Author Archive

Q&A with Nick Lowe

Written by Ben Sisario on August 6, 2002. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Nick Lowe is a great songwriter, a talented singer and an exceptional producer, but his best quality has always been his timing. He laid the groundwork for British punk during his pub-rocking days, worked with Elvis Costello and Graham Parker to bring smarts and soul to the music, and sang some of the wittiest new-wave
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Manowar Lives by the Code of Heavy Metal

Written by Ben Sisario on May 21, 2002. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

It’s just after midnight on a chilly Saturday in early April, and the air in the sturdy old Convention Hall in Asbury Park, is thick with bad metal–it lingers, like a smell. Twenty bands have blasted across the main stage here at Metal Meltdown IV, and more than 40 have played on the other two
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Two Rare, Lovely Releases of Kyrgyzstan Music

Written by Ben Sisario on December 11, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

The Voice of Kyrgyzstan Salamat Sadikova (Frequency Glide Enterprises) One of the strongest images in my mind these last few months–besides the shots of the planes slashing into the World Trade Center over and over like so many snuff films–is a photo I saw of an Afghan refugee heading to the Pakistani border to escape
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

The Sound of Oneida’s Latest, Anthem of the Moon, Is Pure New York City

Written by Ben Sisario on October 30, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Hanoi Jane, one of the guys in Oneida, does this thing with his guitar. It usually comes toward the end of their set, in the midst of a storm of noise, a good five or six minutes from any sign of vocals. There’s a shirtless, bearded man bashing away on the drums and a guy
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Why’s Michael Jackson the King of Pop, Anyway?

Written by Ben Sisario on September 18, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

What I’ve always wanted to know about Michael Jackson is when exactly did he come to be known as the "king of pop"? I was in the third grade when Thriller came out, when he was the indisputable ruler of what might be called pop, and I don’t remember him having such a name at
[ read more... ]

1 Comment

Rovo at Tonic

Written by Ben Sisario on August 7, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Rovo Tonic (July 20) Rovo is a new group fronted by Yamamoto, the great guitarist of the Boredoms–like Marilyn Munster, he’s the "normal" one–along with a skinny dude with James Dean hair named Katsui Yuji, who plays the electric fiddle and is in another band called Bondage Fruit. They released Imago, an album of very
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci at Bowery Ballroom

Written by Ben Sisario on July 31, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

It used to be that a violin in a rock band was an oddity. It would turn up in the occasional Neil Young song, or in anything that was supposed to sound "authentic," like post-Cougar stuff by John Mellencamp. And Camper Van Beethoven owed more than a little of its success to the sheer novelty
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Air at Hammerstein Ballroom

Written by Ben Sisario on July 10, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

Air’s new album, 10,000 Hz Legend, is not as clever as the first one; everybody seems to agree about that. But as a second-rate Kraftwerk imitation it’s an important confirmation of what Air is all about: they’re a retro act, tinkerers with the detritus of the past and not much more; a pair of audio
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Good-Bye to The Cooler

Written by Ben Sisario on June 19, 2001. Posted in Miscellaneous, Posts

It was a sad thing to witness the last show at the Cooler. Not just because it was closing–there’s always a turnover of clubs in this city, with new ones opening up just as fast as old ones close down. It was sad because it was a dis. It was a sign of how awful
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

Lightning Bolt and the Freakout Duo Tradition

Written by Ben Sisario on April 10, 2001. Posted in Posts

When Lightning Bolt begins to play, it’s like a stealth attack. While the other bands are onstage, still playing, the members of Lightning Bolt typically set up their equipment on the floor–just a drum set and big bass rig. They start before the people in the crowd have the chance to escape, have a drink,
[ read more... ]

Be the first to comment on this post

12 3 4 »Last