Author Archive
15 Jan 2008
The Fever: Through the Present Darkly
Kemado recording artists The Fever set out a spooky, carnivalesque vibe on In the City of Sleep, their sophomore effort. Taking stylistic cues form Angelo Badalamenti — especially his work […]
14 Jan 2008
Under the Microscope with Fall Out Boy
Note: This was my first magazine cover story — bk. It’s the last day of June, and Island/Def Jam recording act Fall Out Boy is “a little bit too far […]
13 Jan 2008
The Strange Odyssey of Roky Erickson
The history of rock ‘n’ roll is replete with all manner of tragic stories. In a few rare cases, the stories turn around into something more positive. Roky Erickson’s is […]
12 Jan 2008
Dungen: folkrockpsych
Even in the 21st century, the vagaries of transatlantic phone calls are such that bad (or dropped) connections are routine. So it was thanks to some persistence on everyone’s part […]
11 Jan 2008
Tom Dudley Does it Right
If a musician attends the famed Berklee College, then goes on to work as an electronic technician at Moog Music, and then chooses bluegrass music as a career, he must […]
10 Jan 2008
Dream Guitars – Six-string Dream Catcher
Henry Ford famously put the assembly line approach into use in auto manufacturing in 1913. That technique — with its goals of efficiency and quality control — quickly became a […]
08 Jan 2008
DeSol: Here Comes the Sun
A couple years ago, Asbury Park NJ-based Latin-rock artists deSoL were signed to Curb Records, a staid, ultra-square label known for being home to Tim McGraw and (shudder) The Osmonds. […]
07 Jan 2008
Neil Finn – Back in the (Crowded) House
The date was June 1, 1981. Riding high on the success of their latest hit single “History Never Repeats,” New Zealand art-pop group Split Enz was in the midst of […]
06 Jan 2008
Interview: Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Crenshaw is one of rock music’s most underappreciated artists. After a string of critically-acclaimed albums (beginning with his self-titled 1982 debut, right through 2003’s What’s in the Bag?), and […]
05 Jan 2008
Creedence Clearwater Revisited – Keep On Chooglin’
Most people remember John Fogerty, front man for Creedence Clearwater Revival–the group that racked up sixteen Top 40 singles (most of those in the top ten) in the space of […]