Tiny Horses in a Big, Big World: An Interview with the Ponys

Tiny Horses in a Big, Big World: An Interview with...
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Every little girl wants a pony and never gets one. Every teenage boy wants to be a rock star and never becomes one. There is hope, however, in this world full of forgotten dreams and empty stables. Enter The Ponys, the Chicago four-piece responsible for making some of the most exciting music in years.  

Smoking to the Filter

Smoking to the Filter
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The Struggles, Troubles, Steadfast and Momentum of Smoke or Fire There once was a band called Jericho…actually, there were two bands called Jericho. One was an aging Christian rock group trying to groove their way into heaven; the other was a punk band in Boston. One will embark on a reunion tour of the Bible

Stepping Through the Cemetery: 12 Step Rebels

Stepping Through the Cemetery: 12 Step Rebels
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12 Step Rebels Ain’t Fluffin’ Up Their Pure Psychobilly From the deserts of Albuquerque, N.M., comes the pure psychobilly sounds of the 12 Step Rebels. The 12 Step Rebels are rocking the graveyard with their songs of creatures of the night. [12 Step Rebels]The 12 Step Rebels started in 2000, released an EP on a

Nice Ride: Shifting Gears with Z-Trip

Nice Ride: Shifting Gears with Z-Trip
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There’s a lot of “mash-up” DJs out there nowadays, but not one of them can be compared to the Z-Trip recipe. [Z-Trip]In the past year, Z has been very goal-oriented. He has a mix on the new Motown Remixed album, a cameo on the new Scratch: All The Way Live DVD, and, now signed with

Split Your Lungs with Blood And Thunder: Mastodon has the Ability to Rule Us All

Split Your Lungs with Blood And Thunder: Mastodon has the...
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In the winter of 2002, my friends asked me if I wanted to go out to Burt’s Tiki Lounge and check out some metal band from Atlanta named Mastodon. I declined since I had never heard of them and I was burnt out on bars in general. When they all told me how stupid I

Whip it Good: Prepare to be Dominated by the Coachwhips

Whip it Good: Prepare to be Dominated by the Coachwhips
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When I called to schedule this interview, I got an answering machine, which, in the spirit of George Castanza’s answering machine on Seinfeld, is a reworking of a famous pop tune (only in this case, the message is about “walking on down to K-Mart to buy some shoes” set to the music of “Electric Ave.”)

Big Black Monsoon: Yyrkoon Unleashes a New Storm With Occult Medicine

Big Black Monsoon: Yyrkoon Unleashes a New Storm With Occult...
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[Yyrkoon]Coming from France’s Osmose Productions as well as Salt Lake City’s The End Records is French metal thrashers Yyrkoon. After humble beginnings in 1995, the band released their debut full-length album, Oniric Transition, in 1998 and Dying Sun in 2002. Progressing to a different sound, the band’s third release, Occult Medicine, is a steamroller of

The Bellrays

The Bellrays
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Do Not Obey: The Bellrays Bust Boundaries with their One-of-a-Kind Rock n’ Soul When talked about in larger publications The BellRays usually get lumped in with the so-called “garage rock revival.” Not only have The BellRays been playing their patented brand of maximum rock n’ soul for much longer than that stupid tag has been

Low

Low
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How Low Can You Go: High Times with Alan Sparhawk of Low.   [Alan Sparkhawk of Low] “I don’t know if that’s specifically the new direction. Going out on a limb was definitely a positive experience, and I think we’re going to do that more.”   Moses spoke with G-d, George Bush held private council