Review: Shelter – When 20 Summers Pass
Krishna-Core? To grasp the band Shelter, one must first come to grips with its singer, Ray Cappo who has done time as a monk and a full on airport hanging out Hare-Krishna disciple. And since a lot of the straight edge ideal translates into some of the same philosophies (especially in the areas of diet and respect of life), the concept doesn’t seem as strange as it initially sounds.
Review: Alien Crime Syndicate – Dust to Dirt
Good pop in the vein of rock, with some occasional slips into some exploration of sound (dash of sample here, dose of keyboards there) that puts a stamp of distinction into the intentional nuggets offered here. Alien Crime Syndicate is what happens when really good songwriters choose to embrace the pop hook more than trying to flex their musician skills.
Review: A New Found Glory – Nothing Gold Can Stay
For those of you who love the “sweet punk” revolution that is powered by pop-punks and the whole emo-meets-hardcore movement, you will love A New Found Glory. Singing about love, friendship and other high-school themes, their sound is a tad bit more diverse than others in the genre, but basically consists of that teenage, baby-faced MXPX sound.
Review: Deftones – White Pony
Deftones are truly perfecting their command of unsuspecting moody whispers that somehow transfer into such tormented scraping screams and crushing walls of guitar, the formula seems unworkable. Yet as the band progresses from a sound so distinct, the Deftones have evolved into an entity of singularity that other bands will be charged of ripping of their sound.
Review: Rancid – Self-Titled
Remember when “…And Out Come The Wolves” came out? The first song, ‘Maxwell Murder’, started playing and you thought, ‘Fuck yeah, Rancid got back to it’s punk roots!’
Review: Jersey – The Battle’s Just Begun
Ok, picture this: Unwritten Law after a couple shots of testosterone, add a chick to sing occasionally and you’ve got Jersey, the band. This is by no means a put down. These guys are punk- a bit on the girly side at times, like when they’re singing, “At school, you were looking so fine, you’re the only girl for me.”
Review: Nashville Pussy – High As Hell
High As Hell offers more earfuls of southern fried ignorance from the Nashvile Pussy quartet. Compared to the previous album, “Let Them eat Pussy”, “High As Hell” rocks out at a more leisurely pace. This could be the influence of the Am Rep label wearing off or the effect of being high as hell. That shit’ll slow you down.
Review: Strung Out – The Element of Sonic Defiance
Strung Out’s earlier releases on Fat Wreck Chords, Another Day in Paradise, Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues and Twisted by Design are three of the most influential modern punk rock records. If they were movies they would be the Star Wars trilogy.
Interview: Kottonmouth Kings
The historic Capitol records building in Hollywood! Wow! There it is, standing tall, round and majestic. An oversized Perkins-esque American flag flaps wildly atop the structure that is home to such recording artists as The Beastie Boys and Everclear. I am here to interview the Kottonmouth Kings. I am a half hour early, but why not proceed?
Inside the world’s first round office building (what a feat!) I check in at the desk. I drop a name, “I’m here to see the (clears throat, ahems) Kottonmouth Kings.” The lovely ebony attendant indicates the sign in sheet. “You want me to sign this?” I ask.
Interview: Kittie
I arrived with intentions of getting some words in with the kiddies of Kittie. Actually, I think singer Morgan is 18 (or almost) and the rest are between 15-17, and have put in time with bands like Slipknot and are booked for OzzFest. Calling them kiddies might be inaccurate. In fact, I found singer Morgan and guitarist Fallon very mature, intelligent and aside from a bit of disbelief over their own success, quite grounded about what is happening to them and the pitfalls that fame at such a young age can bring.