Music Review: Continental Drifters, Drifted: In The Beginning & Beyond

By Melissa Bratcher

If you didn’t know who the Continental Drifters were, and happened upon Drifted: In The Beginning & Beyond, you might be struck by the indelible, vivid lyrics of their songs, or perhaps the band’s excellent playing. Maybe their fine harmonies might get you. Or it could be the various singers in the band, each with their own honed, matchless style. Perhaps you would be drawn to the hooky Americana or the eclectic, delightful cover songs on disc two of this collection.

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Blu-Ray Review: Pit Stop

By Less Lee Moore

When Roger Corman approached Jack Hill to make a film about stock car racing, Hill was hesitant; he hated both stock car racing and movies about stock car racing. The fact that Pit Stop is such a marvelous example of 1960s independent art cinema is a huge testament to Jack Hill’s tenacity and talent.

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Music Review: Institute, Catharsis

By Less Lee Moore

Tell me who’s got a conscience that’s more pure / A servant of God or a girl they call a whore?
—Institute, “Christian Right”

If you didn’t know they were from Austin, Texas, you might assume that Institute was from the UK. On Catharsis, they’ve got a laconic, sardonic edge that sometimes comes across like the post-punk of bands like Joy Division or Magazine, but at other times recalls The Minutemen. Regardless, don’t let Moses Brown’s disaffected, distorted vocals fool you into thinking these are dumb punks. Unlike a lot of other bands that trudge through the same fertile ground, Institute are sharp, smart, and firmly committed to not only their sound but their specific aesthetic.

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Book Review: Monster Mash: The Creepy, Kooky Monster Craze in America 1957-1972

By Tim Murr

TwoMorrows Publishing is awesome. These dedicated fans began publishing magazines about comics in the mid-’90s, such as the authoritative series Jack Kirby Collector as well as Comic Book Artist and Alter Ego. They have also published books and DVDs, further preserving the far reaches of comics’ history.

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Music Review: Jason Isbell, Something More Than Free

By Melissa Bratcher

After his confessional, revelatory Southeastern from 2013, it would be forgivable for Jason Isbell to coast. Southeastern was huge: deeply personal, immediate, and gripping, not to mention successful. Isbell won Album of the Year, Song of the Year (for “Cover Me Up”), and Artist of the Year at the Americana awards. With his incredible new album, Something More Than Free, it’s clear Isbell isn’t going to take it easy.

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Music Review: Galactic, Into The Deep

By Melissa Bratcher

One of the genius things about New Orleans’ Galactic is their use of wildly diverse vocalists on their albums and tours. Each singer brings their own flavor, but no matter who is singing, the sound of the finely tuned Galactic machine is unmistakable. Their newest, Into The Deep, eschews their previous concept album themes (2007’s urban From The Corner To The Block, 2010’s bonanza of incredible NOLA artists Ya-Ka-May, and 2012’s Mardi Gras-themed Carnivale Electricos) and embraces a number of disparate singers, but never loses sight (or sound) that it is a Galactic album. And it is ripping.

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Concert Review: Black Lips At The Horseshoe

By Pierce Finch-Coursey

July 10, 2015
Toronto, ON

Black Lips performed two nights in a row at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern. After seeing both sets, I can easily come to the conclusion that Black Lips is by far one of the best live acts I have ever seen. With a career spanning more than 15 years and seven albums under their belts, it seems like these guys aren’t going to be hanging up their guitars anytime soon.

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Big Music Fest 2015 Review: Big Sugar, Jane’s Addiction, Soundgarden

By Tyler Hodg

Jane’s Addiction

From July 6 through 11 this year, Kitchener, Ontario was transformed into one of the hottest spots of this summer. Why, you ask? It’s because the annual Big Music Fest was held at McLennan Park once again, bringing some of the biggest rock acts in the world—including Jane’s Addiction and Soundgarden—to the city.
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The Sword Release New Single For Upcoming High Country Album

By Tim Murr

I was late discovering The Sword. I came across their album Warp Riders at the library last year and checked it out based solely on the fact that there were tracks called “The Chronomancer I” and “The Chronomancer II.” Since I like a little sci-fi with my metal, I gave them a chance and just fell in love with the band’s brand of classic stoner metal.

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Music Review: The Rollers, Voxx and Ricochet

By Melissa Bratcher

In 1979, The Bay City Rollers shook things up. Eager to shrug off the mantle of being a teeny bopper band, they refused to do the cover versions that their record label Arista demanded and parted ways with their lead singer, Les McKeown, along with their exploitative manager (whom I will not name because he was a dreadful person), yearning to show the world that they rocked. On their last album for Arista, Voxx, they did just that. Mostly.

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