It’s got horns. That means it’s ska, right? No, you twit, it doesn’t. Buffed up, tattoos blazing – I dare you to call Rocket From the Crypt anything but straight, collision-style punk rock ‘n’ roll. Horns and theatrics might be part of the band’s mix, but these guys are nothing but a bunch of rowdy […]
The smooth slur of a soft British accent sweeps over me, and for a minute I’m convinced. Forget friends, forget school, forget everything. I’m going out on the road. The moment passes and, I shake my head. “Sorry guys. I can’t be a roadie. I don’t have the muscle for it.” They all laugh. I […]
Draped across a plush leather couch, I feel awkward, not because it’s an interview, but because I not used to this sort of thing. I’m in a bar, with two fairly attractive young women, and they’re talking to me. “What’s your sign?” won’t work on these two. They’re battle worn music veterans. Sure they’re cute […]
Maybe I am a sad case Paul, maybe I am. I remember smoke rising, slashed by beams of red and blue light. Lights streaming across thousands of sweaty, dancing bodies. The bass beat pounded as my heart raced in time. I remember staring, with rapt attention as a kid swung glow sticks on long wires, […]
Crashed out on the couch, unmoving, inert. The quiet is calming. You smile, noticing your heart pumping blood up and down your arms in short, quick bursts. Your roommate sits quietly flicking his toenails with focused fascination. “Oh glory days,” you think. Your freshman paranoia has passed. “No CFs are coming in here, and even […]
As the Strokes, on repeat, begin to splinter the eardrums, you’re met with a realization. “There’s got to be more to this rock resurgence. There’s just got to be.” “The bands” might offer a momentary escape from the MTV doldrums, but are they really reinvigorating the rock scene? Nah. Don’t be so quick to weep […]
Backstage with punk rock outfit The Riddlin’ Kids, I sense something’s missing. No slashed clothes, no spikes, no beer. This is the new face of punk rock: lovelorn bodies packed tightly in T-shirts, legs hidden beneath stonewashed jeans. Love it or hate it, emotionally- driven pop-punk is capturing the hearts of mainstream America. Riding the […]
Gurgled though streams of water, the words echo. They slip slowly with the steam, under the bathroom door and into the hall. Soap circles the sinkhole as the words escape. Eyes clenched, I prepare, ripping down the showerhead with both hands. As the roommates begin to beat the door, begging my silence, I raise my […]
Eyes fixed, you watch as a curled lip whispers the words “Where’s my money?” Why is the Jersey accent so much scarier when there’s a gun involved? They told you not to mess with Tony Soprano; his cronies are dangerous. But you just had to bet an extra couple grand on that pair of jacks. […]
Flowing bass grooves slip in and out of syncopated rhythms. Women in hip-huggers and bathing suits, the video’s requisite “hoes,” gyrate to the beat, slinking against the calm outline of an ever present rap superstar. We watch as the gold around his neck reflects the light, offering a contour to his exposed dark, rippling chest. […]