Brassneck
Brassneck's Latest Posts
Spins: Local H • LIFERS
LOCAL HLIFERS(AntiFragile) Twenty-five years after their debut, Scott Lucas’ Local H continues to defy the odds – not only by producing aggressive music that still matters but by being a band that appeals to both city and suburban crowds. Their musical magnetism continues to be strong across both musical spectrums, and that’s no small feat. […]
Spins: Cy Curnin • Lockdown
Cy Curnin Lockdown (Self) Fixx frontman Cy Curnin has returned with Lockdown, his fifth solo LP, his latest since 2013’s The Horse’s Mouth. The town crier continues to roam the global village with a sweet voice that conveys bitter truths when it must. That voice may not always bring comfort, but it nonetheless assures us […]
File: Hello My Name Is… Cherie Currie
A full decade ago, ex-Runaways “front fox” Cherie Currie began work on Blvds of Splendor with former Guns N’ Roses/Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum producing. But a funny thing happened on the way to the glam-rock forum. “The plan was to get it done and get it out there,” she says of the set, which […]
Media – May 2020
The Mix Morning show (WTMX, 101.9FM) is now officially called Eric in the Morning with Melissa and Whip. After an unprecedented run of success during morning drive time in Chicago, everyone knows Eric Ferguson, the star of the show. Most also know Melissa McGurren, a trusted co-host for many years. But who in the world […]
Cover Story: Lucinda Williams
Many artists — when looking back on their catalogs — often wish that they could have done better, compositionally speaking. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. But when Grammy-winning folk-rocker Lucinda Williams undertook her comprehensive tour last year, celebrating the 20th anniversary of her landmark third Car Wheels on a Gravel Road effort, she never once […]
Feature: Testament and Exodus – Coping with COVID
On paper, it looked like a brilliant idea — the recent comprehensive “Bay Strikes Back” month-long tour of Europe, featuring Bay Area thrash-metal stalwarts Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel. It was just the timing — Feb. 6 to March 11 — that proved a bit unfortunate. It happened to coincide with the appearance of the […]
Q&A: Randy Blythe from Lamb of God
D. Randall Blythe — Randy to friends and family — understands that it doesn’t quite fit his profile as the dreadlocked, feral-throated frontman for molten metal outfit Lamb of God. But this Virginian doesn’t care. Right now, at this perilous point in time, and after everything he’s survived — including detention in a Czech Republic […]
Spins – The Boomtown Rats • “Citizens of Boomtown”
The Boomtown Rats Citizens of Boomtown (BMG) The Irish rockers’ first album in 36 years finds them reinvigorated and ready to do the Rat. Citizens of Boomtown’s palette connects to the group’s history while flinging them into sonic settings not yet invented when the group hung up its tails in 1986. Singer Bob Geldof has […]
Feature – The Claudettes
Symphonic cartoon-music maestro Raymond Scott meets titanic blues pianist Otis Spann meets punk iconoclasts the Minutemen. The Stooges meet Burt Bacharach, without the horns. French yé-yé pop at the old west saloon. These off-kilter combinations aren’t deliberately ironic; they’re legitimate attempts to make an elevator pitch for Chicago’s baffling, delightful, and utterly unique band The […]
Spins – The Outfit • “Viking”
The Outfit Viking (Pavement Entertainment) Chicago rockers The Outfit have done it again. On its second full-length album, Viking, the foursome — brothers Mark (drums) and Matt Nawara (guitar), Mike Gorman (bass) and Andy Mitchell (vocals/guitar) — seamlessly merge massive hooks, edgy riffs, soaring vocal harmonies and catchy choruses with pleasing results. Mixed by multi-platinum […]
Sweet Home – April 2020 • Blues Rona Playlist
A Blues Rona Playlist These are challenging times as the Covid-19 pandemic has touched all corners of the globe, all countries, and all societies. The quarantine forces us inside to piece together new routines around an uncertain situation. Music has always been a refuge in fearful circumstances, and blues literally evolved from pain, so there’s […]
Spins: Stephen Malkmus • “Traditional Techniques”
Stephen Malkmus Traditional Techniques (Matador Records) When Pavement first entered the rock scene nearly 30 years ago, they stood out like a sore thumb. While they were lo-fi, they weren’t punk, and while they had pop melodies, those were buried under tape hiss and inside jokes. Frontman Stephen Malkmus never went for a stylistic makeover, […]
Spins: Greg Dulli • “Random Desire”
Greg Dulli Random Desire (Royal Cream/BMG) Calling this “the first solo album” by The Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli isn’t technically truthful – unless it’s a deliberate attempt to erase 2005’s Amber Headlights altogether. Whether first or second, it was time for another musical road less traveled for Dulli. Surviving way longer than most rock […]
Spins: Pearl Jam • “Gigaton”
Pearl Jam Gigaton (Monkeywrench/Republic) Pearl Jam’s timing for the end of the world record is impeccable. The Seattle-based quartet’s recorded output has been stalled for nearly seven years, and apparently, they have some shit they want to get off their chests. The band’s eleventh record, Gigaton, also finds its members looking for new ways to […]
Media – April 2020
Steve Darnall remembers the exact moment he became obsessed with old time radio. “It was 1977, and I was driving in the car with my dad. I asked him to turn on the radio, and he turned on Chuck Shayden’s program, which aired old-time shows from the Golden Age of Radio. Dad told me that […]
Recent Comments