 | Genre Report: Norcal Math Rock by Nick Greer
“Math Rock:” An Insufficient Label Like so many other presumptive genre names – emo, prog, hyphy, etc. – “math rock,” does so little to actually explain the mechanics of the music within the genre. As a term, “math rock” came from post-punk and hardcore bands playing around with asymmetric or changing time signatures. Its original usage was somewhat derog |  | Lollapalooza: Sunday by Ryan Flatley
The past two days of Lollapalooza have been incredible. Despite the soreness that ran up and down my lower body, I felt more ready than ever. With most of the desired acts in the books, Sunday was a day to soak in the festival experience. Considering most acclaimed acts perform late on Sunday, I figured I’d mosey around the festival grounds and check out what I had been missing. Well actually I knew where I was going, to the hammock lounge. Unfortunately, ever hammock was already taken by noon, and that is what started a rough afternoon. Well now it’s time to get down to busin |  | Lollapalooza: Saturday by Ryan Flatley
(From left: Charlie Jones of C3 Presents, Perry Farrell, and MGMT) Saturday started with a press conference. Perry Farrell, MGMT, and Charlie Jones of C3 Presents were the four on hand to speak with the media. Summing up the press conference briefly, Farrell and Jones discussed how it was the fourth year Lollapalooza was at Grant Park, and Friday was the first ever sell-out. Since 2005, Lollapalooza has donated 2.5 million dollars to the Parkways Foundation, which helps restore and create parks in the Chicago area, and one million will go towa |  | Lollapalooza: Friday by Ryan Flatley
Lollapalooza For those unaware, Lollapalooza is one of the largest festivals held in the United States. The mastermind behind Lollapalooza is Perry Farrell, front man of Jane’s Addiction. Pulling in talent from across the globe, Perry Farrell pieced together a line-up for the ages. Within three days, August 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, festival attendees were able to see Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, and Wilco among other widely popular acts. |  | Interview with Butch Walker by Dave de Sylvia
Betwee a rousing mid-afternoon performance on the opening day of Lollapalooza in Grant Park, Chicago, last week and an equally fiery set the following night at the Cubby Bear by Wrigley Field, super-producer extraordinaire and (fingers crossed) soon-to-be wildly successful solo artist Butch Walker sat down with Sputnikmusic’s Dave de Sylvia for a chat about music, industry ethics and the his brand new solo record.Walker received a warm reception from the Lolla crowd on a scorching Friday afternoon, choosing to showcase a selection of brand new tracks to an audience who, by his own admission, “have no idea |  | Siren Music Festival by Ryan Flatley
"Final stop, Coney Island." As I got up from my subway seat off the D train, I saw a hazy film bearing over Coney Island’s legendary Astroland Amusement Park. It had been years since I last stepped foot on the almost sacred grounds of Coney Island. Numerous tourist attractions, such as Coney Islands Astroland, attracted flocks of people to the boardwalk and beaches. But today, |  | My Bloody Valentine Live by Nick Butler
On megahyped reunion tours, I always wonder how odd it must feel for the people who are actually on stage, performing. For us, gigs are one-shot escapism, and as often as you hear the cliche about a gig changing somebodys life, the truth is that 99.9% of the time a gig is just an evening away from the TV. If youre the one whos playing, though, a gig quite simply IS your life - now more than ever, the majority of rock bands survive from the money they make playing live shows and selling merchandise to you, the customer. How bizzare must it be, then, to arrive at this point? My Bloody Valentine have, in 2008, played their first gigs in more years than some of the people reading this |  | 2007: From the Artists' Perspective by Jom
The first half of 2008 has (nearly) come and gone. Thereve been near-classics, great records, absolute trainwrecks, and everything else in between. Now that January through June is in the books, you would think that wed give a retrospective of the past six months.Then again, this is Sputnikmusic - when have we done anything that makes sense? The staff got on the phone, e-mailed, sent snail mail, and got in touch with hundreds of artists to ask them for their favorite albums of... yesteryear.Yes, thats right -- we decided to be extraordinarily unordinary, much to the artists surprise (just ask Raine Maida, who seemed to have forgotten that Rise Against hasnt rel |  | Definitive Rock & Metal Albums by Jom
