Primer: Dr. Dog

Music Stories Formed: In Philadelphia, 1999.  Sounds like: Listening to a hardcore pop-history geek’s iPod on random after smoking a blunt. For fans of: My Morning Jacket’s more psychedelic side, Langh   More

 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 AP KRYZA

Let’s Get Lost

Lost Lander makes a little magic for the throwaway world.

Music Stories “Did you do the planetarium yet?” asks Matt Sheehy, the singer-songwriter behind Lost Lander, as he squeezes his lanky frame into my Hyundai Sonata and spots a copy of his new album sitting on   More

 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

The Lion and the Lamb

Laura Gibson learns a few lessons from rock ‘n’ roll...and basketball.

Music Stories Laura Gibson seemed an unlikely candidate to show a beastly side when she competed in And And And’s basketball tournament last year. The slender, soft-spoken singer-songwriter is known for swa   More

 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 CASEY JARMAN

Primer: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

Music Stories Formed: 1999 in Montreal.  Sounds like: Orchestral punk epics drawn from sorrow, desolation and unease.  For fans of: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Mount Eeri   More

 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 SHANE DANAHER

Neal Morgan: Sunday, Feb. 5

All Neal Morgan wants to do is play drums and sing. Good thing he sounds amazing doing just that.

Music Stories [DRUM-’N’-VOICE] When Neal Morgan walks into Stepping Stone Cafe for our interview, his body freezes and his face tightens with puzzlement. Then he points a finger into the air and his face    More

 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 CASEY JARMAN

Giving Up the Ghost

Don’t fear the Reaper—even if it’s a really convincing-looking Reaper.

Music Stories “A lot of black-metal bands have an agenda where they actually say, ‘We want you to kill yourself,’” bemoans Ghost’s frontman. “We don’t have an agenda. Our uppermost goal is not t   More

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 NATHAN CARSON

Primer: Voodoo Glow Skulls

Music Stories Formed: 1988 in Riverside, Calif. Sounds like: Cheech and Chong’s horn-metal novelty classic “Earache My Eye” sped up until the music almost can’t keep up with itself, overlaid with shout   More

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

The Suicide Notes: Friday, Jan. 27

They’re ready for their close-up.

Music Stories [GIRL-GROUP PUNK] Before the band even truly existed, the Suicide Notes staged a photo shoot. It was the idea of Jessi Garver, one of the group’s three female singers and, other than fellow voca   More

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 MATTHEW SINGER

Youth Lagoon: Saturday, Jan. 21

There’s a whole lot to love behind Youth Lagoon’s wall of sound.

Music Stories [BOISE BEDROOM POP] Boise native Trevor Powers is not scared of blending in with the crowd. At first listen, his debut album as Youth Lagoon, drenched in damping effect and reverb, sounds like a   More

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 REED JACKSON

Ben Darwish and Shook Twins: Thursday, Jan. 19

Jazz meets rock meets folk meets...dubstep?

Music Stories  [FOLK-STEP] It’s an unseasonably bright January day; sunlight pours through the windows of Caffe Vita and backlights Ben Darwish’s ’fro. The local keyboardist-composer, 27, has a cerebral...   More

 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 JONATHAN FROCHTZWAJG