I've got a special treat for our readers (okay and a treat for me too). I recently had the opportunity to do a Q&A with Rontrose Heathman, guitarist and founding member of one of my favorite bands, The Supersuckers.Here's the conversation I had with Rontrose:TO Snob: Let's start with an easy one. The new album, Get It Together, came out on November 25th. Five years between albums, WTF?Rontrose Heathman: We are lazy and busy. It has been too long, we all agree on that. We went through 3 drummers and have been on the road non-stop in that time. It won't happen again I assure you. Sometimes things take a bit longer when you are doing everything yourself but now it is time to celebrate as the new record rules and i think...
Australian duo An Horse are set to play Tranzac on March 13th as part of Canadian Music Week. I had the chance to talk to Kate Cooper of the band while they were driving somewhere between Denver and Minneapolis.Here's my conversation with Kate:T.O. Snob: First off, thanks for agreeing to do this with us. How is the tour going? Kate Cooper: It's going well, we're only three days in, four days in. Early days yet but it's fun it's going well.T.O. Snob: You're coming to Toronto to play Canadian Music Week on March 13th, will this be your first time in Toronto? KC: No, I actually have been there before a few years back but Damon hasn't. It will be our first time playing together there.T.O. Snob: When you come to a ...
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead are set to release their new sutdio album, Century Of Self, on February 17th.Recently I had the opportunity to do a Q&A with the band's drummer Jason Reece about the new album and upcoming tour.Here it is: T.O. Snob: You have your new album coming out on February 17th. What can fans expect from the new record? Jason Reece: A gracefully bombastic head trip in to the history of our many journeys. This is a historical account of our tumultuous lives in this beautifully fucked world. T.O. Snob: Last year you had a nasty split with your then record label Interscope. How does it feel to be releasing this album without the support of a major label? JR: It's a challenge... but th...
Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan plays the Mod Club in Toronto tomorrow night (Mar. 1st). I had the pleasure of speaking with Lisa in anticipation of the show.Here's our conversation:T.O. Snob: First off, thanks for doing this for us. How is the tour going? Lisa Hannigan: It's been great the gigs have been going really well. Lots of people have been coming which is fantastic. When you're playing new places you never know if people are going to turn up but they have. I've been seeing lots of places and eating all the really food.T.O. Snob: You're playing the Mod Club here in Toronto tomorrow night. Will this be your first time playing Toronto? LH: We actually played Massey Hall with Jason Mraz ba...
Tobias is the singer and frontman of the German Heavy Metal band "Edguy" as well as the mastermind of the legendary solo project "Avantasia". He was born on November 21st 1977 in Fulda, a small town in the middle of Germany. At the age of seven he learned how to play organ and later on started a Heavy Metal band with his schoolmates in February 1992: EDGUY. Back then no one outside the band (in which Tobias became the singer and frontman) would have bet on the band to become as an important institution in the international Heavy Metal scene as it is today. To this day Edguy have toured more than 30 countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, South and Central America and the USA. They were one of the first Western Rock bands t...
The protagonist, overlord and leader of the Gentleman's Club of A Forest of Stars, Mister Curse descries deep into occult secrets that form the story arc of the Club's symphonic renditions. A talented poet and muse, Curse uses these experiences to channel acroamatic power into his writings, which invariably results in melting the paper he's written them upon and unleashing pan-dimensional demons upon the streets of Wapping and Limehouse, something he assures us is a complete accident, and not, as he was once overheard to say, 'done for a laugh'. Quite.Despite belonging to the weaker sex, our goodly Queen of Apparitions is more than a match for the men in both intellectual pursuits and arcane practices of the occult art...
"A lot of people think everything has to do with luck and timing, and I just don't think that's true," says Marnie Stern, pounding a bar counter to punctuate the word don't. "There are actors that work for 20 years and fade in and out of fame. Keeping in there is the important part."Don't worry; Stern hasn't dropped her trusted Electra guitar—or "bitchin'" double-neck Epiphone—for a steady regiment of self-help seminars. The New York Times-endorsed, Pitchfork-approved (one reviewer called her "pure Technicolor in a glutted, black-andwhite scene") vocalist/guitarist knows what she's talking about, though. After all, she dealt with nothing but blank faces in t...
