MUSIC
The question has been perplexing electric bands since the advent of the garage: Where can we practice on the cheap without catching static from annoying relatives and neighbors?
July 01, 2009
Local bands “store” their aspirations in 8x15 foot units
The question has been perplexing electric bands since the advent of the garage: Where can we practice on the cheap without catching static from annoying relatives and neighbors?
Our national anthem’s unexpected origin
Tottering British hooligans wailing about women, wine and lechery isn’t exactly the image that comes to mind when someone mentions the “Star-Spangled Banner.” But maybe it should be. We’ve recently cracked open the history books and discovered how a lawyer’s poem set to the tune of a British drinking song became the national anthem of the United States.
June 24, 2009
The Megan Boyer Band adds a little rock to its blues
Megan Boyer isn’t fooling anyone. Rock ’n’ roll spills into every area of her life: In her beige MU office, Boyer’s mic has been replaced with a desk, but her colors bleed through. Her glasses are rebellious black frames streaked with bright yellow, and there’s a lime green shirt peeking from behind her Mizzou Tigers hoodie. But the real clues are on the walls.
Wilco (the album)
Start saving up for June 30 because on that day the same band that dropped the acclaimed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2002 is back with their seventh release: Wilco (the album). Wilco, who graced Ninth Street two years ago at Summerfest, resurrects its supercharged guitar and drum medleys in this new album, which is musically as good as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and lyrically on par with their last album, Sky Blue Sky.
June 17, 2009
The Windy City’s Russian Circles is ready to play loud. Very loud.
Carrying the moniker of an obscure hockey drill, Chicago’s metal-infused, instrumental rock trio Russian Circles began in 2004 with guitarist Mike Sullivan, his former band mate and bassist Colin DeKuiper and drummer Dave Turncrantz. After mutually agreeing to depart with DeKuiper in 2007, the band recorded their second album, Station, with former Botch and current These Arms Are Snakes bassist Brian Cook, whom they had met on tour.
New releases from British Sea Power and Ha Ha Tonka
Album review: Spectravox--Spectravox
(Web Exclusive)
June 10, 2009
Lucinda Williams sweetens The Blue Note on June 15th
Showcasing both her freshest songs and early award-winning work, Lucinda Williams will cool down Columbia on Monday at The Blue Note. Williams has a reputation as one of music’s most uncompromising and fascinating writers and performers. Her latest album, Little Honey, debuted in October at No. 9 on the Billboard charts and peaked at No. 1.
June 03, 2009
Producer/musician Wil Reeves serves Columbia artists in a nonstop recording schedule
There are busy musicians, and then there is Wil Reeves. The Columbia musician plays in not one, not two, not even three, but four bands and operates the Centro Cellar Studio where he records and produces music from numerous acts. “I pretty much use every minute of my day to do stuff,” says Reeves, 31.
May 27, 2009
Columbia’s Cavetone Records rocks the vinyl
Scott Walus stops in the kitchen on his way to the basement and takes out a small wooden box. The lid opens, revealing what looks like a turntable and needle. When he is finished with his latest record, a venture with local garage act Monte Carlos, that small box will cut grooves into a wax cylinder and create a mold from which vinyl copies of the record will be pressed.
May 20, 2009
Band members in exile form local band with a hybrid sound
By producing a rare sound and music you can dance to, Los Desterrados isn’t just another undistinguished group of musicians.
When three music genres converge, it can only be Los Desterrados. Here’s how they do it.
May 14, 2009
The Show-Me state’s obscure music fests offer a different twang
The secret’s out: National and regional music festivals can be time-consuming and pricey (tickets to Bonnaroo cost as much as $250). Missouri hosts a slew of great music events for all tastes. Although they might not have Bob Dylan or any Phish reunion sets, these outings make for a better time than watching summer TV reruns.
Rockin’ out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the festival
Album review: Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South
(Web Exclusive) Forget trying to pick a favorite member of the Mystic Valley Band. Although Conor Oberst might be the obvious choice, he is not the only one with talent that stretches beyond one musical instrument. The group’s debut album, Outer South, provides a mix of genres for people with short attention spans.
May 13, 2009
Taylor Hanson and friends drop debut album
Tinted Windows might dethrone Asia as the new king of supergroups. The band is composed of Taylor Hanson of the pop group Hanson, James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, and Bun E. Carlos, the 57-year-old drummer of Cheap Trick.
May 04, 2009
(Web Exclusive)
April 30, 2009
Local artisan shares his homemade hobby
Andy Smith’s fingers pluck the classic folk tune “Sally in the Garden” as sound reverberates from the belly of a gourd and drowns out three barking dogs in a closed back room.
