Music
▼ Interview
Running Into Walls: The Return of Into Another
Back in 1994, there was no bigger band in my mind than New York City’s Into Another. When I learned that they were reuniting to play the Revelation Records anniversary shows in California this past summer and New York this fall, I was not only elated, but also dismayed, as my current financial situation would not allow me to attend any of the shows. I suppose that the following interview with founding member and vocalist Richie Birkenhead is somewhat of a consolation prize … and a damned good one, at that. … read more
Brunch for the Ears: The NOVA Chamber Music Series
The NOVA Chamber Music Series plays local and very new music in increasingly close measure with the rest of the program’s adventurous, but also canonical, repertoire. According to Jason Hardink, current artistic director of NOVA, “This makes NOVA a venue unlike any other musical presenter in town. It enriches your experience by putting a Utah composer’s piece beside a piece by Tchaikovsky, because you hear them both side by side.” … read more
The Ghosts of Hardcore Past
In 2004, hardcore blew up. Once that started happening, Blake Foard, member of bands such as Aftermath of a Trainwreck and Skeiff D’Bargg, and longtime show promoter, saw an opportunity to give a little something back to the community through the hardcore scene he loved. “Hardcore, to me, is helping out the people who matter most,” says Foard. That’s when the annual Sub For Santa show was born. … read more
Worshiping A Place to Bury Strangers
“We don’t try to be loud at all, we just play at a volume that feels good to us,” says Oliver Ackermann of New York noise-rockers A Place To Bury Strangers. Ackermann supplies the reverb-saturated baritone vocals to the group, who have been labeled as the “loudest band in New York” by various music critics since their formation in 2003. Over time, the label of loudness has become a bit of a nuisance for the band. “We play music, and I don’t think music should really be described.” … read more
Deftones Interview
Surviving the “nu metal” press tags, a fatal car accident, which put longtime bassist Chi Cheng out of commission, and a slew of studio problems, Deftones have emerged triumphant, confident and, since the 2010 release of Diamond Eyes, wholly invigorated. SLUG chatted with Deftones Keyboardist and DJ Frank Delgado about the upcoming album, their new approach to recording and his own musical genesis. … read more
Crystal Castles: Catharsis Incarnate
Crystal Castles came out of nowhere. The music alternates between despondent and fierce, often finding a middle ground between the two. Lead singer Alice Glass growls and shrieks over Ethan Kath’s instrumentals (which are generally somewhere between 8-bit Nintendo music and a car commercial), and the result is incredible. The live show is tempestuous and infinitely stimulating—imagine Iggy Pop as the hypeman at a Justice show. They strive for abrasive and bleak, but neither is overdone. … read more
Inky Hands and Pacific Sands: Socal Zinesters and the Development...
Incubated in the Pacific Coast and awakened by California sunshine, the ’80s L.A. punk scene birthed swarms of influential and notorious bands, and inspired youngsters Dave Markey and Jordan Schwartz to document the happenings in the xeroxed annals of their acclaimed fanzine, We Got Power. Recently, a compilation of photos, essays and reprints of the zine was published as the book We Got Power: Hardcore Punk Scenes from 1980s Southern California. SLUG got in touch with Markey to chat about the heady days of ’80s punk. … read more
Mommy’s Little Monsters on Punk Rock Halloween
Three years ago, Minor Threat, Black Flag and the Misfits played in the basement of an abandoned building somewhere in Salt Lake City. Of course, it was actually Utah’s xCOMMUNICATEDx, Pass-A-Fist and Youth Descent, impersonating and playing cover sets of some of their favorite punk bands in a Salt Lake tradition: Punk Rock Halloween. “It’s the idea of dressing up and being someone else for Halloween, but, instead, bands are doing it,” says Robin Banks, the local artist and SLUG Mag contributor who helps organize the event. … read more
Converge: Honestly Aimed Arrows
“Every new record should be the best possible version of your band.” Jacob Bannon—artist, label owner and Converge vocalist—has taken time out of his day to talk to me about his band’s new album, All We Love We Leave Behind. “I’ve always held the idea that if you’re making art, then the next thing you do should be a new step forward for you. I want to push things further and become a more cohesive artist and more successful in some way.” … read more
Mono
Having just released their sixth full-length album, For My Parents, and on the eve of the Salt Lake City stop of their current U.S. tour, Japan’s instrumental powerhouse MONO were kind enough to take a few minutes to talk to SLUG via email to give us some insight into the band, their new album, and everything in-between. … read more