Search Results for: JOHN

BUTTHOLE SURFERS ‘ELECTRICLARRYLAND’ BEGETS ‘WEIRD REVOLUTION’

Interviews

FOREWORD: Wacky Texas boho mofos, the Butthole Surfers, concoct a toxically chronic stew from radically skewed psychedelia-encrusted noise-seared punk rock and haywire electronic gadgetry. After more than a decade in the murky underground, they got their one post-grunge commercial radio break when dusky slacker anthem, “Pepper,” caught everybody’s attention and got people in the stores to buy their seventh studio LP, ‘96s Electriclarryland.

I got to see the Buttholes at Roseland Ballroom in ’96 with my friend, Frank, consuming rum

…

THE CORAL CUTS UP BRITISH CHARTS

Interviews,

FOREWORD: I got to hang out with British pop idols, the Coral, during their first American tour supporting ‘02s rewarding eponymous psych-folk mod rock debut. Stargazing guitar group revivalists, the Coral went on to reach number one in England with respectable sophomore set, Magic And Medicine, but were jilted by US lack of interest. I’m unfamiliar with ‘04s The Invisible Invasion and ‘07s Roots & Echoes (which wasn’t released in the States). Lead singer-guitarist James Skelley proved to be a

…

FRANK BLACK’S CATHOLICS DEBUT WONDROUS TWO-TRACK DEMO

Interviews,

 

FOREWORD: I first interviewed ex-Pixies main man, Frank Black, in ’98, to support his first album with backing band, the Catholics. He’d already done three decent solo albums, but wanted to get back to his primal rock roots and chose Miracle Legion’s bassist and drummer to offer fine support. This article originally appeared in Aquarian Weekly.

 

After disbanding innovative ‘80s Boston rock quartet, the Pixies, Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis) began a solo career while his former partner, Kim Deal, …

BUFFALO TOM ‘SMITTEN’ WITH REFLECTIVE EXPOSITION

Interviews

 

FOREWORD: Queens-bred Boston-based guitarist Bill Janovitz is the leader of Buffalo Tom, a band whose friendship with J. Mascis allowed the semi-legendary Dinosaur Jr. frontman to produce their first two formative albums. ‘93s Big Red Letter Day bettered Buffalo Tom’s initial offerings and ‘98s tightly-composed Smitten gave it a run for the money. Since then, Buffalo Tom went on hiatus while Janovitz released a few solo discs, including ‘97s hit-and-miss Lonesome Bill and bittersweet folk-rooted ’01 disc, Up Here. Under

…

MIKE WATT PONDERS MINUTEMEN WHILE ‘CONTEMPLATING THE ENGINE ROOM’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: There truly is no other like ex-Minutemen icon, Mike Watt. My friend Al and I are convinced he’s the most approachable and fun guy in all of music. His solo debut, Ballhog Or Tugboat? featured a cornucopia of underground sensations who had befriended the very personable Watt – Eddie Vedder, Evan Dando, Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, Dave Pirner, Flea, Pat Smear, Frank Black, etc.

At a pre-show party in Manhattan, Watt was drinking bourbon and coke before what he

…

PORTISHEAD’S CRUDE EPONYMOUS SEQUEL IS NO ‘DUMMY’

Interviews

FOREWORD: Portishead are the pride of Bristol, England. A fascinatingly consistent ambient lounge-pop combo led by strident soprano starlet, Beth Gibbons, they were at the epicenter of the mid-‘90s trip-hop explosion alongside Tricky and Massive Attack.

Phenomenal ’94 debut, Dummy, draped Gibbons’ starkly melancholic voice inside dramatic ambient lounge-pop settings and gained the band aboveground recognition. ‘97s belated self-titled follow-up heightened the climactic emotional intensity, unveiling a richer austere moodiness that reduces some of its precursors’ majestic Goth uplift.

Though

…

SPACE NEEDLE EATEN BY ‘MORAY EEL’

Interviews, ,

FOREWORD: Space Needle composer Jud Ehrbar never got the respect he deserved as one of the ‘90s most adventurous progressive rock avatars. But due to his permanent New York underground stature, I was able to speak with him on several occasions before and after New York gigs. I found his cosmic escapades riveting. But after ‘97s The Moray Eel Eat The Space Needle, Ehrbar settled into a backup role as drummer in band mate Anders Parker’s solo project during the

…

VARNALINE GRAB ‘SHOT AND BEER’ BEFORE ‘SWEET LIFE’ KICKS IN

Interviews,

FOREWORD: I knew Varnaline frontman Anders Parker pretty well since his days with Jud Ehrbar in cosmic New York-via-Providence prog-rock experimentalists, Space Needle. I saw them play Mercury Lounge, Knitting Factory,  and Brownies within a year-and-a-half.

Varnaline was a roots-y singer-songwriter (side) project for Parker, who succeeded in mixing up contemplative laid-back orchestral wanderings with guitar-driven Crazy Horse-inspired moments. Before seeing him open up a show at Irving Plaza for Mark Lanegan, I interviewed the ‘bearded one’ to promote ‘98s

…

!!! PUT INARTICULATE EXCLAMATION POINT ON MUSIC

Interviews,

FOREWORD: Brooklyn’s !!! are an investigative ‘post-no wave’ dance rock collective. Though their name is perfectly abstract in print, its three unpronounceable exclamation points are now, as of ’09, interpreted as ‘chk chik chick.’ !!! guitarist Mario Andreoni truly loves all types of music. I could’ve spoke to him for days on end about experimental music but only had one hour. But I’ve got to give a major shout out to him for inviting my wife and I (and a

…

XTC’S SUNSHINY PSYCHEDELIA SUITS ‘APPLE VENUS’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: I was a little nervous prior to doing an interview with XTC frontman Andy Partridge since I was a big fan since the late-‘70s and thought he’d be a bit distant due to the fact he liked the seclusion of working at home. But I was wrong. I couldn’t ask for a more straightforward individual. His band, XTC, made Beatlesque pop music that went against the grain of the harder-edged Brit-punk he competed against on the English charts. Here

…

PAVEMENT SHINE ON ‘BRIGHTEN THE CORNERS’

Interviews

FOREWORD: Pavement was at the forefront of slacker-imposed DIY indie rock. Led by literary-bound composer-singer Stephen Malkmus and long-time pal, Scott Kannberg, they thrived during the ‘90s lo-fi movement. I saw them thrice play New York. First, at New York University in ’95, then Roseland Ballroom in ’97, and again in ’99 at Irving Plaza. I never got to speak to Malkmus, who went on to a fine solo career with backing band, the Jicks (whose ’01 LP, Pig Lib,

…

VICTORIA WILLIAMS PRESENTS ‘MUSINGS OF A CREEKDIPPER’

Interviews

FOREWORD: With a peculiarly bashful baby girl voice and an underrated proficiency on piano and guitar, semi-popular singer-songwriter Victoria Williams has made many friends in the music industry thanks to her sweet-natured temperament and undeniable talent. These friends supported her when she couldn’t afford health care to pay for multiple sclerosis treatment via ‘93s excellent multi-artist Sweet Relief LP.

In the beginning, Williams’ melodramatic ’87 debut, Happy Come Home (with orchestral strings provided by Van Dyke Parks), found its way

…