One of good spirits and consciousness raising, Emma’s Revolution came to life in 2002, driven by the creative and romantic partnership of Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow. It took eight years for the fire to spark, but when it did, Humphries was blown away. “I was really struck by the tremendous ease with which we […]
Chris Parker
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Bear necessities
One would be hard pressed to succinctly describe the Louisiana metal band I Wrestled a Bear Once. Its songs incorporate a pantry of sounds. Racing metal guitars pushed against adult-contemporary pop; New Wave ’80s synths punctuated with samples of the General Lee’s car horn. The alt-metal quintet formed in 2007 from the ashes of another […]
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Getting Randy
The most successful enterprises often have humble beginnings. That humility’s a big part of what makes the Randy Rogers Band what it is: one of the biggest acts to emerge from the Texas/Red Dirt scene, which Rogers describes as “a brotherhood.” “We all realize we’re a bunch of like-minded individuals, and without each other, we […]
Posted inMusic
Getting Randy
The most successful enterprises often have humble beginnings. That humility’s a big part of what makes the Randy Rogers Band what it is: one of the biggest acts to emerge from the Texas/Red Dirt scene, which Rogers describes as “a brotherhood.” “We all realize we’re a bunch of like-minded individuals, and without each other, we […]
Posted inMusic
Time to fly
Jonathan Byrd describes himself as a North Carolina picker and a Texas songwriter. It’s as apt a description as any, as his music unites the narrative influence of Texas country artists like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt with flat-picked country gone decaf, the slower pace allowing folky melodicism to waft forth. He’s tipped his […]
Posted inMusic
Time to fly
Jonathan Byrd describes himself as a North Carolina picker and a Texas songwriter. It’s as apt a description as any, as his music unites the narrative influence of Texas country artists like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt with flat-picked country gone decaf, the slower pace allowing folky melodicism to waft forth. He’s tipped his […]
Posted inMusic
Go, Gringo, go!
What’s in a name? For the members of Atlanta’s Gringo Star, it’s a reprieve from having to answer the same question in their old band, A Fir-Ju Well. “‘What’s your name? What did you say? What does that mean?’” said Nick Furgiele. “It was every night. It wasn’t like we changed our sound or anything […]
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Staying current
No one will ever accuse Electric Six of being too serious. The Detroit sextet’s shimmying dance rock is as lighthearted as it is lively. Their spirit recalls the movie “This Is Spinal Tap” in that singer Dick Valentine delivers the lyrics with macho mock seriousness. In 2003, Madness ringleader Suggs caught an Electric Six gig […]
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Wade’s world
Wade Bowen stands on the brink of bigger things. After a dozen years solo, the Texas singer/songwriter is among the latest Red Dirt artists to be snatched up by the majors. He’s already doing a radio tour in advance of the first single, “Saturday Night,” from his still-untitled forthcoming Sony debut, due early 2012. In […]
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River rage
Punk rock’s Riverboat Gamblers are something to behold. Singer Mike Wiebe is a feral animal stalking the stage, jumping into the crowd and climbing any available rafters, exposed piping or speaker cabinets while his bandmates rip through high-energy, melodically charged garage sound. They’ve built a reputation for furious performances, but their LPs have inconsistently captured […]