Hana Pestle On A Pedestal

She sat with me by the bar and ate cupcakes after opening for two of the biggest bands in rock history at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. Barely out of high school—charming, charismatic, and only 19—she is Hana Pestle, a singer songwriter from Montana (not to be confused with Hannah Montana, as her name is pronounced like Hoh-na). After touring this summer with Live, Collective Soul, and Blues Traveler and just finishing the last leg of Joshua Radin’s tour, she is now opening for Graham Colton, an artist best known for his song “Best Days” featured on American Idol. Read more

Book Review: Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain

Lately, I have been reading a lot of musician biographies and autobiographies. It has been a rocky road, with downs (Bob Dylan Chronicles Vol. 1 by Bob Dylan) and ups (John by Cynthia Lennon.) Most recently I tackled Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain, by Charles R Cross. It was recommended to me by a friend who works in the music industry so I decided to read it; although, I actually didn’t know too much about Cobain, besides the general information that everyone who was alive in the 90’s knows. Still, I decided to give it a go. Read more

Album Review: Duffy - Rockferry

Being the die-hard fan that I am of both Ms. Winehouse and Ms. Goldfrapp (who described Aimee Duffy, the Welsh songstress known to the entire world solely by her surname, as a clone of the aforementioned vocalist), I must admit that I was quite skeptical of whether her debut album Rockferry would be worth anyone’s, let alone my time. Once I’d reached the middle of my pleasantly surprising first listen, I realized that despite her record label’s attempt to prove that she is the second coming of Dusty Springfield, in reality Duffy is just another in the long line of British blue-eyed soul-pop singers a lá Lisa Stansfield or James Hunter. Read more

Muse Headlines the V Festival

August 16th, 2008 - Hylands Park - Chelmsford, UK

A typical mid-summer’s August day in the UK saw both Weston Park and Hylands Park face the rain, the two sites being the dual locations of the V festival, one of the biggest UK festivals (alongside Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds). Yet the rain didn’t dampen anybody’s spirit as a blistering set featuring all the hits from The Stereophonics ensured everybody forgot about being knee high in mud pits and look forward to headliners Muse.

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Fleetwood Mac: Will They Dance Again in 2009?

We’ve all heard the Rumours—and I’m not talking about the album.  Word on the street is that one of the greatest and most controversial rock ‘n roll bands of all time, Fleetwood Mac, will return to the stage in 2009.
 
With a tumultuous history, they are a band who defies the term sex, drugs, and roll ‘n roll—add a side of adultery and alcoholism.  Ravaged by in and outs with over 15 band members over the course of 40 years, somehow they managed to create some of the best music of all time.  Read more

Slipknot Releases 4th Album: All Hope Is Gone

On August 26th, Des Moines, Iowa’s Slipknot released their fourth album on Roadrunner Records titled All Hope is Gone. It was produced with the help of Dave Fortman of Ugly Kid Joe. Fortman has also produced albums for Evanescence, Mudvayne, Simple Plan, and Superjoint Ritual.

This is the first album from Slipnot since 2004’s Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses, written and recorded with legendary producer, Rick Rubin. Read more

Interview with Phil Kominski from Lloyd Dobler Effect

It is said that when you are on the right path, things just sort of fall into place. If there is any truth to that cliché, then Lloyd Dobler Effect are right where they need to be. Having formed eight years ago, Lloyd Dobler Effect’s path has taken them on a whirlwind journey of show after show, performing over 1,400 shows in 39 states and 14 countries. Having just finished their third Armed Forces Entertainment Tour, being named Boru Vodka’s Defend the Bar Band winner, and currently touring nationally in the United States, the Lloyd Dobler Effect may just be onto something. Read more

No Rest For Buck Cherry

Now that Buck Cherry’s stint on Crue Fest is winding down, they have announced that they will be co-headlining a fall tour with Avenged Sevenfold. Their time on Crue Fest, which featured Papa Roach, Trapt, Sixx, and headlined my Motley Crue will come to an end on August 31st.

Buckcherry, the band best known for their songs “Crazy Bitch” and “Sorry” , will rest for two weeks before touring with Avenged begins September 16th in Moline, Il. September 16th is also the day that their new album and fourth studio release, Black Butterfly, will drop. Read more

Interview with Los Campesinos!

It’s obvious that indie rock dance music is all the rage…everywhere.  And while I have fond romances with all the indie rock dance groups in America it seems as if the European bands have more of a handle on the cutting edge freshness of the indie dance music scene. Specifically I am talking about the shiny new faces of Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos! was formed by seven friends attending college in Wales at Cardiff University in 2006. “We were all in college and Nils decided he wanted to start a band” violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist Harriet Campesinos! said. Read more

Album Review: Nine Inch Nails: The Slip

With The Slip’s remarkable means of distribution (despite the recently released physical copy, this latest offering from Nine Inch Nails remains available for free download on nin.com) and its sudden, surprise release, it’s easy to interpret this album as Trent Reznor’s generous effort to patch things up with fans who were frustrated by the popular industrial rock outfit’s previous surprise release, the nearly two hour instrumental album Ghosts I-IV. And sure, maybe The Slip is just a grand conciliatory gesture – but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a very satisfying one. Read more

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