Call it what you will — a rejuvenation, a renaissance, a refocusing — but Chicago’s Tight Phantomz has undergone a stylistic awakening since the release of 2005’s Crazy When Wet. Back then, frontman Mike Lust barreled through his ’70s-style glam-rock tunes with a full-on cucumber-in-the-pants swagger. But the departure of his bandmates in 2006 provided […]
It’s not easy being aggressive yet approachable, tough yet whimsical, fun yet no-frills. It’s something that frontwomen Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes do masterfully, and The Grates’ Patience Hodgson hits all the same notes. As the voice of the Australian threesome, Hodgson’s frantic howl pops up as often […]
What’s in a name anyways? For Wolfmother, it’s Andrew Stockdale. And for the Australian hard-rock ensemble, it’s Stockdale — not his bandmates — that ensures the band’s blazing, arena-ready riffs. In fact, his boastful warble is so intrinsically Wolfmother that when two-thirds of the band quit last November, it wasn’t the least bit odd for […]
Band names aren’t designed to be the most literal of descriptors. From Air to Ash, from The Zombies to Zebrahead, group monikers are usually meant to be taken lightly. Short of calling themselves “Some People Who Play Instruments and Sing”, most bands leave quite a bit to the imagination when finally settling upon a group […]
For a moment, Paul Meany is speechless. The Mute Math front man had been talking at a steady clip since hopping on the phone one afternoon in early September. But now, almost a half-hour into the conversation, the verbose singer is at a loss for words. It was a simple inquiry: What’s in store for […]
Sex sells. And there’s always someone willing to pay the price. It can be as superficial as a teenager forking over a few bucks at a newsstand for a glossy magazine featuring a scantily clad female on the cover. Or it can be more complex, like an artist taking a cash advance from a morally […]
Auckland, New Zealand, is not really a busy place. But after placing one international phone call to Ruby Suns frontman Ryan McPhun, that perception start to waver. Auckland is the largest city in a country known less for its own geography (off the southeast coast of Australia) than for its fictional location portraying “Middle Earth” […]
Corey Wills is a man who knows what he wants. Since his dance-rock ensemble’s conception in the early half of the decade, the oft-bearded and bespectacled leader of this Chicago outfit has kept that sonic mindset. Although the 27-year-old also splits time as the effects whiz in Chicago buzz band Kid, You’ll Move Mountains, Wills’ […]
There’s at least one “holy shit” moment at every Riverboat Gamblers concert, and the smart bet is that it will come courtesy of frontman Mike Wiebe. One part Iggy Pop contortionist, one part mic-twirling Roger Daltry and one part Eddie Vedder in his rafter-climbing heyday, the long-haired vocalist has made a habit of seemingly risking […]
The designated media area of Lollapalooza is like a circus. Tents line the southwest corner of Chicago’s Grant Park, each one harboring another publication or broadcast outlet. Radio personalities flag down publicists to corral their guests, stick microphones in the musicians’ faces, and start serving up whopping portions of zany shtick before the headsets fully […]