Music Stories DOES LMFP DESERVE R-E-S-P-E-C-T? Emblazoned across the chests of the available-for-purchase tour tees, the initials "LMFP" hit just the right F.U. tone for a night of music from none other than Li ...   More

Music Stories WILCO, SLEATER-KINNEY, R.E.M., OH MY!Sleater-Kinney fans were treated to a surprise at the Wilco show in Eugene last Thursday: S-K drummer (and one-half of Quasi) Janet Weiss jumped onstage midset ...   More

Album Reviews THE WEAKERTHANS Reconstruction Site (Epitaph) On the Weakerthans' last album, Left and Leaving, John K. Samson displayed a knack for writing through personas, creating heartbreakingingly sympathet ...   More

Music Stories THE SHINS, BLACKBIRD, AUG. 27OK, so the super-secret Shins show wasn't so secret after all. But man, oh man was it a show. During the Blackbird's fourth-to-last night, the recent Portland arrivals ...   More

Album Reviews VARIOUS ARTISTS Drop the Dept (Say it Loud/ World Village)The recent proliferation of benefit albums suggests at least one record is required for every cause, so it shouldn't be too long before th ...   More

Music Stories JUST SOME GOOD OL' BOYS...We here at Hiss & Vinegar know that our readers are very concerned about groupies in tank tops and likker. So, when the following letter from an angry Stevenson Blueg ...   More

Album Reviews WARREN ZEVON The Wind (Artemis)Writing and recording with a lung-cancer death sentence over his head, Zevon's in uncharted territory here. There are few precedents in any medium for this sort of ...   More

Music Stories BYE BYE, BLACKBIRDAnother friendly reminder that the economy is in the shitbag: The Blackbird will be closing its doors later this month for financial reasons. The Northeast venue lost its lease a ...   More

Music Stories OHM HANGS ONWith the future of Club Ohm hanging in the balance, co-owner Dan Reed made a much-needed payment on Aug. 1 ensuring the club's livelihood, for now. Plagued in the past by mismanagement ...   More

Album Reviews THE HOSPITALS The Hospitals (In the Red Records)Remember George Orwell's 1984 and those wicked cage masks strapped to the heads of political unfortunates? A sliding gate would hold back a frantic ...   More