Vampire Weekend : Only God Was Above Us

Vampire Weekend are one of those bands that you either love or loathe. They have charm about them, but also a preciousness that turns off curmudgeonly old hipsters that don’t think they’re actually hipsters. On the other hand the band has songwriting chops and intellectually inviting lyrics thanks to singer/songwriter Ezra Koenig. Koenig can make […]

METZ : Up On Gravity Hill

Canada’s METZ arrived in the early 2010s in what seemed like a resurgence in the post-punk community. Along with fellow Canadians Preoccupations(formerly Viet Cong) and the Motor City’s Protomartyr it seemed as if post-punk was getting a 21st century kick in the pants. METZ was the loudest of the three, with singer/guitarist Alex Edkins guitar […]

Mini Vacation, Digital Delays, Splitting Hairs

As I figured, my mini vacation was over before it started. Last week I was off Wednesday through Friday, then the weekend as well. That was 5 days in a row for you folks not counting. I had big plans that included working on some painting, recording some music, and just in general getting all […]

Another Quick Weekend, Pending Totality, Mini Vacation

Another Saturday and Sunday come and gone. Quicker than you can say TGIF, we’re already on the pre-dawn drive back to work. It’s a process as old as time. I’m sure there were cavemen wondering where the weekend went as they were leaving their cave for the rock quarries or something(I bet that Flintstone cat […]

Feverdreamt Returns With New Album ‘Decay Is Present’, Out 4/12; Listen To New Single “The Wallowing(Die Another Time)”

Musician, label runner, and all around musical force Alexander Donat seems to always be in a creative cycle. Whether he’s releasing music under the monkier Vlimmer, Fir Cone Children, Assassun, or Feverdreamt; releasing music from other artists as label head for Blackjack Illuminist Records, or brainstorming unique and conceptual ways of releasing music in physical […]

Mr. Jones’ Takes The Spotlight : Breaking Down Elvin Jones’ ‘Poly-Currents’

There’s plenty of amazing jazz drummers, but for my money one of the most powerful with the most finesse was Elvin Jones. Jones gained notoriety for being part of John Coltrane’s great quartet, along with McCoy Tyner(piano), Jimmy Garrison(bass), and of course Coltrane. Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Philly Joe Jones, Billy Cobham, Rashied Ali, and […]

Neal And Jack And Adrian And Robert And Tony And Bill And Me

I’m not sure what’s a popular opinion and what’s an unpopular opinion when it comes to King Crimson, but in terms of eras of the band my absolute favorite one is the 80s reincarnation with Adrian Belew. Discovering and obsessing over Adrian Belew’s 80s solo albums back in high school was the starting point. Once […]

Easter Monday(April Fool’s Day)

Greetings. How was everyone’s weekend? How was Good Friday/Easter Sunday? We don’t really celebrate Easter around here. Mainly because we’re not religious, and I feel that celebrating Easter with ham and scalloped potatoes and jovial merrymaking isn’t the right thing to do when you aren’t doing it for real. I don’t want to be piggybacking […]

Zombi : Direct Inject

The prog/synth duo Zombi, which consists of keyboardist/bassist/composer Steve Moore and percussionist/keyboardist AE Paterra, have notched out a very specific sonic corner in electronic music. Influenced/inspired by horror scores and films, as well as 70s prog and more thoughtful metal of the 70s and 80s, these two Pittsburgh-raised musicians have rewired the idea of the […]

Hancock Live, Party Like Adults, Walking the Dog, Road To Nowhere

How often can you say you’ve seen a legend perform live? I mean, someone who’s changed the face of their chosen art? Someone who helped to define an era and influence and inspire countless generations after them? I would say for me it was once, and it was Friday night. I was lucky enough to […]