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 […]
Opolis
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Name value
Band-to-band comparisons are a necessary evil in the universe of emerging acts. However, media outlets like NPR and Interview take a little of the sting out by making comparisons to Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. “From a musician’s standpoint, you want to be your own thing and not necessarily compared to anyone,” said Kyle […]
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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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Paws command
Kitten front woman Chloe Chaidez had played in a cover band — performing alongside the likes of Band of Horses and Midlake — for three years before she decided to pursue something more mature and artistically satisfying than those cute, little cover songs. She was 13 at the time. One year of songwriting led her, […]
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Westerns’ union
It’s been a busy year for Smith Westerns. Luckily, with their respective ages barely reaching into the 20s, they group’s members had plenty of energy to meet all the opportunities that have presented themselves since the release of their critically acclaimed sophomore effort, “Dye It Blonde.” The Chicago-based, indie-rock band has made the most of […]
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We’re no angels
What’s a better way to draw attention to your band than nabbing George Michael to play bass? No, not the one from Wham!, but “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” actor Michael Cera. Cera — who played a character named George Michael in TV’s “Arrested Development” — is actually a skilled bassist, and singer/guitarist Nick Thorburn […]
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Color of blight
There are several reasons why Norman’s Rainbows Are Free describes its sound as “heavy devil music.” There’s the heavy riffage, pounding percussion, mind-bending psychedelia, rants against religion and … well, this. “There’s the sacrifices, and our love for the dark lord,” bassist Chad Hogue said in deadpan. “You kind of need the devil to help […]
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This guy
When you live and breathe music like classically trained bassist Mike Silverman, it can be hard finding others to play with who are as obsessive. After a while, he quit trying. “I got kind of frustrated working with people,” said the Las Vegas-based Silverman. “It felt like if I was by myself, I could work […]
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Oh, Deer!
Stillwater’s Deerpeople is most certainly a breed of its very own. Formed in 2009, the indie-rock group may recall bits and pieces of other bands — Modest Mouse’s untamed feel, Arcade Fire’s grandiosity, The Flaming Lips’ general chaos and weirdness — but the music is its own beast. Deerpeople’s stomping grounds seem to play the […]
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97’s in ’11
Rhett Miller, songwriter and vocalist of Old 97’s, thinks you can try to be a rock star, or you can try to be a musician. “When we started out, we wanted to do this years from now, and be proud of our music and the albums we’ve put out,” Miller said. With almost 20 years […]