Hip-hop history brims with gifted solo artists, but there are far fewer great bands — groups whose shows were every bit as memorable as their best recordings. The Pharcyde earned a spot in this second category as a result of a relentlessly funky sound and members with oversized personalities, including…
Since its early days as a duet comprising Bob Weir and self-styled acoustic bassist Rob Wasserman, Ratdog has experienced its share of musical evolution and personnel shuffling. Counting late Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson and members of San Francisco’s jazz-based Charlie Hunter Trio among its alumni, the group morphed from…
The art of singing your fucking guts out is almost a lost one — not that you’d know by listening to William Elliott Whitmore. Lunging between a croon and a croak, his voice sounds too big for one body, a ragged, elemental howl that carries all the grit and erosion…
There’s funky, and then there’s super-bad-ass funky. 4 of US embody the latter description — as it should. The act, previously known as Frequenox, is made up of members of Robert Walter’s 20th Congress, the Greyboy Allstars and Galactic, each all-stars in their own right. Keyboardist Walter’s mastery of the…
Rappers go through pseudonyms like Paris Hilton goes through boyfriends. It’s a game of sorts, or maybe a fear of commitment — a semantic defense to never get too attached to one thing because all things eventually go sour. Take Daniel Dumile, born in England but raised in Long Island,…
Whether offering a Van Morrison chestnut, channeling the heavier sounds of Widespread Panic or garnishing its classic rock-inspired sound with roots-flavored original fare, Electric Side Dish (due at Sancho’s Broken Arrow on Sunday, December 4) cooks up a savory blend of grooves that leaves you wanting more. Axmen John Tipton…
In addition to being one of progressive house’s most recognized jocks, Orlando’s Jimmy Van M is also one of the key point men behind the scenes. Back in 1992, when he began his career, the DJ took a very practical approach to the dance scene. After completing several nationwide tours…
For more than a decade, Jeff Campbell, aka Apostle, has been a cornerstone of hip-hop in Denver. This spring, however, if all goes according to plan, he’ll be leaving the Mile High City to join his Heavyweight Dub Champion bandmates in Northern California. While this news is likely to send…
aris Delane is at home, preparing to audition for the role of a samurai-trained ex-Special Forces bodyguard named Virgil in an upcoming film. A monolith of a man, Delane is seemingly perfect for such a role. It doesn’t take long to discover, though, that despite his imposing figure, he’s really…
After two blood-drenched decades, GWAR continues to sell out venues, slamming out thrash metal and gleefully beheading celebrity effigies. But for Oderus Urungus and his mutant band of foul-mouthed space pirates (guitarists Flattus Maximus and Balsac the Jaws of Death, bassist Beefcake the Mighty and drummer Jizmak Da Gusha), uncorking…
Just because Fantasia Barrino won American Idol last year doesn’t mean that everything in her world is ideal. “When people see you on TV, they think you’re a millionaire,” she says, “but I work hard to have what I have, and I’m not, like, rich. Maybe it’ll be like that…
All hail Chuck D! Oh, how the uptight and old white pundits parsed his every word. From the days of “jungle rhythms” to the French riots today, the frightened, white and withered have shat themselves over black music. But some musicians deserve protection from the beshitted more than others do…
Pity poor Mick Jagger — or at least feel his future pain. Ian Anderson is certainly capable of doing so. During a recent interview on KOA, the Jethro Tull frontman mused about how emotionally difficult it will be for the Mickster when he finally retires from the stage and is…
The pitch-bender is Benny Benassi’s friend. The thirty-something Italian spinster has perfected — in collaboration with his cousin Alle, of Larry Pignagnoli’s internationally successful Off Limits production company — an irresistible electro-house-music fusion that would not be the same without pitch-bending technology. “Satisfaction,” the stratosphere-worthy single from Benassi’s major breakout…
Prog-rock is a tricky business. A genre scorned for pretentious, frilly indulgences — like emo or light jazz, Colorado style — the label alone is enough to doom a stellar band to death by preconception. In this prog world exists the valley of prog-metal, a subgenre strewn with laughable poseurs…
While Phish purists might pooh-pooh any project that falls outside the bubbling company of his erstwhile aquatic bandmates, Trey Anastasio proves himself to be a resilient and innovative musician who can stand on his own two gills. Having formed a new group, 70 Volt Parade, and recently teamed with more…
Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch used to rhapsodize about his desire to be the new Frank Sinatra. And although Harry Connick Jr. beat him to it, McCulloch and crew wound up making an impact all their own. While much of the ’80s post-punk wave toyed with goofy futurism and…
Most Precious Blood is pissed off again. Religious fanatics, numb consumers, faithless exes, vapid politicians and those thoughtless carnivores all suffer in the New York gothcore assailant’s Merciless/onslaught. Rob Fusco’s seething vocals harmonize with the hurtling guitar work of Justin Brannan and Rachel Rosen in a smoldering manifesto against apathy…
The brand of country music lauded at this month’s Country Music Association awards doesn’t have much to do with the music’s origins; to understate the situation considerably, the line between Hank Williams and Keith Urban is far from straight. The same can be said of Freakwater, whose co-founder, Janet Beveridge…
Band names can be indicative of many things, but be wary of assuming too much. A handle like Weedeater can be misleading. For one thing, the act doesn’t do psychedelic rock. Nor does it do tripped-out drug anthems. And mistaking its members for dreadlocked hippies might end up in a…
Getting back together is the new breaking up. At least that seems to be the motto for local hardcore outfit Deadlock Frequency. After a series of inconspicuous incarnations, a few self-released albums and one notable two-year break, the act is back and resonating loud and clear. Reformed by original members…
It would be easy to write off Damian Lazarus as a casualty of the electroclash trend of a few years ago, which promised so much yet delivered so little. Lazarus was at the forefront of the movement as a label executive with City Rockers (the imprint responsible for bringing Tiga…