The last time Inara George and Greg Kurstin (a.k.a. the bird and the bee) made a full-length album, their acclaimed self-titled debut, they weren’t certain anyone would ever hear it. “We made our first record for ourselves,” says George, “we didn’t expect to get signed to a label and have it be released.” But it was heard, and then released by Blue Note Records in January 2007, and people began to fall in love with the band’s airy blend of Brazilian Tropicalia, ’60s psychedelic pop, and sparse electronic beats. With the surprise success of the album the Los Angeles-based duo took their act on the road, an experience they say was a major influence on their new album, entitle...
Fans of experimental noise-popsters Iran know that seeing them is even rarer than catching a glimpse of the reclusive David Berman or Jeff Mangum, but those fans will soon have cause to celebrate. The trio of singer/multi-instrumentalist Aaron Aites, guitarist Kyp Malone and guitarist Aaron Romanello, are planning to release a third full-length album DISSOLVER in February 2009. IRAN marks their return to the fold with the release of “Dissolver”, in which the band proves it’s left the bedroom and opted for the high fidelity of a full fledged recording studio. The sizzled haze of IRAN’s four-track-recorded early records may have obscured their pop sensibility, but no more. Shedding much of the cackl...
Sebastien Grainger & The Mountains is a record that reflects the majesty its title suggests. Big chords, soaring choruses, and Sebastien's voice paint the portrait of a man still climbing. While lyrically and musically, Grainger's taken a sidestep away from the more aggressive approach of his past musical pursuits in favor of a more reflective and personal style, he still knows how to rock it when necessary. Pulling no punches, Sebastien's crafted a muscular and smart rock record that will surprise people expecting him to relive his past.Best known for his contributions as singer and drummer for Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979, whose decadently catchy anthems took the wo...
Ever since Cursive burst onto the music scene with their 1997 debut album, the band has consistently and continually churned out heady albums heralded by critics and fans alike. Wrestling with life's miseries and mysteries, Mama, I'm Swollen is an album brimming with the universal, questioning the human condition, social morality, and the "Peter Pan Syndrome" of grown men. After the underground success of their third album, Cursive's Domestica, in 2000, the band followed up with what would prove to be their breakthrough album, The Ugly Organ, in 2003. A self-aware conceptual record about artistic constraints (or lack thereof), relationships, sex, and the intersection of all three, it landed them on the...
Late Of The Pier, all just into their twenties and comprising Sam Eastgate (vocals, guitar), Ross Dawson (drums, percussion), Andrew Faley (bass) and Sam Potter (synths, sampler), formed somewhere in the mists of 2005, inspired by underage trips to Nottingham's Liars Club where all four band members would often be found on the dancefloor, It was here that they witnessed early performances form the likes of Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Cut Copy, Art Brut and The Scissor Sisters while absorbing the wide spectrum of sounds provided by DJs such as Erol Alkan and DJ Hell.The band had always loved the likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Magazine but it was the Liars Club that taught Late Of The Pier to dance. And it's in th...
Though the past year has seen Frightened Rabbit finally step into public view, with more extensive touring and some recordings now publicly available, the past few years have largely been about the band quietly, committedly honing their sound, and cultivating their art. Now a three-piece comprising Scott, Billy and Grant, the origins of the band are rooted in 2003, when Scott began playing solo shows under the name Frightened Rabbit, mostly in support of fellow art-schoolers Shitdisco. Recordings were made on a tascam 4-track recorder, with Scott playing all the instruments (some more proficiently than others). Though looser, sparser, and certainly more lo-fi in terms of production values, their early demos still attest ...
A Reverse Chronology of Selected Significant Dates & Events"Bird could be the only performer who's lit up both Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo with a combination of vocals, violin, guitar, glockenspiel and whistling... he uses centuries-old instrumentation to give depth and soul to folk rock."--ESQUIRE "The Masters Are Dead--Long Live The Masters," November 2008 January 20, 2009 - Andrew Bird releases Noble Beast on Fat Possum Records. The self-produced album consists of 14 original songs recorded primarily at the Beech House in Nashville, with additional recording taking place at various Chicago and Minneapolis locations over a period of five months. As usual, Bird handles violin, vo...
