November 2007

Event Reviews

Caribou

Caribou come to Florida to repay Canada's debt for bands like Loverboy. S D Green was there to bear witness and soak up all the positive karma from this Canadian music renaissance.

Chris Cornell has taken his past out on the road, playing songs from Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave and his own catalog of solo work. Jen Cray stopped by the Orlando date to sample the goods.

DJ A-Trak

Chris Catania separates local hype from musical substance when he checks out rising Chicago hip-hop acts Cool Kids and Kid Sister as part of an evening curated by turntablist entrepreneur A-Trak.

Estrojam 2007

Chris Catania attends Chicago's annual Estrojam festival and finds that sisters are, indeed, doing it for themselves.

Juliette & the Licks

Celebrating Halloween in Orlando, Juliette & the Licks gave the crowd at The Social- and Jen Cray- the ultimate party.

Maroon 5/ The Hives

The Hives are opening up for Maroon 5 on the r&b act's major US tour. Jen Cray was at the Orlando date- take a guess what band brought her in.

Mute Math

When Mute Math come to town everyone should drop what they are doing and head for the show, which is exactly what Jen Cray did when this band hit Orlando.

Portugal the Man

For their second trip to Orlando in just three months time, Portugal the Man took a backseat in billing (to Rock Votolato), and quietly appeared as an opener at the same venue that they had previously sold out on their own. Jen Cray was back for a second helping of these Alaska boys.

Robbers on High Street

Dodging fights in the streets, Jen Cray made it inside The Social for a gorgeous evening of dreamy indie pop courtesy of Robbers on High Street and Great Northern.

Summerbirds In The Cellar

Summerbirds In the Cellar have developed such a large Orlando following that the cd release party for their long-awaited sophomore disc, Druids, demanded not one but two shows. Jen Cray dropped in for the early show.

The Academy Is...

The Academy Is... and the Sleeping with Giants Tour came to Philadelphia and proved that they're not your typical emo bands - Brittany Sturges does the requisite double-take..

Interviews

TIGER! TIGER!

This Atlanta garage rock band returns to old Florida stomping grounds in preperation for a month in Europe. Frontwoman Buffi Aguero talks to Bob Pomeroy about the new CD, The Kind of Goodnight, the group's origin and the prospects of good Polish food.

Music Reviews

Music A

Arthur Alexander

Lonely Just Like Me: The Final Chapter (Hacktone Records). Review by Al Pergande.

Alice in Videoland

Maiden Voyage Plus (Artoffact). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Amplified Heat

How Do You Like The Sound Of That (Arclight). Review by Jen Cray.

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold (Warner Brothers). Review by Jen Cray.

Avichi

The Divine Tragedy (NMB Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Music B

Bear In Heaven

Red Bloom of the Boom (Hometapes). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Bergraven

Dцdsvisioner (Hyrdra Head Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Blanche

Little Amber Bottles (Original Signal). Review by Jen Cray.

Brighton, MA

Brighton, MA (Loose Tooth). Review by Chris Catania.

Music C

The Capstan Shafts

Environ Maiden (Rainbow Quartz). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Pelle Carlberg

In a Nutshell (Twentyseven). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Crime In Stereo

Crime In Stereo Is Dead (Bridge Nine). Review by Jen Cray.

Music D

Dead Voices On Air

From Labrador to Madagascar (Invisible Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Deathspell Omega

Fas -- Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum (AJNA Offensive/Southern Lord). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Music E

Enter Shikari

Take To The Skies (Ambush Reality). Review by Jen Cray.

Music F

Feu Therese

Ca Va Cogner (Constellation). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Fjord Rowboat

Save the Compliments For Morning (Self-Released). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Foreign Born

On the Wing Now (Dim Mak). Review by Jen Cray.

Music G

The Gecko Club

Evergreen (NorthLight Records). Review by Crystal Lee.

Jose Gonzales

In Our Nature (Mute). Review by Jen Cray.

Music H

HIM

Venus Doom (Sire). Review by Jen Cray.

Hopewell

Beautiful Targets (Tee Pee Records). Review by Andrew Coulon.

Hot Springs

Volcano (Quire). Review by Jen Cray.

HRSTA

Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes (Constellation). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music I

IAMX

The Alternative (Major Reco). Review by Jen Cray.

Music L

The Lemonheads

The Lemonheads (Vagrant Records). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Levy

Rotten Love (One Little Indian). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music M

Leigh Marble

Red Tornado (Laughing Stock Records/In Music We Trust). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Mass Shivers

Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy (Sickroom). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Ingrid Michaelson

Girls and Boys (Cabin 24). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Milton and the Devils Party

How Wicked We've Become (Transit of Venus). Review by Crystal Lee.

Ministry

The Last Sucker (13th Planet Records). Review by Kiran Aditham.

Mist and Mast

Mist and Mast (Self-Released). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Moros Eros

Jealous Me Was Killed By Curiosity (Victory). Review by Jen Cray.

Music N

The New Dress

Where Our Failures Are (Red Leader). Review by Jen Cray.

