The Fest is a pretty cool event. The first time or two I went, I went to see the headliners on the big stages, packing a day of well known (by punk standards) into one action-packed 12-hour period. Over time, I’ve come to seek out the newer bands on the smaller stages. The atmosphere is more my vibe, but it’s also because that’s where I find new discoveries like City Mouse—playing night one of this year’s Pre-Fest.The band plays punk ’n’ roll, using classic rock power with flowing melodies among the rollicking guitar and forward-pounding rhythms. It’s potent and punchy, full of attitude, swagger and memorable hooks from the start. “A New Dawn” is really the standout track, perhaps because it sets the tone for the next 12 songs and maybe just because those “tweedle-dee” lyrics flow so effortlessly from Miski Dee Rodriguez’s mouth.The band really uses from two core, overlapping elements. Rodriguez’s vocals cover a wide range of real singing, hitting new octaves and flowing effortlessly with an R&B smoothness over a classic no-filler rock backdrop. The rock ’n’ roll is that second core, most evident in “Journal” with its shredding finish and big riffage boosting the bridges between … Read more
Described aptly by its creator, Barcelona songwriter Daniel Ruiz, as an “ode to misery,” A Cup of Coffee with Two … Read more
There’s a lot of analysis when listening to Old Scars, New Blood. When singer Rob Huddleston sings, “Nothing ever changes/ … Read more
To put it mildly, Otoboke Beaver's Love is Short doesn't beat around the bush, though that phrase seems wildly inappropriate … Read more
Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott.Lyrics, the personality and presence – it is not merely because of his vocal range and the … Read more
Ryan Adams is one of the 21st centuries most prolific songwriters. Like Springsteen on speed, he just can’t seem to … Read more
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These last few weeks I've started to notice that the creases in my forehead are deepening. It's a subtle change to my face, but it's progressively becoming more noticeable. My pores are becoming more visible as well, and my skin doesn't have the same spongey, moist quality to it that I remember it having in my early twenties. And of course the other day my partner swears she noticed a grey hair. I asked her to pull it out to show me. She demurred. Pretty emphatically. Like she had accidentally divulged some state secret and when asked to provide proof of her claim, she proceeded to deny all knowledge of the aforementioned facts as they were alleged. That's alright. I could find it myself if I felt so inclined. There … Read more
Kid You Not has some pretty clear influences behind their melodic pop-punk sound. With semi-coarse vocals that lead to big sing-along choruses, Iron Chic and Red City Radio shine through. It’s not really shining music though. These are some cynical songs that wallow in an unpleasant world.As a whole, this is a solid record with some flaws. The overall sound … Read more
I think that sometimes it’s really hard to review a Weezer record… I mean.. Their first record, the self-titled Blue album, is firmly perched on the list of “best debut albums of all time”. It’s quick punch of pop-punk aesthetic, quirky songwriting, and heavy crunch guitar is only mirrored by the sensitivity and honest lurch of songs like “Say It … Read more
Spending any length of time with Watain will convince you of at least one thing: this is a band who means it. For this Swedish horde, black metal is life. It’s everything and for frontman Erik Danielsson it’s an integral part of his personality. Interviews with him always tend on the intense side and for Watain that passion spills through … Read more
One thing I love about split albums is that there’s more often than not one band on it that is new to me. I’ve discovered some really great bands or albums because a band I love introduced me to another band through a split record. Case in point: Remedy. I just loved their split with ESC Life earlier this year. … Read more
For the uninitiated, and if you are, you might want to look at changing that immediately – shame on you: Mute Records (commonly known, referred to and stylized as “mute”) by and large is one of the most influential British independent platforms and record labels that helped launch the careers of acts that not only fundamentally changed the idea of … Read more
NOFX: The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories is a comprehensive autobiography from one of the world’s most prominent punk bands that worked its way up. New aficionados as well as die-hard long time followers will discover new and interesting facts via the stories of counterfeiting, murder, terminal illness, suicide, addiction, riots, bondage, the Yakuza, and drinking urine and the other … Read more
Neil Young releases records at an alarming rate for a septuagenarian. It doesn’t matter, the guy gets a gold pass on whatever he releases. His recent health scare not slowing him down, yet showcasing the mortality we have seen in the recent past with Young’s friends and peers moving on at an alarming rate. Neil Young has walked a frantic … Read more
When English duo Royal Blood released their self-titled debut in 2014, i got into an argument with a friend of mine as to how many members were in the band - my friend insisting that there had to be “at least three - because just listen”. Of course we now know that this friend was very wrong and he has … Read more
Led by Falls of Rauros' Jordan Guerette, Foret Endormie takes quite a different route to what we can expect from the black metal guitarist. This chamber ensemble draws its influences from the past, be it the modern take on classical music implemented by the likes of Erik Satie or the poetry of the decadent movement, mainly Paul Verlaine. This is … Read more
When Living Colour toured earlier this year performing their debut album Vivid for the almost 30 year anniversary, a lot of folks were ecstatic, thinking one of their favorite bands were back together again. Problem is, they hadn’t broken up. I mean they did for a few years in the '90s, but they’ve been touring and making music together since … Read more
It's a different world than when Manson made his debut over two decades ago and scared the shit out of everyone. He scared us because things felt relatively safe and calm. He was like a monster scaring a child out of the peaceful tranquility of their bed. Now that things are fucking bananas and chaos reigns and we know exactly … Read more
All the best albums are made for mood. Some for when you’re feeling happy and carefree, and some for when you’re driving around the city in the pouring rain, with the neon lights of seafood restaurants and used car dealerships shimmering through your windshield and your tears. Japanese Breakfast is the latter, and Soft Sounds From Another Planet excels in … Read more
Darkness isn’t something everybody can access within themselves. Some are afraid to explore those shadowy recesses, some deny they exist, and some embrace it and find a cathartic release through some outlet of their choosing.Luckily for us, Chelsea Wolfe would appear to be in the latter category. To describe her music by any particular genre would only seem dismissive. Tawdry, … Read more
Matt Cameron has long been the kind of drummer that most drummers wish they were. Seemingly able to play anything - to bounce from project-to-project with nary a blurred line. In short, Matt Cameron knows his shit. It would be fair to say that despite being the drummer for Pearl Jam since 1998, Cameron will forever be inexorably linked to … Read more
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