When Tim Kasher, the fabled lyricist behind Cursive and The Good Life, talks about the albums that have influenced him, his voice suddenly perks up. He sounds positively excited to explain the basic, raw sound of The Go-Go’s hit album, Beauty and The Beat. Kasher’s been writing songs since puberty and has, happily, been putting out albums almost as long. Although he did not plan it this way, the albums he’s put out have switched off each year between Cursive...

If I were to be in a band, I would be in Au Revoir Simone. Well, I would want to be anyway. Given the fact that the last musical instruction I had was three-years worth of euphonium lessons—not exactly a hip, rock-friendly instrument—I’m guessing I would be immediately demoted to tambourine girl. But even saying you’re in an all-girl, all-keyboard, angel-voiced indie band has to earn you some sort of cool cred, n’est-ce pas? Following sets by The Morning Benders...

Irish fever has been sweeping over pop culture lately, and it’s in part thanks to the all-star cast in the academy award winning movie, The Departed Of course, the real stars of the film were soundtrack-contributing Irish punks hailing from Boston… The Dropkick Murphys’ cover of “I’m Shipping Off to Boston” brought them loads of new fans and this month they plan to make good use of this newfound fame with a September 18 release of their sixth studio album, The...

The Sounds of the Underground tour coming to Irvine was a lot like a bunch of Hell’s Angels crashing a baby shower. In fact, on that sunny Saturday afternoon, I’m sure plenty of Irvinetians (extraterrestrials perhaps?) happened to be celebrating the arrival of their August babies or even half a baby, according to the statistical data that reveals upper-middleclass suburbanites can somehow have 1.5 children. Who knew that children could be conceived in a town so sterile? I’ve actually seen...

Have you ever drunk peyote?  Me neither… but I can almost swear that if any band ever approximated the experience (other than the Doors) it would be the incredibly Doors-y, Austin 6-piece, The Black Angels.  And lately it’s been nothing but good news for these guys (and gals).  After two amazing performances opening for the Smashing Pumpkins’ Fillmore residency, touring and garnering a growing fan base with strong praise from the critics for their densely-layered, droning, psych-rock; they have now...

If you didn’t catch the previous Ground Control update concerning Jimmy Eat World, then shame on you… The gist of it is that Jimmy Eat World is back and they’ve announced the release of their third full length, Chase This Light, to be released October 16.  This is the old news that all you slackers missed. What is new to share, however, is that Jimmy Eat World has now announced a North American US tour to coincide with the release...

The forefathers of French electro-house music, Daft Punk, will release a live album – titled Daft Punk Alive 2007 on November 20th, 2007. The album was recorded at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, an 18,000-capacity sports arena in Paris, on June 14th, 2007, the CD captures the exuberant multi-media spectacle of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo's first hometown show in 10 years in front of a capacity crowd of thrilled fans. Virgin Records will release the album as a...

Before now I had taken Marilyn Manson’s shock factor for granted. I had heard so many stories about him getting arrested for lewd acts on stage, there were pictures of him burning bibles and false rumors that he broke kittens’ necks during concerts. Because I had grown used to hearing these shock stories, it all seemed so commonplace that I didn’t think people cared anymore. In my mind, those who supported him either loved his shock factor or were unfazed...

John Vanderslice is a small man (stature-wise). He’s not particularly short, it’s more like he’s compact, with no wasted space. Like the buffalo/Indian relationship, every part of John Vanderslice is usable by John Vanderslice. It’s extremely apparent in his music. There’s a deliberateness that reaches far beyond even the most focused recording impresario, the kind of deliberateness that only a man who owns his own (well-respected) studio can afford. ***  “On Cellar Door, we wanted to make a distorted...

Saturday night, Satan’s minions descended on the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to hear what can only be described as the house band for hell, Slayer. For more than twenty years, seeing this band live has eluded me despite owning most of their catalogue and measuring every metal band’s worth against the piece of perfection they released in 1986, Reign in Blood. As we drove into the venue last night, speculation was running high on what the crowd would be like knowing...