Over the past few weeks, the Rock & Metal forum at the Sputnikmusic community forums congregated to create a list of 5-10 definitive, essential, iconic, must-listen, insert-your-adjective-here albums that exemplify the different subgenres that exist in rock and metal. The aim of this project is to help veteran headbangers and newcomers alike pinpoint albums that best define the below genres - they are not necessarily the contributing users all-time favorite albums. For example, say you have never heard of Folk/Viking Metal before, want to learn more about it, and are curious as to what record to check out first. With this guide, you can read the attached genre write-up, scan the l |  | Girl Talk at Williams College by Nick Greer
To read my actual interview with Girl Talk, click over to: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/static/interview/girltalkinterviewpure.txtWilliams College is a liberal arts college situated in an idyllic, quaint New England town. The school itself is well known for its intensive academic standards. Beyond its pure nerdiness, Williams is known for having a tendency to wax broetic rather than poetic; sports culture domi |  | Interview with Raine Maida by Dave de Sylvia
It’s Valentine’s Day ’07, and I open my mailbox to something other than the usual, deafening flood of nothing.It’s not a card from some secret admirer, it’s not even that kind of mailbox. It’s an e-mail from Raine Maida, face of Canadian alt. rockers Our Lady Peace and now an established solo performer on the verge of completing his first full-length solo album, taking a few minutes out of his busy touring schedule to answer a few questions about his flowering new musical path.He assures me that this particular V-Day has been “the best yet.” And why not? He’s currently touring his home country with his wife and two |  | Between The Buried And Me Interview by Tyler Fisher
In September of 2007, Between the Buried and Me released Colors to wide critical acclaim but also harsh criticism. The album sparked the true definition of love/hate. While the compositional elements were the most criticized aspects of the album, very few denied the band’s technical prowess. I spoke with Dan Briggs weeks before the release of the album to get an idea of the band’s perspective on their latest.SM: Hey Dan, just wanted to say that I really love the album, definitely been enjoying it a lot especially for such a non-metal fan I am. DB: We’re not really metal guys either. A lot of our influence is ver |  | The Kidcrash Interview Part 2 by Nick Greer
This is a continuation of last weeks http://www.sputnikmusic.com/feature.php?id=4553">interview with Buster Ross of The Kidcrash. SM: What music influenced you all while you were writing the album? What music are you digging now? What are your favorite bands and albums of all time? BR: This is just my perspective, every band member has their own answer most definitely: |  | The Kidcrash Interview Part 1 by Nick Greer
I recently (7 months ago) had the opportunity to sit down with The Kidcrash’s drummer, Buster Ross. We chatted about his band’s recent release, Jokes, and the hideousness of oxy and writing songs that are just nine minutes of tempo changes and fills. This interview is an unabridged, Kinbotean epic and acts as an annotated commentary to the four-canto, epic poem that is Jokes. Below is just Part 1 of the conversation.Sputnikmusic: Whats your name, age, and role in The Kidcrash? How about the other band members?Buster Ross: My name is Buster Ross, I have about five middle names, and a second last name. My name appears a l | | Interview with Space by Jom
Born in Brisbane, Australia, the charismatic artist known simply as Space has been involved in numerous musical endeavors in his career. From writing music for television commercials and short films to being the guitarist in hard rock group Memento and a member of the eclectic Kevin Martin & The Hiwatts, Space has ventured out into the solo realm, releasing his debut When Clouds Align in 2006 independently, an album which saw Space playing a substantial role in nearly all stages of the albums evolution, from writing each instrument to the programming, recording, mixing, and production of the album. Sporting lush soundscapes, vibrant melodies, and intricate instrumental arrangements to c | | Best of 2007 by Jeremy Ferwerda
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