Over an 18-year career, Raleigh’s most famous rock ambassadors have gone from buzz-headed, anti-government proselytizers to long-haired (except for bassist Mike Dean) Southern rock and ZZ Top-influenced metal muthas. Back in the early ’80s, when Corrosion of Conformity was one of the first–if not the first–to combine hardcore with Tony Iommi riffs, the band’s radical […]
Angie Carlson
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Lou Ford, Alan Freed’s Radio
Since their debut release, Sad But Familiar (on their own Dumb Ass Records) Charlotte’s Lou Ford has been standin’ under the umbrella of alt country. Aside from “gonna-tear-it-up” songs like “Doodlebug” and “Mexico,” the Beatles-esque, harmony-fortified “rural pop” of the band’s sophomore release is going to change all that. The opening track, “Storz’ Bar” (Storz […]
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U2
For a band with the global familiarity of U2, the struggle to remain entertaining, let alone relevant, is a task of Herculean proportions. For this reason, aging rockers–in their attempts to prove that they’re still in the game–are more likely to reveal how out-of-touch they really are. Case in point: U2’s dismal Pop Mart tour, […]
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Master Chef
It wasn’t long ago that mastering an audio recording was a huge ordeal: You booked time with one of the handful of trusted mastering engineers, located mostly in New York or Los Angeles, then tucked your boxes of half-inch reel-to-reel tapes under your arm, braved the X-ray/metal detector folks at the airport, and spent the […]
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New Dutch masters
Back in the early ’90s, Bettie Serveert’s classic debut, Palomine, was a swig of pure spring water after the sugary fizz of countless girl-fronted alt-pop acts (Belly, Velocity Girl, Juliana Hatfield Three and so on). Hailing from the Netherlands, wide-eyed ingenue Carol van Dyk’s wistful take on the girl/boy thing–“Tom Boy”–captured the mood of the […]
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A chilly prognosis
In many ways, last weekend’s ProgDay 2000–the sixth and last event of its kind–was akin to other rock music fests: Fans brought their lawn chairs, coolers and beer while the faint smell of reefer wafted over the fields of Storybrook Farm, less than 10 minutes from Franklin Street. But the two-day international fest, which brings […]
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Blood and animals
Sometimes the stars align and a perfect moment is created: Your team is behind and an old-timer hits one out of the park, thus saving the day; the mistake in the petri dish is discovered to be a powerful antibiotic, capable of saving millions; in an attempt to do some routine lab work, a wacky […]
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Pop rocks
These days, “pop” may be the dirtiest three-letter word in the music community if you’re a rock band. Just ask the Mayflies USA, who are poised to release their second full album of melodic pop nuggets: crafted songs characterized by layers of harmonies, guitar interplay and choruses that rush your gray matter like an influx […]
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Living the dream
Times have changed greatly from the now innocent-seeming frenzy of ’60s and ’70s rock journalism, when Lisa Robinson was revealing naughty tidbits about the Rolling Stones’ underwear, slumming-it-rich-kid rock photographer Linda Eastman snagged a Beatle and critics like Jon Landau (Springsteen co-producer and manager) insinuated themselves into the careers of their subjects. Or maybe it […]
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Ryan Adams, heartbreaker, Bloodshot Records
While Whiskeytown fans await the release of the band’s long-completed follow-up to Strangers Almanac, rumored to be held up until next year, both Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary have new product on the shelves to tide fans over. Unlike most side projects or solo outings, both artists shine like the stars they deserve to be. […]