During the recording of their new self-titled record, Denver, Colorado's Fear Before The March of Flames became Fear Before. The band viewed their mission with a fresh focus, hence the name revision. "We've undergone a lot of member changes and have changed a great deal as individuals," explains guitarist Adam Fisher. With a hint of Circa Survive's penchant for melody-soaked polyrhythm's, Nine Inch Nails' flare for musical theatrics and the abrasive crunch of Norma Jean, Fear Before delivers their most far-reaching musical contribution to date.The music reflects the evolution. The new songs rumble with crushing heaviness, thanks in part to the layers of guitars. "Get Your Life Toge...
Thursday have always been difficult to categorize. Although they famously rose out of New Brunswick, New Jersey's basement culture they've always been far too cerebral to be considered a traditional hardcore band. Over their eleven-year career they've toured with everyone from the Cure to Cursive, but have retained an inherent aggressiveness that can only come from being weaned on similarly independent nineties acts like Ink And Dagger and Lifetime. All of these references to other bands only serve as guidelines-and with Common Existence Thursday have finally reconciled all of their seemingly disparate literary and musical influences into a collection of songs that span the spectrum of h...
N.A.S.A., and their worldwide debut The Spirit of Apollo, is an ongoing creative collaboration between two lifelong music aficionados, Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, and their friends, friends of friends and musical heroes.While N.A.S.A. stands for North America South America and contains a number of superstar artists from both coasts of the U.S., it is about as far from a tension-building geographical showdown as a record can get. Rather, The Spirit of Apollo was born with the righteous goal of bringing people together through music and art, and that is exactly what masterminds Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon) have done.Unexpected collaborations abound on the seventeen-track...
In their hometown of Portland, Oregon, The Shaky Hands are the one band that virtually everyone agrees on. Respected throughout the underground for their basement show origins and complete lack of ego, critically adored for their instantly recognizable, earthy-meets-explosive sound and loved by the general populace for putting on really, really good shows-they represent Portland, one of America's best music cities, as well as any contemporary indie rock act.That reputation was cemented in 2007 when the group won Willamette Week's annual Best New Band poll, an honor previously bestowed on experimental pop acts Menomena and Talkdemonic and electronic dance sensation Copy. The Shakys' victory seemed a foregone conclu...
We have been passionately pursuing the advancement of this movement since it all began in the summer of 2000. In that time we've played well over 350 shows all around the nation. We've met, shook hands with, shared the stage with some of the most inspirational, hardest working bands in America.We have positively influenced young artists who have matured into amazing artists. We have sacrificed. We have been shit on, disregarded, talked down to, and blown off... and still we push forward.We have independently released (with the help of Motion E Records & T.Rex Ate My Face) FIVE alb...
Before they went on stage at the Fire Escape in Citrus Heights I had a chance to talk with Machete outside in the freezing cold.If I could just get everyone to say their names and what part they play in the bandOne - GuitarSean - BassRoscoe - VocalsJeremy - DrumsHow long have you been together and what has been your main goal as a band? What have you been trying to achieve together?J - We've only been together about 7 or 8 months now and we're just trying to put out the best we can. We're a wide range of styles, we all come from different backgroundsR - We're here to rockO - We're here to help Sacramento stay on the mapWith you...
Bio copied from www.herzeleid.com Rammstein was started by Richard Z. Kruspe-Bernstein. In 1989 he escaped from East Germany over the border between Austria and Hungary. He eventually ended up in West Berlin and started a band in 1993 (Orgasm Death Gimmicks). At that time he was very influenced by American music. After the wall came down, he moved back home to Schwerin where Till Lindemann worked as a basket weaver and played drums in the band First Arsch.At this time, Richard lived with Oliver Riedel (of the band The Inchtabokatables) and Christoph Doom Schneider (of Die Firma). Richard realized that the music he had previously made was not right for him. He envisioned something with machines and hard guitars t...
You could have expected to have seen some police sanctioned WANTED posters and a handsome reward offered by late 2008:MISSINGTHREE MANCHESTER MUSICIANSLAST SEEN DECEMBER 2005If you’ll forgive one last desperate pun, Doves had flown the nest. As the next 3 and a bit years passed, the stunning ac...
