Issues: Issue 279 - March 2012
Earth: Angels/Demons
In the world of heavy metal, the music of Earth has become legendary. The deafening style of drone doom pioneered by Dylan Carlson in the early ’90s helped to shape an entire subset of metal. But if one were to blindly listen to Earth’s recent aural offerings, metal would not come to mind. “I’ve always thought of genres as something the audience or the marketers place on you,” says Carlson. “To me it’s always just been rock n’ roll, and that’s enough.” … read more
Xiu Xiu: Noise Pop, Sex Cams and Water Play
Xiu Xiu has been a facet of the indie music scene for nearly a decade, and has never ceased to be interesting. With work that ranges from morose and purposefully uncomfortable, to noise pop masterwork, Xiu Xiu continues to build a following. With their newest album, Always, coming out March 6, singer/songwriter Jamie Stewart set aside some time to discuss the album, piracy and water play. … read more
New Label, New Sound: Ceremony Gets a Clean Cage
Zoo, twelve cuts of tuneful despondency, finds the band stretching beyond their “razor-to-the-throat” approach, listlessy incoporating strains of surf, post-punk and goth into their acrid blend of melody and bleakness. While the approach can whip Internet hardcore kids into a snotty-nosed, finger-pointing frenzy, guitarist Anthony Anzaldo says it’s just part of the biz. “We don’t go into the songwriting process and say, ‘Hey, let’s not write fast parts.’ It’s really not a conscious thing.” … read more
Chompin’ Candy Coated Vicodin with Xray Eyeballs
I first encountered Brooklyn’s Xray Eyeballs last October during CMJ. Moments before they took the stage, I met lead singer and guitarist O.J. San Felipe as he was trying to sort out the bar tab for his band. I asked what band he was in and he enthusiastically responded “Xray Eyeball!” with a noticeable accent. Five minutes later, he and his three stunningly beautiful band mates (San Felipe is currently the only male member of the band) took the stage. … read more
Farther, Creepier: Spoek Mathambo and South African House
Before the idea of moving to Africa was even a thing, my love affair with Johannesburg musician/rapper Spoek Mathambo was moving beyond crush-level. There was something about Spoek’s 2010 debut, Mshini Wam, that seethed with an unplaceable “Otherness” that we Westerners can only associate with Africa. Like a funhouse mirror, the distortions of Western musical output came back to us only to highlight our deep-seated insecurities. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Night Riders
As the weather warms up—Ok, who are we kidding, it never really got cold—my favorite kind of bicycle rides, night rides, become more comfortable and, thus, more frequent. Riding a bike at night is awesome for various reasons: There’s less traffic, the inversion clears out in the winter and it’s cooler in the summer. The number one reason? A lot of fucked up shit goes down with the sun, and your bicycle’s the best saddle in the house to see it all. … read more
A Woman of the World: An Interview with Sibyl Buck
After over a decade of practicing yoga while pursuing various careers and ambitions, it dawned on Sybil Buck that sharing her love of the practice (and love of life) was truly what she wanted to do. She decided to put in the hours and training to become a certified yoga instructor. “[When I tried it,] I felt at home in my skin in a way that I had never previously felt, or at least not since I was a kid—it was fun,” says Buck. … read more
Avante Garde: The Future of Indoor Training at Snogression
“Basically, you grab this bar, push the green button and hold on.” These were the words from Snogression owner and innovator, Kevin Brower. I stood atop the synthetic snow in-run, looking towards the kicker and foam pit. My palms began to sweat and my pulse quickened. With a mechanical whoosh, I was hurtling down the “slope” and before I knew it, I was airborne. Milliseconds later, I came crashing down into the pit. Let’s do it again, and again and again! … read more
Photo Feature: Chris Grenier
Putting foreground elements, such as trees, in front of your lens will often get you mocked by the snowboarders you photograph. “Ohhhhh, look at Andy getting mad artsy with the branches.” Or my favorite, “Art school called and they want their angle back.” Let me set the record straight here: This is not an attempt at getting artsy. … read more
Dear Dickheads – March 2012
Hey Dickheads,
I’m reading the latest copy of your fine publication, and I’m confused, and a little offended by a statement made by you “dickheads”. The statement “if you can buy a band’s shirt at JC Penney, that band sucks,” is a pretty dumb thing to publish. You were referring to Pink Floyd in this instance. I don’t know if you guys just aren’t musicians, or have down syndrome, but Pink Floyd deserves some respect from you hipsters. … read more