With Chris Walla (guitarist) gone, the responsibility of dancing like an embarrassing parent chaperone at a high school dance rests solely on Ben Gibbards (vocals) shoulders. I hope this isn’t a burden he has to carry alone too long. Nick Harmer (bassist), time to step up your game.
Tim Armstrong’s Hellcat label (a subsidiary of Epitaph) has slowed in its releases the last few years, releasing only a couple records a year. But there was a time when they were one of punk’s heaviest hitting labels, releasing records by the likes of Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Dis-tillers, U.S. Bombs and Aggrolites. Nowadays their roster of bands is still impressive, but it’s the lesser known bands that are the most impressive on the team.
Nik Turner of the legendary Hawkwind was kind enough to sit down with me for half an hour and talk to me about his career, his stories, and most importantly the spiritual aspects of his music. If nothing else, it’s certainly interesting to see what a man who has been involved in the industry for more than fifty years has to say about how music impacts the soul.
I recently had the massive honor of calling up a death metal LEGEND Rob Barret and getting to talk to him about his new record, and the lasting power of Cannibal Corpse. Not only was it something of a dream interview for me, it also turned me on to deeper aspects of the Cannibal Corpse sound and philosophy I had never previously noticed.
Feint is an experimental musician from the UK. His music is a hodgepodge of heavy electronic and industrial music, with skinny breaks of other genres splintered into the mix. The song ‘No Chance’ from his new EP One Last Time sounds at one moment like Deadmou5, at another like Coldplay.
It was a beautiful afternoon in New York City when I had the pleasure of
meeting Emily Kopplin of Mount Salem. After talking for a bit we decided
to do an interview, because, why the hell not? What followed was a
discussion on the power of music, and what inspires her band.
I have no real knowledge of this band. They are elusive shadows, gods of synth, but above all, they are brilliant. Having heard Operators at their fifth show, I have to say –
7 PM, I’m in the train on my way to see thrash metal legends Overkill. I prepared myself mentally for an evening of thrash metal madness, but also some cool alt metal vibes with Prong. I got to see three acts on this fine evening, and Overkill certainly took the cake……
Another night, another show, I’m going to three this week, and it’s time for me to step up and deliver. Tonight’s show saw me getting to check out Mount Salem and Bl’ast for the first time as well as seeing my favorite band in the world, SubRosa, yet again. As I ride home back to college and class in less than 10 hours, I’m trying to take a moment to reflect on the glory of what I have seen and the magic that was unveiled to me.
Less Than Jake are the among the elder statesmen of the ska punk scene. From their classic 1995 album Pezzcore right on through to last year’s well received See The […]
Vandala Magazine 