Author Archive
05 Feb 2008
Radio Birdman: Bird is the Word
Some 32 years after bursting on the scene with the seminal Radios Appear, Radio Birdman has returned with Zeno Beach. Yet they deftly manage the trick of sounding fresh and […]
04 Feb 2008
The Polyphonic Spree: Fragile Army, Reinforcements of Hope
There are so, so many things out there that remind you: this is all good. –Tim DeLaughter Tim DeLaughter, leader and lyricist of Dallas-based The Polyphonic Spree, reflects on the […]
03 Feb 2008
Circus Devils: The Devil’s in the Details
“Circus Devils is fun.” That’s how Bob Pollard, former leader of indie-underground heroes Guided by Voices sums up (one of) his (many) current project(s). An exercise in what he calls […]
02 Feb 2008
Monstrance: Don’t Call it a Jam
After a hearty hello via transatlantic telephone, Andy Partridge asks me, “so, now, are you tape recording this?” I tell him I am, asking if it’s okay. “No, I absolutely […]
01 Feb 2008
Mon Frere: Let the Music Do the Talking, I Guess
“Basically, I guess that’s a bit more, um, farther than we wanted to go.” Such was the response to a question about the cover art on Mon Frere’s releases, 2005’s […]
30 Jan 2008
Peter Millis: Mountain Music Meets the Bard
Peter Millis believes that there’s a strong musical connection between pre-Elizabethan England and WNC. His work with the Montford Park Players serves to illustrate that relationship. Actor/musician Peter Millis got […]
28 Jan 2008
The Machine: A Living, Breathing Thing
The Machine are a four-piece band based in New York and dedicated to bringing the music of Pink Floyd to concert audiences. Since the last Pink Floyd concert (not counting […]
28 Jan 2008
Eliza Lynn: Music as an Emotional Safe Haven
“I don’t remember not singing,” says folk/blues/jazz/Americana musician Eliza Lynn. “I remember being on the way to preschool, riding down Chicago’s Lakeshore Drive, making up songs.” “It’s just sort of […]
27 Jan 2008
Los Straitjackets: A New Twist on an Old Sensation
Legendary instro-rockers Los Straitjackets have taken worthwhile stylistic excursions before. While their primary métier is surf music, they joined with a host of vocalists for 2001’s Sing Along with Los […]
26 Jan 2008
Legendary Pink Dots: Connecting With the Dots in Chapel Hill
Unpredictable and experimental as always, The Legendary Pink Dots make a concerted and successful bid to connect with their audiences. Cutting a swath through the USA’s eastern seaboard — mostly […]