Posted April 22, 2015in The Sound
In many ways, a band’s relationship with a major label can be like a marriage. There is the trust involved; the hope that the artist and the label will both go further together than either could alone. Unfortunately, just like a marriage, when the relationship goes wrong, it has the
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Posted April 15, 2015in The Sound
It can be easy to take Todd Snider the wrong way. Last month, the 48-year-old songwriter had a Kansas City Star reporter convinced that he was close to shelving his entire catalog. The month before, he had a writer in Cleveland worrying for Snider’s personal safety. It comes from the
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Posted April 08, 2015in The Sound
In so far as it is possible for a tribute act to really, genuinely be referred to as “legendary,” The Atomic Punks fit that bill. Founded in 1994, The Atomic Punks are the only Van Halen tribute act officially endorsed by the actual Van Halen, and former members can be
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Posted March 31, 2015in The Sound
For nearly a quarter of a century, Cityview has been a must-read destination for Des Moines’ music lovers. And for the past three-and-a-half years, I have been afforded the great honor of being the person responsible for that coverage. It has been an amazing ride, one full of wonderful people,
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Posted March 25, 2015in The Sound
Flyleaf had an interesting problem on its hands. Normally, when an act achieves some level of success in the realm of “Christian music,” it is not uncommon to see that band attempt to downplay its ties to the Christian community. Not necessarily for any lack of faith, but out of
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Posted March 18, 2015in The Sound
When you’re looking at the width and breadth of contemporary Christian music and checking the musical topography for the highest points, it is hard to get much higher than Chris Tomlin. The 42-year-old Texan has been making music since 1993 and has been responsible for some of the biggest, most
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Posted March 11, 2015in The Sound
Reverend Horton Heat has spent the past 25 years melting the faces of anyone who strays too close. The act, consisting of Jim “Reverend Horton” Heath, upright bassist Jimbo Wallace and drummer Scott Churilla, serves as the gold standard for modern rockabilly, and the trio is lauded by fans for
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Posted March 04, 2015in The Sound
Despite the name, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is just three people: The Reverend himself, Washboard Breezy Peyton and drummer Ben Bussell. But what the band lacks in actual size, it makes up for in sound. Self described as “high energy country blues” Reverend Peyton’s musical output is a potent
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Posted February 25, 2015in The Sound
Eric Sardinas is a road warrior. He’s one of those guys who never seem to find commercial success, even in the face of blinding talent. Sardinas makes up for the lack of radio play by relentlessly touring and getting in front of fans the old fashioned way: one stage at
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Posted February 18, 2015in The Sound
For fans of the Minneapolis-based Motion City Soundtrack, it can be hard to believe that 10 years have passed since the release of the band’s seminal album, “Commit This to Memory.” But a decade it has, indeed, been, and to commemorate that fact, the band is embarking on a nationwide
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