The glass bottom boat of the cultural press
In the news today: Renee Rapp, Spider-Man, Is For Lovers Festival, George Winston, Noel Gallagher, Foo Fighters, Mantra of the Cosmos, Happy Mondays, Oasis, Ride, supergroup, Jason Isbell, The 400 Unit, Alice Phoebe Lou, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Miyazaki, Wilco, Allison Russell, Brian Eno, Queens of the Stone Age, Phantogram, Viagra Boys, tour news, Drug Church
In the news today: Osees, Death Cab For Cutie, Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age, Riot Fest, The Cure, The Mars Volta, The Postal Service, Turnstile, The Sisters of Mercy, Andy Rourke, The Smiths, Rivers Cuomo, Weezer, Knower, Patti Smith, Pavement, The Walkmen, The National
Street Venom (Burger). Review by Julius C. Lacking.
Dodge and Burn (Third Man Records). Review by Jen Cray.
Atari Teenage Riot came to Firestone Live to pound out the techno into a modern political landscape where the people rise above totalitarian and authoritarian control. It’s the kind of futuristic idealism that local scribe Eric Donath can’t miss, and to ice that cake is Otto von Schirach, a bass-heavy freak with street-cred like a rap-sheet symphony.
Queens of the Stone Age (Rekords Rekords). Review by James Mann.
Hello=Fire (Schnitzel Records). Review by Jen Cray.
These days Juliette Lewis is more a musician who makes movies when she’s not touring than an actress who dabbles as a rockstar. Anyone who has seen her live show, as Jen Cray has, can attest to the validity of the stake she’s claimed on rock ‘n’ roll.
It’s home run #3 for Jack White as The Dead Weather redefines normal expectations for a live show. Jen Cray witnessed a recent Orlando date and is still buzzing from the high of an unforgettable performance.
William Weikart , the mastermind behind the band Obscured by Clouds , is one literate and surprising person. Tim Wardyn unveils Weikart’s impressive cast of influences (including Chris Cornell and Baroque music), how ex-girlfriends contributed to one of the best songs on their album Psycheclectic, and how his bandmate Thee Slayer Hippy got his name.
Glitter in the Gutter (Adeline). Review by Jen Cray.
Curses (Gern Blandsten). Review by Aaron Shaul.
Fair To Midland are blessed, and cursed, with the title “the first band to be signed to Serj Tankian’s label.” Jen Cray sat down with vocalist Darroh Sudderth and keyboardist Matt Langley outside of Orlando’s House of Blues just before the second night of their first ever major tour.
Impeach My Bush (XL). Review by Jen Cray.
Even this far into her career Joan Jett is all about the music. Why else would she bring two show-stealing bands- Eagles of Death Metal and Riverboat Gamblers - on tour with her? Jen Cray falls into the celebratory atmosphere of one perfect lineup of rock n’ roll.
Milk (Exotic Recordings). Review by Andrew Ellis.
A post-grunge double header, with Foo Fighters and Weezer. Jen Cray is awed.
The Moto-Litas. Review by Stein Haukland.
Atomic Ritual (Liquor and Poker). Review by Stein Haukland.
Go For It… Live! (Steamhammer / SPV). Review by Stein Haukland.
This fall, Ani DiFranco brought new Righteous Babe labelmate Kristen Ford to Iowa City, where Jeremy Glazier enjoyed an incredible evening of artistry.
This week Christopher Long grabs a bag of bargain vinyl from a flea market in Mount Dora, Florida — including You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, the classic 1979 LP from Ian Hunter.
Bob Pomeroy gets into four Radio Rarities from producer Zev Feldman for Record Store Day with great jazz recordings from Wes Montgomery, Les McCann, Cal Tjader, and Ahmad Jamal.
Bob Pomeroy digs into Un “Sung Stories” (1986, Liberation Hall), Blasters’ frontman Phil Alvin’s American Roots collaboration with Sun Ra and his Arkestra, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and New Orleans saxman Lee Allen.
Roi J. Tamkin reviews A Darker Shade of Noir, fifteen new stories from women writers completely familiar with the horrors of owning a body in a patriarchal society, edited by Joyce Carol Oates.
Mandatory: The Best of The Blasters (Liberation Hall). Review by Bob Pomeroy.
Feeling funky this week, Christopher Long gets his groove on while discovering a well-cared-for used vinyl copy of one of his all-time R&B faves: Ice Cream Castle, the classic 1984 LP from The Time, for just a couple of bucks.
During AFI Fest 2023, Lily and Generoso interviewed director Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, whose impressive debut feature, City of Wind, carefully examines the juxtaposition between the identity of place and tradition against the powers of modernity in contemporary Mongolia.
Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO (American Laundromat Records). Review by Laura Pontillo.
