“On an overdose of drugs, overdose of sin I’m gonna live it to the fullest like I’m on ten and I love gettin’ high – hate bein’ low and I like to drive my truck down a muddy dirt road and I’m workin’ real hard, tryin’ to get paid ’cause I’m a crazed country rebel […]
I wasn’t going to write about this, but I had a lot to say… I never thought I’d say I saw Ralph Stanley play Emo’s…and I never thought I’d say I went with my dad to Emo’s. I’d seen Ralph Stanley twice before in the giant free festival love fest setting that is Hardly Strictly […]
I’ve never had to park this far away from Emo’s in the 502 times I’ve been here in the past month! I’ve never seen so many boys at a show in the 502 metal shows I’ve been to here in the past month! I’ve never…. It was Thrice’s farewell tour, and Emo’s was packed. Truth: […]
In metal, there have always been subgenres that end up being….picked on. Glam metal….grunge….and in particular, nu metal. When nu metal started becoming popular in 1995, it seemed a very natural evolution for me. I bought Doggystyle with The Black Album…License to Ill with Dirt. I was a kid who had grown up with hip […]
I walk into Emo’s to SuidAkrA on stage and an oddly civil and organized audience, standing in self-appointed rows. I’ll have to admit I was expecting the worst. Cinco de Mayo, the drinking holiday, could make for a mess of a crowd. But as I slithered by to my usual standing place, I was surprised […]
“You’ve been here as much as me this week!” the security at the door of Emo’s tells me. Yeah…. It’s been a while since I’ve frequented a venue so much that I have ‘a spot’…it’s like my San Francisco days all over again. Decapitated’s grooving tech-death metal got the crowd riled up early on. I […]
Last year’s Austin Psych Fest was, as one would expect, a trippy adventure amidst the weird energy of the now defunct Seaholm Power Plant. To kick off this year’s fest, on Monday night we found ourselves at the Alamo Drafthouse to watch a screening of the DVD made from last year’s fest. The back of […]
There’s something special about the hometown show. On Saturday night, Emo’s was filled with Texas metalheads- some who had driven many hours- there to support Austin’s very own The Sword. Swilling cheap beer and there in packs, the vibe was like Saturday Night Lights; it had the enthusiasm of a hometown playoff game. Dixie Witch […]
Ah, the beginning of SXSW. As I walked around during the day, I saw the noticeable changeover in people as the Interactive portion of the festival gave way for Music. The Google branded house on my street now has a Funnel Cake vendor out front…and that about says it all. I’ve been bitching and moaning […]
I recently watched the Metal Evolution series. I’m a huge fan of Sam Dunn’s anthropological lens that he brings to music, which is in line with how I like to think about things. I watched him uncomfortably learn about some genres he wasn’t super into – glam, nu-metal- and thought about what subgenres of metal […]
{ Thank you for a perfect piece on my favorite band. You were somehow able to cature the ephemeral nature Of a VT show... It is... } – Oct 20, 12:49 PM
{ Thanks, Paul! It's in eBook form only...if you're into that, there are direct links to get it on Amazon/iTunes/Nook in the right column of this... } – Sep 24, 9:26 AM
{ Thanks HRC. How do I get a copy of your book? } – Sep 23, 4:42 PM
{ I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the situation. I felt the same way in Chicago, only with super shitty NIN-presale seats. } – Aug 27, 6:21 PM
{ As usual Jamie, you nailed it. (See what I did there?) Soundgarden had the stronger set for sure--- and while I never had any kind... } – Aug 27, 11:02 AM
{ I felt the same way. Always like to see NIN but wish it wasn't a festival set that they were kind of sleepwalking through (there... } – Aug 27, 10:20 AM