interview

There are a number of poets who use humor in their work. Some, like Ogden Nash, strive for it. For others, it just seems to come naturally. Derrick Brown is a naturally funny poet. While many of his best known poems are quite tender, a Derrick Brown show is guaranteed to include more than a handful of laughs. So it is not completely surprising that he has shifted over to comedy, releasing his first comedy album, A Close Shave with...

I first saw Chelsea O’Donnell perform as Stress Dolls at the Bug Jar in Rochester, NY in April of 2019. That night, she performed solo; a woman alone on stage with an electric guitar. One song, “Noise,” particularly caught my attention – it started mellow but built to her screaming, “sometimes I just want to make noise!” How could I not love that? I started following her on Bandcamp and quickly found much more to love, especially her harder rocking...

David Cross has been a busy person. It’s not enough that he helped birth “Alternative Comedy” to the world in the 90s, but he’s gone from indie darling to now starring in Oscar-winning movies. Still sticking to his comedy roots, he’s back on tour with a fresh hour of stand-up material and you can probably catch him at a date near you on his Oh Come On tour. Bring the kids. We caught up with David Cross on his Boston...

It’s no secret that we’re fans of movies here on Ground Control Magazine, and with all the movies we watch, it’s really refreshing when an original one comes along. Extra points for it being independently produced. Say what you will about Dave Made a Maze but chances are you’ve never seen anything like it, and that it will be a movie people will want to talk about. So talk we did to the film’s cinematographer Jonathan Boal.   So Jon,...

Originally appeared April 2015 I’m sitting on a couch backstage at the Brighton Music Hall in Boston on a rainy spring day with Jon Spencer next to me while he looks at my record collection. They happen to be Blues Explosion records and now that I’ve finished interviewing him and I asked him to sign a couple records (What can I say? That side comes out of me sometimes). He’s taking his time looking at them. Almost as if he’s...

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...

This is the first installment of a new series I’m trying to bring to Ground Control Magazine called “Driving with Darko”. Doing interviews with musicians, artists and writers in which we have a conversation together while driving around in my SmartCar, all the while recording the conversation with a Ricoh Theta S (which records in 1080p 360 degree video). Michael was visiting Northern California for the winter holidays. We both had a couple of hours free, so I drove up...

It has been said just often enough at this point that it could be taken as gospel: “Necessity is the mother of invention” but no one truly revels in that sentiment more than Mike Watt. First as the bass player for The Minutemen and then as the bassist in fIREHOSE, Watt helped to usher in a new approach to his instrument both in the context of punk rock and rock n’ roll in general. While other players of the same...

The three ladies of the Like are young. So young it’s hard not to get hung up on the fact. However, unlike other songstresses their age who come off as manufactured pop tarts, this trio is a savvy, silly group of girlie girls with extraordinary music sensibility. Their debut album, Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking? showcases vocalist/guitarist Z. Berg’s beautifully sandpapered vocals coupled with clever pop melodies that have truly impressive song structure. Speaking via phone with Berg as...

The Warlocks have been generally typified by two characteristics: a lot of band members and a psychedelic sound. It’s almost as if they’re consistently approached as the twisted Brady Bunch of psychedelia. However, on their newest release Surgery, psychedelia blends into shoegaze and pop as the band’s range extends from catchy yet dark anthems like “Come Save Us” to the addictive, spaced out drone of “Thursday’s Radiation.” Talking with drummers Jason Anchondo and Bob Mustachio is like talking to...