I share Charles’ disappointment with K’naan’s show, but not because it betrayed hard-line hiphop protocol: no, I just thought the music was fair-to-middling. K’naan undeniably has lyrical skills—especially for an ESL speaker—and a dramatic bio that surely could fi...

On tonight's season premiere of Dancing with the Stars, Bruno called "that Bachelor guy" a loser (complete with hand gesture) and Lil' Kim dedicated her first dance to "all my girls in the Federal Detention Center." That's all I really......

I'm attempting to pull a coherent review of last night's Mt St Helen's Vietnam Band/Say Hi show out of my early afternoon hangover (thanks, Frank), but for now, let me just say that the recent confluence of local ice cream and indie rock has my full support. There's Full Tilt, of course, the White C...

After suddenly being seized with the urge to Google-Image stalk Gordon Ramsay, I have come to the conclusion that he resembles a cuddly bulldog -– all wrinkly and smooshed -- with a sexy British accent. And though his forehead creases......

Things started slowly at the hiphop weekly Nasty’s. DJ Seancee and another skillful young jock (Soul One) were spinning certified classics, all right, but attendance barely crept into double figures. Still, when is it ever not fantastic to hear out in public tracks by NWA, Ultramagnetic MCs, E...

It was obvious from the beginning that Sean were going to take last night's Grudge Rock game. Their strategy was to "pass" every round on to Fortress of Victory—when FoV couldn't come up with all the answers in the Family Feud-style surveys, all Sean had to do was guess one correct answer and ...

It's irresistible but not entirely fair to compare Clues to the Unicorns. Clues frontman Alden Penner founded the Unicorns along with Nick Thronburn (now of Islands, Human Highway, and other acts); while Penner's been relatively quiet since that band broke up, Thornburn's output has been wildly vari...

Quick observations of the night, nabbed from an imperfect memory and bolstered by zero note-taking. Damn this carpal-tunnel… James Blackshaw sat onstage with his 12-string, looking 18, but playing like he was 38, a seasoned veteran of the solo-guitar wars. With little fanfare, he loosed gently...

Let’s preface this review with an observation: It is nearly impossible for a band to sound their best in Vera’s auxiliary performance space. The hard surfaces and inadequate system render loud rock music nuanceless, murky. That being said, local openers Pillow Fight Fight need some work ...

Gobin Cock (which is the best band name ever, by the way) say it right on their MySpace—they are “NOT A JOKE BAND, GODDAMMIT!!!” Right. So the tech-metal quintet, fronted by Pinback’s Rob Crow, was completely serious when they draped hooded cloaks over themselves last night a...