New Rock Nation

New Rock Nation (Downline Records). Review by Joe Frietze.

Nire

Vespers (Abandoned Love Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

The 1900s

Cold & Kind (Parasol). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music O

Oh No Not Stereo

EP (Takeover). Review by Jen Cray.

Oreskaband

EP (Sony). Review by Jen Cray.

Music P

Panda Bear

Person Pitch (Paw Tracks). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music S

Satanique Samba Trio

Sangrou (007). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Saturday Looks Good to Me

Fill Up the Room (K). Review by Nora Richardson.

Saturday Looks Good to Me

Cold Colors (Polyvinyl). Review by Nora Richardson.

Shit Outta Luck

Family Tradition (Organized Crime). Review by Jen Cray.

The Silver Seas

High Society (Cheap Lullaby). Review by Jen Cray.

Silverchair

Young Modern (Eleven). Review by Jen Cray.

The Frantic

Audio & Murder (Sinister Muse). Review by Jen Cray.

Music T

Taste of Christmas

Taste of Christmas (Warcon Enterprises). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Terror

Rhythm Amongst the Chaos (Reaper). Review by Jen Cray.

Thrice

The Alchemy Index: Vols I & II- Fire & Water (Vagrant). Review by Jen Cray.

Chris Trapper

Hey You (Starlit Records). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Music V

The Vulcan Freedom Fighters

Stardate Unknown (Alien Communication Recordings). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Music W

Natalie Walker

Urban Angel (Dorado). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Dionne Warwick

Make Way For Dionne Warwick (Collector's Choice). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Weights & Measures

Weights & Measures (Matlock Records). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Music Y

Year Long Disaster

Year Long Disaster (Volcom). Review by Jen Cray.

Year of No Light

Nord (Radar Swarm). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Yellow Swans

Descension (Acuarela). Review by Aaron Shaul.

The Young Rascals

Groovin' (Collector's Choice). Review by Carl F Gauze.

The Young Rascals

The Young Rascals (Collector's Choice). Review by Bob Ham.

Music Z

Zweizz

The Yawn of the New Age (Vendlus Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Print Reviews

Brody: The Triumph and Tragedy of Wrestling's Rebel

Back in the heyday of wrestling, when it was so much more than Vince McMahon mashing on the controller buttons, Bruiser Brody cast a long shadow. Matthew Moyer and Larry Matysik reveal how Brody's persona has outlasted his brutally short life.

Comics Gone Ape! The Missing Link to Primates in Comics

If Scott Adams has learned one thing from Michael Eury's secret history of simians in comics, it's that you WILL beware the Gorilla Witch! And Gorilla Grodd. And Titano. And the Mod Gorilla Boss. And...

Flash Gordon - Volume 4

Carl F Gauze sees the roots of the modern sci-fi blockbuster film in this gorgeous reprint edition of vintage 1930s Flash Gordon comic strips.

Hiding Out

Hiding Out reads like the clever New Yorker Magazine single-caption cartoon strips played out to their most poignant conclusions. S D Green delights in their mixture of the petty and profound. So should you.

John Romita... And All That Jazz

Still depressed over that last Spider-Man movie? Matthew Moyer recommends you pick up this collection of interviews with Spidey artist extraordinaire Romita and travel back to a simpler time in Marvel Comics. Face it tiger, this is your lucky day!

My Life in a Jugular Vein

Scott Adams is charmed by the simple pleasures of the punk rock life, as chronicled in this new collection of Ben Snakepit's comic-strip diary.

Panic Attack! Art In The Punk Years

Despite decades of punk being neutered by the media and the marketplace, Matthew Moyer is heartened to find that the artwork collected in this retrospective still has the power to outrage and inspire.

Playboy's Silverstein Around the World

Chris Catania is utterly taken with this new collection of Shel Silverstein's travelogue sketches from the Sixties. That's right, Silverstein wrote for Playboy! I thought you said you read it for the articles....

Screen Reviews

Dick Van Dyke - In Rare Form

Watching these black-and-white kinescopes of Dick Van Dyke's early years on the Pat Boone Chevy Showroom program, Carl F Gauze found himself wishing he had an ottoman to trip over - and knock himself out cold.

Dreadheads: Portrait of a Subculture

In this documentary, Steven Hurlburt and Flournoy Holmes cross the country in search of the inside story on this "alternative" lifestyle. Following their Dead-loving subjects, living their lives, and filming every moment, they aim to open our eyes to a rather singular subculture.

Groucho Marx and Redd Foxx

Carl F Gauze checks out this odd pairing of short studio videos of Redd Foxx and Groucho Marx from the late 60's. I wonder if MPI were just looking for two comedians whose last name ended in X?

Nirvana: Unplugged In New York

Almost fourteen years to the day, and the most famous performance by one of the most influential bands in modern music will finally make its way to DVD. Nirvana: Unplugged In New York has finally arrived, and Jen Cray couldn't be more pleased.

Wild Life and Wild Times

Manowar vocalist Eric Adams goes bow hunting with writer Chester Moore. Manliness ensues. Less stalking, more rocking sayeth Carl F Gauze.