Punk rock and art don’t always go hand-in-hand, but Niagara’s past as singer for Destroy All Monsters helped mold her into one of today’s top Lowbrow artists. Ditching the mic for a brush, this queen of Detroit rock is taking over the pop art world. Life In A Bungalo got the rare opportunity to chat with Niagara as she was gearing up for a June show at The Orbit Gallery Space in Edgewater, NJ. Read more »
In 1996, someone had the bright idea to have the second annual Warped Tour at Action Park. For the price of admission ($46) music fans and amusement park aficionados got a day-pass to Action Park and access to the show (featuring Face To Face, CIV and Down By Law). While walking through the park it was easy to see just how dangerous the place really was. Kids were hitting the sides of rides and scraping their arms, the water was vile and even the bands were too disgusted to go on the rides (except for NoFX and Blink 182, who were spotted on at least two water slides). Later that year, at school, I sat behind a guy who bragged about his summer job at said park. He talked about all the shady stuff that went down. Lucky for me he wasn’t opposed to talking on tape. Read more »
Formed six years ago, the Mooney Suzuki has stirred up some noise in the neuvo garage rock scene with their over the top art rock shows and twang-driven rock tunes. The band’s two guitarists met in high school and soon formed the backbone of the band. According to drummer Augie Wilson, “They met through the old flier in the record store that the singer put out looking for people to get together and make music. We are all artists and art students, so it came off as a performance art study.†Read more »
It’s been seven years since Sir Mix-A-Lot has graced the hip-hop world with his genre of comedy rap that spoofs as much as it attacks. But the original pimp of the nation has returned with a new album and a message to the ever-angry hip-hop community. “I don’t know where we got this thing that Black people don’t smile,†Mix says. “I don’t know where that came from, but I have always smiled.†Read more »
Kathie Olivas’ art is equal parts creepy and cute, balancing a line between the obscene and the beautiful. Much like her contemporaries Liz McGrath and Scott Radke, Olivas takes traditional imagery and twists it just enough to make the audience wonder whether the subject is a child, an alien, or a corpse. Read more »
Not since Mudhoney and The Jesus and Mary Chain ruled the college radio charts have there been as many fuzz-driven bands as there are today. Groups like The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spiritualized and Singapore Sling drench their music in a layer of distortion that is both mesmerizing and pure. Sacramento, CA-based The Low Flying Owls are riding high on this wave of fuzz, combining their own love of trippy jam rock with layers and layers of distorted guitar chords and keyboards. The band’s latest effort “Elixir Vitae,†while experimental at times, also captures enough melody to keep the listener entertained and excited. Read more »
In late October, during Rough Trade Record’s CMJ showcase, a skinny, young man with a mop-top hairdo jumped on stage with a comic book, while half a dozen roadies were busy assembling a huge stage set for Moldy Peaches star Adam Green featuring a full string section. “Hi, I’m the special guest—Jeffrey Lewis,†the man said before beginning a four-minute long history lesson on the birth of Rough Trade records told through song and comic art. After it was over, Lewis stepped off stage and proceeded to watch Green perform. Read more »
The mutated punk/new wave sound of IMA Robot was conceived in 1997 when singer Alex Ebert joined up with noisemaker/ keyboardist Oliver Goldstein and guitarist Timmy Anderson to run loose in LA with their brand of hip-hop infused dance rock. At the time, Ebert claims that his love for hardcore rap, like NWA and even further back with Run DMC, influenced his decision to rhyme more than sing. “Me, Tim and Olie came from hip-hop worlds, but we were all disenchanted with it when we met up. So we tried to forge something new.” Read more »
