Chris Parker

Hope springs eternal, and, for similar reasons, there will always be new bands. Most acts obey the standard distribution curve, meaning they’re less than inspired, or worse. This is to the advantage of bands like Michigan’s Cheap Girls, who, despite a relatively fresh minting, are well-worth watching. The Girls’ second disc, last month’s “My Roaring […]

Hope springs eternal, and, for similar reasons, there will always be new bands. Most acts obey the standard distribution curve, meaning they’re less than inspired, or worse. This is to the advantage of bands like Michigan’s Cheap Girls, who, despite a relatively fresh minting, are well-worth watching. The Girls’ second disc, last month’s “My Roaring […]

For those interested in punk rock without a Y chromosome, selections have long been lacking, making the arrival of overseas import Batrider that much more welcome. Led by the disgruntled feral croon of singer/guitarist Sarah Chadwick, Batrider marshals noisy, writhing post-punk that sounds like P.J. Harvey with a head cold. Hazy with Chadwick’s deep, throaty […]

Cinematic instrumentalists Russian Circles are at it again. In late October, the musicians released “Geneva,” their third album of muscular, undulating rock that slithers and swells with palpable menace. MANHATTAN PROJECT OVERALL EFFECT While the Circles’ compositions follow a dramatic arc, the trio isn’t as predictable as many of its instrumental peers. Some songs, such […]

Cinematic instrumentalists Russian Circles are at it again. In late October, the musicians released “Geneva,” their third album of muscular, undulating rock that slithers and swells with palpable menace. MANHATTAN PROJECT OVERALL EFFECT While the Circles’ compositions follow a dramatic arc, the trio isn’t as predictable as many of its instrumental peers. Some songs, such […]

Los Lobos has explored rock, roots, R&B and Spanish/Mexican sounds for more than 35 years, and its members are just as vibrant today as when they released their critically acclaimed 1984 debut, “How Will the Wolf Survive?” The band rose to prominence in 1987 on the strength of its soundtrack to “La Bamba,” which shot […]

Los Lobos has explored rock, roots, R&B and Spanish/Mexican sounds for more than 35 years, and its members are just as vibrant today as when they released their critically acclaimed 1984 debut, “How Will the Wolf Survive?” The band rose to prominence in 1987 on the strength of its soundtrack to “La Bamba,” which shot […]

There’s virtue in simplicity. It’s one of punk’s charms. Drawing on the high-energy, straight-ahead spirit of the Ramones and the pop-punk tunefulness of acts like Screeching Weasel, the four members of Teenage Bottlerocket are as incendiary as their namesake, ripping through two-minute anthems geared for punk’s outcasts and spirited iconoclasts. From the enthusiastic power chord […]

Nobody wants to learn things the hard way, but, alas, there’s a reason there’s a school of hard knocks. Sometimes, sense must be beaten into us. DISCOVERING GUITAR REGAINING ABILITY Heartland rocker Will Hoge’s education began after the musician was introduced to a van as it turned into his lane as he left his Nashville, […]

There’s virtue in simplicity. It’s one of punk’s charms. Drawing on the high-energy, straight-ahead spirit of the Ramones and the pop-punk tunefulness of acts like Screeching Weasel, the four members of Teenage Bottlerocket are as incendiary as their namesake, ripping through two-minute anthems geared for punk’s outcasts and spirited iconoclasts. From the enthusiastic power chord […]