Rob Mazurek is a man of accomplishments. He is regarded as a master cornetist and conductor working in avant-garde, free-jazz styles. He has fronted numerous projects in his adopted hometown of Chicago. His collaborations have been with contemporaries and peers, but now Mazurek is working with a legend. Free-jazz icon Bill Dixon contributes as conductor for the latest release of Mazurek’s cosmic jazz ensemble, Exploding Star Orchestra. (more…)

90’s Punk pioneers, The VSS, are re-releasing their one and only full length recording Nervous Circuits (Hydra Head) on May 20th. The band was renowned for their use of piano arrangements and synthesizers to blend goth, experimental rock, punk, and electronic sounds-making the band a short lived gem on the punk rock continuum. (more…)

Along with the steady chorus of Internet hype accompanying her debut release, Santogold (a.k.a. Santi White) has had the spectre of M.I.A following her since the first few tracks of her album started to make the rounds late last year.

The comparisons were impossible to sidestep, and courted to a certain extent; the two musicians are friends/touring mates and share collaborators in producers Diplo and Switch. Early press coverage appeared to waste no time in playing up the association. (more…)

The term “renaissance man” is tailor made for an artist like Eyvind Kang. He’s a prolific composer, multi-instrumentalist, and frequent guest star, lending his unique contemporary-classical style to collaborations with indie rock stalwarts Blonde Redhead and experimental icons Sun City Girls among dozens others. It’s on solo efforts like The Yelm Sessions, released in November on Tzadik, where his vision and talent can truly be appreciated. (more…)

Enter Oakland’s Saviours, who have unleashed their beast of a second record, Into Abbadon (Kemado), this winter. The toughas-nails four-piece draws from classic sounds of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) Bay Area thrash, doom and punk rock, branding it with their own intense rebellion and hedonism. Their blistering live show is a sweaty mess of long hair, tattoos, and unbridled energy. In essence, Saviours recall a time when metal was genuinely feared. (more…)

…Yet it still hasn’t been just another day living in Los Angeles for the Horrorpops, even though the Danish act originally staked their claim four years ago, moving from Copenhagen to further their musical careers. And it’s that wide-eyed outlook on the City of Angels that’s given front-woman Patricia Day the necessary inspiration to pen her band’s latest (and third) album, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill.

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Daniel Day-Lewis is my favorite American actor, even though he’s not American and rarely acts. In his last two major motion pictures, Day-Lewis brilliantly projects both sides of a quintessential American coin. In Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Bill the Butcher is the embodiment of raw political talent. Likewise, Daniel Plainview is a flawless portrait of economic determination in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. (more…)

A rogues gallery of facile musicians, Pink Mountain is avant-garde music’s answer to the Justice League of America. Formed in 2006, the group includes Sam Coomes (Quasi), Kyle Bruckmann (Lozenge), Gino Robair (Splatter Trio), Scott Rosenberg (P.A.F.), and John Shiurba (Eskimo). Rosenberg, who plays various reed instruments, culled the other members to write and record their self-titled full-length off the cuff. (more…)

In the text that accompanies this bilingual book (which is better left unread) artist Barry McGee claims that in the past 10 years, it would have been impossible for any resident of Milan to miss the work of graffiti artist Dumbo. Though the book presents no evidence of the prolific efforts it would take to meet that claim, it does offer an enjoyable photo-essay of Dumbo’s life and Italian graffiti culture. (more…)

Punk music, and its surrounding culture, has always been most effective with a simple, straightforward approach. Author and musician Timothy Findlen, along with photographer Abby Banks, spent three months driving cross-country to visit and photograph sixty-five punk houses—communal, low-rent houses typically crammed full of punks, squatters, and artists. The end result is PUNK HOUSE, a collection of 300 full color photos and three short essays. (more…)