. I've been a Motorhead fan since I was 15 (24 years), and in my eyes Lemmy can do no wrong. After reading his biography I knew that with The Head Cat he was playing the music that he really loves...
As "The Aging Punk," I feel it is my right, and perhaps even my duty, to go on an occasional "When I was a kid…" rant. You know, "When I was a kid we had to walk five miles in the snow to get good music. Uphill. Both ways." Now, some of you may not think this is fair. That I've had it pretty good as a music fan. And I will admit I've seen some great concerts you never...
Twenty years ago George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan came together by chance, formed The Travelling Wilburys and inadvertently revitalized the careers of each member involved as, maybe in the spirit of competition, they remembered how to write great songs. Conversely, every time a member of Broken Social Scene splinters off to do another album of their own, those albums get progressively better. Not for nothing the Travelling Wilburys come to mind as Here's To...
Living in Los Angeles for four years now and never attending a show at the House of Blues has to be some sick twist of fate. While scanning the L.A. Weekly a couple of months ago, I decided to put an end to this long-overdue visit to the venue by picking up a few tickets to the Lee Rocker / Social Distortion show on 12-30-07. I saw Lee Rocker about nine years ago in Portland at a small place after...
San Fransisco troubadour Kelley Stoltz has released "Your Reverie," an mp3 teaser from his forthcoming album Circular Sounds, out February 5th on Sub Pop. The record is Stoltz's second full length on Sub Pop and his sixth overall release. Stoltz will be playing a limited number of dates in Australia and back home on the West Coast in late January and early February, with more dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Download "Your Reverie" from Circular Sounds Kelley...
New York rockers The Walkmen are gearing up with indie-dancers White Rabbits for what might be a east coast hipster’s wet dream this Winter. Starting off in Pittsburgh on January 16th, the tour will wind across the US east coast making stops in Chicago, Phily, and ultimately ending in Baltimore. Despite the short duration of the tour its sure to be worth checking out. Dates Include: 1.16 PITTSBURGH DIESEL 1.17 DETROIT THE CROFOOT BALLROOM 1.18 MILWAUKEE TURNER HALL 1.19 MADISON...
MySpace, the world’s most popular social network, today announced the Spring 2008 MySpace Music Tour, featuring the Grammy-nominated French electronic duo JUSTICE with support from Diplo, DJ Mehdi, Chromeo, Busy P and Fancy on select dates. Anyone that was paying any attention to music last year should not be surprised with JUSTICE’s headlining position. The band has dominated the electronic scene for the past year, gaining world wide recognition for their unique blend of dance-pop. The spring tour will kick...
Austin-based metal band The Sword announced today that they have completed work on their long-awaited follow-up to Age of Winters, titled Gods of the Earth. It’s set for an April 1, 2008 release via diverse NYC label Kemado Records. Recorded at Folkvang Studios in Austin, Gods of the Earth needed to be a huge step up from what one would hope not to be a sophomore slump. They toured and toured for the past few years, generating tons of momentum...
Alright, alright, so 2007 was not a great year for the corporate machine. Sales of albums slumped and only the promise of an uninterrupted string of 5th-grade level ringtone rap songs has given the labels any peace. Oh, that and the honorable RIAA totally screwed that dame in Duluth for illegally downloading the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris.” We got $220,000, and the added bonus that we can make fun of her for liking that piece of crap. So what if...