Way back in the ancient days of October 2009, Dave Hause hit the road with Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Jim Ward (At the Drive-In and Sparta), a slew of other revolving artists, and their acoustic guitars. It was the second annual Revival Tour — an alcohol-fueled romp featuring punk rockers playing acoustic, folksy versions […]
Sitting in a car to obscure the noise from a shoot for an upcoming music video while donning shades, a white shirt, and a pair of flame-emblazoned black shorts, Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas is eager to talk about the start of his love of slashers, the catalyst that would eventually become the band’s […]
Interviews are a bit of a tricky proposition for Maxo Kream. Sure, like any rapper ascending the pantheon of the music industry he knows they’re advantageous if not entirely necessary to promote his music. But, as he contends when we speak via phone one October afternoon a few weeks before he’s set to release his […]
There’s something to admire about the effervescent gleam that radiates from BLACKSTARKIDS. From the bravado they proudly carry on songs like “Britney Bitch” to an aesthetic consisting of neon clothes and flowing afros, the group’s inherent charisma stems from simply being their authentic selves. The trio—consisting of Ty, The Babe Gabe and Deiondre—manages to infuse […]
Concept albums are a thing of the past in country music. High-minded conceits like Johnny Cash Sings the Ballads of the True West and Willie Nelson Red Headed Stranger were much en vogue in the 1960s and ‘70s. Today, an album like Sturgill Simpson’s The Ballad of Dood and Juanita are the exception, not the […]
Old Dominion lead vocalist Matthew Ramsey calls from Los Angeles, where his band just played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to promote Time, Tequila & Therapy, their fourth studio album. Although they’re one of the more successful acts to emerge from Nashville in the past decade and achieved multi-platinum sales for their previous three albums, Ramsey […]
For Taylor Upsahl, pursuing anything other than music wasn’t an option. “We had a band room instead of a living room in our house,” she recalls over Zoom on a break from the studio in Los Angeles. Growing up with a dad who performed in punk bands, that was life for the singer known simply […]
At 7 pm, when the majestic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the legendary venue in Morrison, Colorado is glowing with the remaining light of day, the noticeably young audience for the triple-bill of Louis the Child, What So Not and Elderbrook is already throwing up in the aisles. Elderbrook, born Alex Kotz, is aware of the heightened […]
Ten years ago, James Blake released his debut album. The English songwriter-producer has a self-described analytical brain, which he uses to examine his old music and improve upon it. Within that past decade, Blake has slowly earned his spot as one of the most prominent indie-pop musicians out there. His list of collaborators includes Frank […]
Between massive creative highs and cold hard realities, it’s hard to believe Al Jourgensen hasn’t jumped out of his densely inked and pierced skin. In his 40th year as chairman of industrial-rock progenitors Ministry, “Uncle Al” is probing both sides of his yin-yang harder than ever. The light: Ministry’s politically bracing and sonically engaging new […]