"Simple and sad with a shot of scotch." That's how musician Sara Lov describes her simultaneously dark and angelic sound that has been also described as "honeyed" (NME), "haunting" (The Sun), and "smokey" (MOJO). The former frontwoman of Devics and current solo singer paints an apt picture of melodies that are both minimalist and poignant with heady vocals that warm you from the inside.For a singer freshly on her own, Lov (no, the "e" isn't missing, and yes, that's her real name) exudes immense confidence. The artist was formerly a part of indie favorite d...
Playfully drawing their name from that of a simple Nashville bank teller, Darla Farmer is an eccentric 7-piece carnival-rock band that manages to gracefully shatter genre borders in ways that even the most critical of hipsters can't pigeonhole.Drawing from influences as diverse as Cursive, Blood Brothers, Tom Waits, and the greatest of high school marching bands and small town orchestras, Darla Farmer creates an entirely distinctive, yet universally appealing sound. Darla Farmer recorded their new album "Rewiring the Electric Forest" in Omaha, NE at Mike Mogis' studio and quickly gained positive traction with the city's own Saddle Creek bands, including Br...
If we were telling the polished and whimsical Reader’s Digest version of alternative-rock-electronica powerhouse Stellar Vector’s rise on the Minneapolis indie scene, it would start with founding members Charles Sadler (vocals, keyboards) and Jonathan Ford (rhythm guitar) playing together for the first time at First Avenue—a venue Prince has played many times and used as a principal locale for Purple Rain. It would include the release of their song “Agoraphobia” on the Electro Punk 2 compilation and then cut to the present, with the band at last releasing their debut full length album A...
Steven John Wilson (born November 3, 1967) is the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter and the founder of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree. Wilson is also a self-taught producer, audio engineer, guitar and keyboard player (among other musical instruments). Born in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, England, but from the age of 6, brought up in Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, Wilson discovered his love for music around the age of 8. It began one Christmas when his parents bought presents for each other in the form of LPs. His father and mother received Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" and Donna Summer's "Love To Love You Baby", respectively. The young Steven spent much of his childhood listening to the...
Nearly a year after the release of his debut album, Awake, Secondhand Serenade is back with his much-anticipated follow-up, A Twist In My Story. Rightfully titled, the album finds Secondhand Serenade-a.k.a. John Vesely- adding onto his signature raw vocals and guitar with the use of orchestration and a full band.Carrying the momentum of a carefully crafted career, support from his label Glassnote Records along with the adoration of millions of fans, A Twist In My Story will be released on February 5th of 2008. The album finds John coming off of one of the most hectic years of his life after appearances...
1997: Crom dissolves his band TEARS OF TIME, to join German Black Metal band DARK FORTRESS on guitar, only to realise after a while that playing guitar would not completely satisfy him. So, in the winter of that year, he founded his solo project CROM, which has been described as Majestic Melodic Metal. 2000: Crom leaves DARK FORTRESS to concentrate all his attention on CROM, and the first demo is released (Promo 2000). 2002: In January Crom enters the Aexxys Art / Schwandorf studios to record "The Fallen Beauty" EP. However, the studio undergoes refurbishment immediately after recording ends, causing the final mixing to be delayed, and the CD is not comp...
Long after giving up on his initial rock star dreams in his 20s, Feldiken’s then fiancée Nancy urged him a few years ago to make his passion a priority and start writing and recording new material. Because he was in the greatest relationship of his life, he knew his debut would focus on his personal experiences with people. Feldiken has a grow...
Corrin Campbell and The Election were formed in Baltimore, Maryland through a very significant mutual connection - the US Army. Campbell herself was trained at the Armed Forces School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia and stationed at Ft. Hood in Texas and she met Army drummer Tony Corbett, a three-time combat veteran, while stationed in the Baltimore area.After deciding that music was her passion, Campbell and Corbett created a demo which they sold at gigs and over the net - ultimately offloading over 7000 copies and deciding it was time for something more. They released their debut album 'Game Night' in November 2009 and have been trawling the country ever since, heading from Baltimore to NYC, Austin, Cape May and Atlanta.&nbs...
