There was a time when the Black Eyed Peas had this little thing called credibility. Or something that kind of resembled it. Back before Y2K–in that shadowy gulf between glocks and gangstas and bling and trappin’–wil.i.am, Taboo and apl.de.ap had a conscience, a message and a big ol’ bone to pick with society. Kim Hill, […]
Robbie Mackey
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The Radio Silence
(Champlin Hall Media) Arpeggiated guitar parts are so mid-’90s. Back in the day when Jade Tree ruled the world, sodden songs by bands like Christie Front Drive, Mineral and Jimmy Eat World had the 7″ hounds and scarf-wearing, Promise Ring kids in a euphoric tizzy. And those carefully plucked boney notes from those sloppy Barre […]
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Reloaded
WKNC–isn’t that a metal station? “I got that one a lot from the Raleigh folks,” says former WKNC General Manager Jamie Proctor. “That, or ‘We have a radio station?’ That was the student response.” Antagonism, indifference–in the early double-naughts, N.C. State’s student-run radio station was met with little else. It was common practice for the […]
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Horns of plenty
Mike Guinn probably couldn’t pick a name out of the indie rock canon if the lives of his three bandmates depended on it. “The names sound familiar,” he says, as if to apologize for his lack of interest in Stephen Malkmus’ body of work, “but I don’t think I’ve heard ’em before.” Asking him to […]
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Shreddin’ for cheddar
Storied egotist and Swedish-born shredder, Yngwie Malmsteen is famous for playing a throttled Stratocaster faster and more skillfully than pretty much anyone else on earth. But the big-hair, big-flair Malmsteen might even be more famous for a string of foul-mouthed words he barked on a tape that circulated the Internet years ago. The scene: Malmsteen […]
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That which Converges
Nate Newton is up for a challenge. “I like playing towns where hardcore bands and metal bands don’t usually play,” says Newton, entering his sixth year as bassist for metalcore juggernaut Converge. “It sounds cheesy, but it’s kind of like being Johnny Appleseed.” Strangely, Newton’s awkward kids’ story metaphor is apt; since their formation in […]