If the phrase “experimental rock” brings to mind visions of black-turtleneck-clad art-school graduates or another flannel-flocked Sonic Spoof, the Slats are about to blow your taurine-addled mind. When it comes to experiments, these three Minneapolis-based hooligans would rather see what happens when you spray Binaca into a Bunsen burner than…
For songwriters, breakups usually yield the best music. But in-band separations can be touchy — unless, of course, you’re Fleetwood Mac and you’ve got enough cocaine to cover all the tension in a thick, dusty layer. For the Lovemakers, the split between primary songwriter/vocalists Lisa Light and Scott Blonde kicked…
In hopes of cooling down at a higher altitude, a friend and I headed up to Lyons, home of Oskar Blues Grill & Brew (at 303 Main Street). Even before I set foot in the club, I was assured that it was all about the blues by a dozen or…
The musical and cultural time warp of this modern era has cultivated a flood of retro-leaning bands doing third-rate versions of the vital, foundational music that inspired their members to pick up instruments in the first place. The Nicotine Fits stand out from the countless poseurs by invoking the same…
Kate Simko’s minimal techno is full of echoing splashes of color, snatches of distant metal percussion expanding from the void, and cryptic hints of melodies that tease from the wings. Simko creates the perfect backdrop for interstellar passages — beautiful sounds you can imagine accompanying Voyager as it glides through…
In addition to thinking he’s the next Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer fancies himself a budding standup comic. Not everyone agrees; check out this nasty review of a 2006 routine, in which he reportedly boasted about how many women “unlocked their Masterlock” for him. Nevertheless, he’s clearly trying to milk…
Guru is a Hip Hop legend. Check out this slide show from the Jazzmatazz show Saturday night…
Cary Brothers with Mother Mother and Stars of Track and Field July 21, 2007 The Soiled Dove Underground Better than: The Doobie Brothers Slide Show Made it to the Soiled Dove just as Mother Mother was wrapping up its set and heard just enough to form a vague impression of…
Sander Van Doorn July 19, 2007 The Church Better than: Mainstream bubblegum trance, even if they might be kissing cousins. Slide Show Sander Van Doorn played a solid set that kept the crowd energized and moving all night, even if it didn’t stray far outside the ordinary. Early on, a…
Magic Cyclops Benefit Show with The Photo Atlas, Monofog, Lion Sized, The New Rome, Mr. Pacman, Dario Rosa July 18, 2007 The hi-dive Better than: Living just about anywhere else could possibly be. Slide Show The Magic Cyclops benefit show at the hi-dive was a perfect example of what makes…
Rocket to Nowhere, Dry Rot, Turbo Knife Fight and Green Fuse Larimer Lounge July 18, 2007 Better than: A swift kick to the balls Slide Show Rocket to Nowhere started off this lonely Wednesday night to a crowd of their girlfriends and a buddy. It was the guys’ first night…
It’s been a struggle to get over the hump of being a quote-unquote girl band,” declares Hemi Cuda’s Karen Exley. “With our costumes and everything, it’s been hard for people to see the substance. It’s like, ‘Fuck that! I can fucking rock!’ I think being in Nashville Pussy has helped…
The life of a touring band has got to be glamorous and decadent. Luxurious buses, packed to the gills with liquor, drugs and acquiescent groupies, shuttle you from one glittering city to the next. At each destination, flashing cameras and screaming fans greet you as you make your way to…
Cary Brothers isn’t a household name yet, but it’s been pretty hard to escape his music ever since his acoustic ballad “Blue Eyes” appeared on the Grammy-winning soundtrack to 2004’s Garden State. In the interim, Brothers has released two EPs, and his folksy pop has served as the emotional backdrop…
Leo Kottke quietly emerged from the late-’60s folk revival to become one of today’s most respected guitar players. His unique picking style and syncopated rhythmic accompaniment borrow as much from Mississippi country blues and Appalachian folk ballads as they do from jazz and rock. With unmatched technique that confounds guitar…
Most performers who rise to fame are able to climb past competitors because of their innate toughness — but once they reach the top, they employ handlers charged with shielding them from reality, as if the slightest unpleasantness might prove fatal. Jorge Hinojosa tackles this task for Ice-T, and even…
Despite having three songwriters, the Drive-By Truckers have made some remarkably cohesive music. But while songs by Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley are compelling, Jason Isbell’s tunes cut to the core. The tunesmith left his indelible stamp on tracks such as “Goddamn Lonely Love” and “Outfit,” in which he channels…
The White Stripes have always teetered on the brink of novelty — and it’s astonishing that so few people seem to have noticed. The goofy matching outfits, the winkingly self-conscious aural primitivism, the inane we’re-siblings dodge: Such elements are pure shtick, yet much of the rock press continues to act…
The marriage of punk and roots music was consummated long ago, but the relationship hasn’t stopped working, and the Knew know it. Holladay, the trio’s new EP, which debuts on Friday, July 20, at a Larimer Lounge gig with Lionsized and American Relay, is lively, raucous and smart enough to…
SP Double is one of those rappers who lives, sleeps and eats hip-hop. On Change the Station, SP’s long-gestating debut, he pulls double duty, rhyming and producing the bulk of the cuts. His passion for the music comes through loud and clear on tracks such as the up-tempo party starter…
The Brokedowns, New Brains for Everyone (Thick Records). Angry, hurtling and relentlessly focused, this Chicago-area quartet attacks the usual targets — conservatives, hypocrites, meatheads and zealots — with abandon and aggression. The Brokedowns grumpily grind crayons and cigarette butts into the simple, loud and fast blueprint of bar-room punk, creating…
I used to live in this punk house. The walls were held up by tape and show fliers; the carpet smelled like beer. It was cramped and there was always one roommate too many, but the rent was cheap. A constant flux of touring bands slept on our floor, which…
