Chris Parker

Lightning struck for Sick Puppies in the form of a video that became a viral YouTube hit three years ago. The trio received the kind of publicity you can’t buy when footage of singer/guitarist Shimon Moore shot of Juan Mann’s “Free Hugs” campaign became an international phenomenon, exposing millions to a funny, public-hugging effort and […]

He possesses a deep, throaty voice rich as dark chocolate and a nimble knowledge of the fretboard. He plays a double-necked device that’s part six-string electric and part steel guitar, and he’s schooled in a wide range of styles, crossing more borders than fireworks. While his home might be in country ” like his place […]

He possesses a deep, throaty voice rich as dark chocolate and a nimble knowledge of the fretboard. He plays a double-necked device that’s part six-string electric and part steel guitar, and he’s schooled in a wide range of styles, crossing more borders than fireworks. While his home might be in country ” like his place […]

Mohawk-sporting shout-along punk rockers The Casualties aren’t so much a nostalgia act as a throwback. It’s the difference between visiting and living there. The Big Apple quartet has remained true to its old-school, street-punk style for close to two decades, crisscrossing this country an untold number of times to share a riotous, high-energy show to […]

There isn’t as much opportunity to make it as a musician in Australia as in the United States. It’s just one of those things that comes when a performer lives on a continent with 1/15th the potential audience ” a fact that partially prompted The Greencards singer/bassist Carol Young and mandolin player Kym Warner to […]

Paul van Dyk may never live down his association with trance music, which has stuck like gum to the bottom of his shoe for years. In a 2003 interview, he told me, “The worst electronic music that’s released is always getting labeled ‘trance.’ This is really painful in a way, especially when people associate me […]

These are the former heroes of the dissolute and dispossessed, real punk godfathers and ground-floor bomb-throwers. Guitarist Johnny Thunders’ barbed riffs pioneered punk’s sound from Johnny Ramone to Steve Jones, and front man David Johansen was the Bowery answer to Mick Jagger. NEW DOLLS INSPIRED With big hair, makeup and drag outfits, the Dolls may […]

One day, Jeff Hanson will be able to begin interviews by talking about something other than his falsetto voice or the delicate, folk-trimmed melodies that adorn his wistful songs ” characteristics that have earned him a description as “a female Elliott Smith.” Of course, Hanson is not a woman, although his willowy vocals flutter so […]

Ask anyone who’s been in the music business for a while, and they’ll tell you it’s a three-ring circus filled with clowns, magicians, high-wire acts and animals that have no problem biting the hand that feeds them. Fortunately for Robert Gomez, he’s seen the real thing up close, preparing him for all the travel and […]

One of the most intriguing discoveries of the year is Michael Benjamin Lerner, the 22-year-old pop genius behind Telekinesis!, which released its self-titled debut last month. SUNDAY SHOW FULL-FLEDGED BAND Lerner was birthed on The Beatles. The debut’s 11 tracks are steeped in hooky, ringing guitars that call to mind Big Star, songs flavored with […]