Posted April 06, 2016in The Sound
As far as the rap persona goes, Flatbush Zombies are a bit of an outlier. The idea of getting high is nothing new to hip-hop. But while the Zombies still rap about getting high, its drug(s) of choice are more pharmacological in nature: molly, mushrooms and acid, all of which
Read More →This week brought some of the most surprising news to hit downtown Des Moines in years, as Sam Summers, founder of the Hinterland Music Festival and owner of First Fleet Concerts, Up/Down and Wooly’s, announced that his empire would be one piece smaller this summer. After months of negotiations,
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Posted March 23, 2016in The Sound
Everything old is new again. In 2012, nearly a decade after he originally left the band, Killswitch Engage reunited with founding lead singer Jesse Leach. “There was definitely a learning curve,” explained bassist Mike D’Antonio, talking about breaking Leach in on four album’s worth of material. “We let him choose
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Posted March 16, 2016in The Sound
For more than four decades, Y&T has been plying its trade, peddling its specific brand of guitar-driven rock and roll across the country. The band that takes the stage now is very different from the one that found success in the mid ‘80s with songs like “Summertime Girls” and “Contagious.”
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Posted March 09, 2016in The Sound
R5 offers perhaps the clearest look into the construction of pop music in the modern age. Virtually nothing about the band conforms to the preconceived notions most of us have about how bands are made, grown or marketed. Consisting of siblings Riker, Rocky, Ross and Rydel Lynch, along with family
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Posted March 02, 2016in The Sound
In 1982, Thomas Dolby released the one thing many people know him for: synthpop hit “She Blinded Me With Science.” For many people, that was it. Not much else of Dolby’s made regular radio play, so people were happy to toss him on the pile of “one hit wonders” with
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Posted February 24, 2016in The Sound
Matt Whipkey is a product of the Omaha sound. Growing up in the city, Whipkey cut his teeth on music from other Omaha guys like Conor Oberst. Then, when he started playing music, the Saddle Creek musicians like Oberst and Simon Joiner were musicians he drew upon as influences. “I
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Posted February 17, 2016in The Sound
Nobody with a voice like the South African-born Dilana should have this hard of a time getting heard. Her first album, “Wonderfool,” was released on Dutch label Red Bullet in 2000. Critically, the album did fine, receiving solid reviews and getting three singles on the Dutch charts. But Red Bullet’s
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Posted February 10, 2016in The Sound
In the vast, sprawling world of hip-hop, Naughty By Nature has been playing the game longer than most. As the group gets ready to embark upon a 25th anniversary tour this year accompanied by a new EP and documentary film — members Treach, Vin Rock and DJ Kay Gee are
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Posted February 03, 2016in The Sound
Carson McHone has a sound that has been shaped not only by the city of Austin, Texas, but by the musical traditions of the entire Lone Star State. “I’ve been writing since I can remember,” she said in a phone interview. “(My writing) is influenced by the music that I
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