From Black Sabbath to Rainbow to Alice Cooper, ’70s metal is like the singer/songwriter explosion of the same period in that it was driven by charismatic frontmen and their cult of personality. Of course, rather than bemoan their love life or ponder the lilies of the field, metal constructed colorful theatrical fantasy worlds, which in […]
Chris Parker
Bio: After a fond stint in the Triangle, Chris Parker lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where he writes about music and politics for a variety of newspapers and magazines. He has written about music for INDY Week since 2002.
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Big Sleazy
Started 11 years ago by the members of Southern Culture on the Skids, Sleazefest is a multi-night affair celebrating loud, rugged rock ‘n’ roll from rockabilly to garage. But more than that, it revels in the uninhibited, hair-down energy of rock. People sometimes say a performance was a “party,” but nothing quite captures its crazy, […]
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It takes balls
Bowling is no more a sport than rock ‘n’ roll is a profession. It’s something you fall into because you’re good, or because you love it. For most, it’s just a pleasant diversion. Other than that, I can’t think of anything they have in common, which was reason enough to haul Snatches of Pink singer/guitarist […]
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Desert Island Discs
Chris Parker has been doing Desert Island Discs for a year now, so it’s only appropriate for him to do one himself. For those who don’t know him, his work also appears in Alternative Press, CMJ, The Big Takeover, High Times, Village Voice, LA Weekly and other weeklies across the country. 1. Bad Brains–Attitude. “These […]
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PHS, Cartridge Family–at long last
Patty Hurst Shifter and The Cartridge Family–two of Raleigh’s favorite bands–are finally about to release long-awaited albums. In both cases, a lot of the delay was due to money issues, but for Patty Hurst Shifter, the problems were a bit more involved. “When we started out we didn’t have a label, so we had some […]
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In ignition endings
Formed in Richmond with Sleepytime Trio drummer Jonathan Fuller, Engine Down’s sound has grown over the years. Early albums bore the imprimatur of math rock, with odd time-signatures and churning guitar angularity, while Keely Davis’ vocal wail had more in common with emo. But the band improved–with Davis reining in the melodrama and the playing […]
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Dots good
To anyone who complains about how hard it is to make it in this country, I offer the Aussie band Red Hot Poker Dots as an example of what you can make happen with a little initiative. They’d been around for a few years when, in 2003, they released their debut album, Thirty Mile Square. […]
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Tour de force
Raleigh’s Corrosion of Conformity are godfathers of hardcore thrash, churning out rivers deep in sludgy rhythms and vertiginous mountains of riffage since the early ’80s. In April they released, In The Arms of God, their eighth studio album and first in five years. Though well into their third decade of existence, the events of the […]
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My favorite Venusians
“The price you paid for your riches and fame, was it all a strange game? You’re a little insane. The money, the fame, and the public acclaim, Don’t forget who you are, You’re a rock and roll star.” –The Byrds, “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” “There’s fame and there’s fortune,” […]
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Decked out
It was touch and go for a while, as Local 506 and the tour’s managers argued over money. Inspectah Deck and company apparently threatened to cancel the show, then offered to play if paid in advance. (The first position would seem to completely undermine the second, don’t you think?) While such shenanigans occur at rock […]