Search Results for: JOHN

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK’S HAPPY SAD DIVERGENCE

Interviews

One of the hardest parts about constant touring is time spent during unexpected late night delays following exhaustive concerts. So it’s encouraging to hear Motion City Soundtrack leader, Justin Pierre, a frustrated cinematographer sweating it out as a traveling musician, persevere in this grating environment. Living on four hours sleep, due to a broken-down bus on the way to the airport, he then loaded a van, headlined a gig with barely 45 minutes to spare, and woke up at noon …

THURSTON MOORE DISCOVERS ‘TREES OUTSIDE THE ACADEMY’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: Iconic Sonic Youth guitarist, Thurston Moore, gave me a tremendous overview of his sagacious noise-rock outfit in ’07. He was supporting solo project, Trees Outside The Academy, with a one-off gig with his Ecstatic Peace compatriots MV & EE with the Golden Road, Tall Firs, and Religious Knives. This article originally appeared in Aquarian Weekly.

In his late teens, entrepreneurial Connecticut-raised guitarist-vocalist Thurston Moore was determined to go city bound, experience the wondrous joys New York afforded, and obtain …

MOONEY SUZUKI TEAR IT UP ON ‘ELECTRIC SWEAT’

Interviews

Image result for MOONEY SUZUKI

FOREWORD: Mooney Suzuki really kick ass live. I mean, seriously. I’ve seen ‘em three times and each time they did different astounding routines – like singer Sammy getting carried around by his guitarist while still yelping into a mike. But of course it’s the loud garage rockin’ hell raising that carries ‘em forward. The following piece promoted Electric Sweat, arguably their finest half-hour. ‘04s Alive & Amplified was cool, too. I’ve also included my High Times record review for ‘07s

…

MODEST MOUSE EXPOSE ‘THE MOON AND ANTARCTICA’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: I found out after trying to interview Modest Mouse singer-songwriter-guitarist Isaac Brock in 2000 that he shied away from journalists’ due to a false rape charge levied against him. It wouldn’t be the first time. I know firsthand from being at a High Times front cover shot with Staind’s sensitive metal singer, Aaron Lewis, that he was upset with Rolling Stone’s similar decision to use off the record quotes about an uncle’s molestation for titillating fodder.

So I feel

…

SCOTT MC CAUGHEY’S MINUS 5 PLUS R.E.M. ‘IN ROCK’

Interviews, , ,

FOREWORD: More of a biography of longstanding Seattle DIY artist, Scott Mc Caughey, than anything else, the following piece goes through the busybody’s rambling career fronting indie rockers Young Fresh Fellows and Minus 5 and his stint in REM. He became the bassist in Robyn Hitchcock’s band, Venus 3, and on occasion, puts out Minus 5 albums for his cult audience.

About a decade before grunge sprouted wings in Seattle, there were two terrific bands hopping around the West Coast …

MEKONS TAKE ETERNAL ‘JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT’

Interviews, ,

FOREWORD: The Mekons have been around forever, it seems. And they continue to release albums and work with many respected underground artists. Led by mainstays Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalge, the Mekons intuitively incorporate folk and country into righteous political punk. I’ve watched them perform at CBGB, Bowery Ballroom, and Mercury Lounge over the years. And they’ve always hit the spot.

Remarkably, Langford’s found time to be involved in ‘90s-initiated bands, the Waco Brothers and Pine Valley Cosmonauts, as well

…

JESSE MALIN TEMPERS ‘THE FINE ART OF SELF-DESTRUCTION’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: New York mainstay, Jesse Malin, could talk your ear off. And that’s a good thing if you’re interviewing the ex-punk maven. After his hot local band, D Generation folded, Malin started drifting into comforting singer-songwriter fare. ‘01s The Fine Art Of Self-Destruction gained some aboveground acceptance, but ‘04s The Heat, ‘07s glam-deranged memoir, Glitter In The Gutter, and ‘08s covers LP, On Your Sleeve, never took that extra step to qualified national stardom. This article originally appeared in Aquarian

…

MAGNETIC FIELDS @ MAXWELLS

Live Reviews

Magnetic Fields/ Maxwells/ October 22, 1999

Touring to support highly regarded three-disc monument, 69 Love Songs, the Magnetic Fields’ nearly two-hour Maxwells set proved to be a true testament to the reasons why fans are so intensely devoted in their ardor for openly gay singer-songwriter-guitarist Stephin Merritt.

Singing broken down love trinkets in a deep baritone, an unkempt, casually dressed Merritt countered the sadness of most songs with sly wit and humor. His subtle confessions, shaded by thoughts of doubt, …

LUNA PERMEATES ‘THE DAYS OF OUR NIGHTS’

Interviews, ,

Image result for dean wareham

FOREWORD: I became friendly with Luna head, Dean Wareham, in ’99, interviewing him backstage at Irving Plaza prior to a persuasive set. I had spoken to the New York City transplant informally a few times in the past and gotten a few quotes from him for a Cover Magazine piece supporting ‘95s remarkable Penthouse.

Though 99s The Days Of Our Nights didn’t top Penthouse, its delicate slow-core features inspired ‘02s fine Romantica and ‘04s less worthy Rendezvous. In ’07, Wareham

…

LOW GAIN MINIONS ‘TRUST’

Interviews,

FOREWORD: Could a northwest Mormon couple make substantial underground inroads by playing languidly mesmerizing minimalist mantras sung in whispered voices? The answer’s unequivocally yes. Though irked by the notion, Low takes the formative slowcore approach first made acceptable by Slint’s esteemed Spiderland and give it a deeper emotional resonance. ‘02s Trust continued on the soft-focus path initially unearthed for a few earlier successful endeavors. But ‘05s The Great Destroyer and ‘07s Drums And Guns (both produced by Mercury Rev/ Flaming

…

LONGWAVE BREAKOUT ‘THE STRANGEST THINGS’

Interviews

FOREWORD: Longwave may never move beyond underground praise, but they compete favorably against fellow mood-rock ambassadors Radiohead, Coldplay, Flaming Lips, and Mercury Rev. Formed in ’99, Longwave’s self-released debut, Endsongs, and a string of dates at tiny New York club, Luna Lounge, provided early exposure. Signed to major label, RCA, they were put on tour with more popular label mates, the Strokes. ‘05s introspectively melodic, There’s A Fire, and ‘08s straight-ahead pop endeavor, Secrets Are Sinister, expanded their audience a

…

JACK LOGAN’S HERE TO ‘BUZZ ME IN’

Interviews

FOREWORD: A reputable motor repairman, Jack Logan moonlighted as a local Athens musician, composing scrappy originals from 1979 to 1996. When Logan’s massive lo-fi DIY collection, Bulk, caught the attention of now-deceased Billboard scribe, Timothy White, indie rockers lined up to check it out. Soon after, I attended the tail end of a’96 CBGB performance.

In ’99, Logan made time for me, pre-gig, to answer some questions about his latest project, Buzz Me In. Upon meeting the entrepreneurial Georgian, I

…