As soon as I entered Austin’s Encore Records, I should have surrendered my credit card at the door. Whose great idea was it to leave me unattended in a record store for six hours? The Austin, Texas independent music retailer (and DVD rental location) has one of the country’s best selections of metal and hardcore, as well as an impressive selection of music from local artists. Of course “local” in these parts means Roky Erickson and Scratch Acid, but that’s a story for another time. (more…)

Bill Callahan’s music is suiting to the high desert of central New Mexico, where he played last week to a packed crowd in Albuquerque. The evening was frigid - the town had barely seen rain for weeks and the venue where Callahan was supposed to play had nearly been torched a week before by a five-alarm fire next door. Albuquerque in winter feels down-and-out. Sunlight hardly helps make the dead cottonwood trees less sinister and lonesome. The night Callahan played, the whole town felt like a song from his catalog. (more…)

Ever notice how the most of the best (non-local) shows in Chicago during the winter feature bands from the South? My first couple of years in town I assumed that it was because nobody bothered telling them how disgusting and miserable winter could be. I was wrong. (more…)

The pairing of heavy rock instrumentalists Russian Circles and experimental hip-hop duo Dälek might seem to be a mismatched live bill for genre purists. However, since both groups are known for their intense live shows and for pushing the boundaries of their respective genres, it is more of a meeting of musical kindred spirits. Last Tuesday was the kick-off of a touring cycle that brings the two groups together on tour (along with energetic noise-rockers Young Widows) for series of shows until March 2. (more…)

Despite Saturday night’s frigid cold, a sizeable crowd gathered at the Empty Bottle in Chicago to see local glam-punk favorites BANG! BANG! and hear the newest tunes by La Scala, celebrating the release of their newest EP, The Harlequin, on Chicago’s Highwheel Records. (more…)

It took nearly two decades of supporting work for John C. Reilly to become a leading man. Riding the seemingly unbreakable Judd Apatow and hit streak, Reilly could catapult into stardom with Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. The versatile actor recently performed in character in anticipation of the film’s release. (more…)

Last Wednesday’s Dillinger Escape Plan show at Chicago’s Subterranean featured none of the band’s legendary moments (fire blowing, running over people’s heads), but it did have a killer opener (Genghis Tron) and a crowd going completely ape shit. (more…)

When someone goes to see a band with a couple of huge radio hits, it’s always entertaining to see him or her make sense of the opening act. In this case, we are talking about Modest Mouse at the Congress Theater, and the opener is the ever-amusing Man Man. (more…)

Inspiration can come from the strangest of places. Last Friday at Chicago’s Abbey Pub, Mission of Burma’s inspiration came from one faulty microphone stand. The post-punk giants, comprising bassist Clint Conley, drummer Peter Prescott, and guitarist Roger Miller, took the stage that night, launching into Miller’s “1001 Pleasant Dreams” from The Obliterati (2006). (more…)

Whenever life falls apart, solace can be found in blasting The Mountain Goats’ The Sunset Tree on repeat. There’s a lyric in “Broom People” that goes: “I write down good reasons to freeze to death in my spiral-ring notebook.” It’s heartbreaking. (more…)