Email Author Brendan Joel Kelley

Awards

• 2006 - Arizona Press Club Awards, published June 16, 2005

  "High Voltage"

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1998 Stories by Brendan Joel Kelley

• Critical Mass

  published December 24, 1998

  Checking the vital signs for guitar-based rock has long been an ongoing preoccupation for critics. Still, you knew something was a bit different... More >>

• Renaissance Farrell

  published December 3, 1998

  Washington, D.C.'s Jason Farrell is a man with big ideas and skills to match. Besides playing concurrently in two bands on two different labels... More >>

• Pretty in Pink

  published November 5, 1998

  Leftist politics, despite its role in the gestation and development of punk rock, holds virtually no demographic within the record-buying public... More >>

• Kings of Rhyme

  published October 29, 1998

  When I was 11 years old, my older brother gave me a tape that changed everything I thought I knew about music. The tape was called King of Rock,... More >>

• Recordings

  published October 22, 1998

  Reubens Accomplice "Borders" b/w "O' the Night" (Jerk Records) The four young men who comprise Reubens Accomplice have, over the... More >>

• Blake's Babies

  published October 15, 1998

  Old habits certainly die hard. Blake Schwarzenbach knows this well. Nearly two years ago he brought his band, the seminal San Francisco... More >>

• Hero Worship

  published October 8, 1998

  In the state of Washington, 764-HERO is an instantly recognized alphanumeric code, and for good reason. The superlative phone number is... More >>

• Q-Burning Down the House

  published October 8, 1998

  Ancient Chinese esoteric disciplines are rarely associated with electronic music, but Orlando, Florida's Q-Burns (a.k.a. Michael Donaldson) uses... More >>

• Recordings

  published October 1, 1998

  Phunk Junkeez Fear of a Wack Planet (Trauma Records) There's an adage that's oft repeated among those who grow up in... More >>

• Backdoor Men

  published September 10, 1998

  The boys in Pansy Division are fags. It's no secret--the band has been proclaiming its affinity for homo-sex for seven years over the course of... More >>

• Mike Test

  published September 3, 1998

  "I got this crazy-ass offer from Jason Priestley, 90210, y'know, to be on the show. It really mind-boggled me, y'know, 'cause I don't know if I... More >>

• Recordings

  published September 3, 1998

  Elliott Smith XO (DreamWorks Records) Elliott Smith doesn't sound very happy. In the few years since his first solo release,... More >>

• Recordings

  published August 13, 1998

  Liz Phair whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador Records) In a way, it shouldn't matter that Liz Phair took four years to put together... More >>

• Capitol Gains

  published August 13, 1998

  Jim Adkins grins and looks up from his Pilsner while perched on a stool at a local brew pub. "Seriously, the last four months have been the best... More >>

• Makers' Mark

  published August 6, 1998

  'Rock 'n' roll--real rock 'n' roll, not some prefab Bush/Marcy Playground/Eve 6 bullshit--is an inherently dirty business. Anyone not convinced... More >>

• Love Story

  published July 30, 1998

  On April 8, 1994, the echo of a shotgun blast reverberated around the world. Kurt Cobain was dead, by his own hand, according to police... More >>

• Emo-tional Rescue

  published July 9, 1998

  "Our question posed to the media, labels, and fans is, 'What does emo mean?' Was Christie Front Drive emo or just dark and sad pop-rock? Is Jimmy... More >>

• Recordings

  published June 18, 1998

  The Pastry Heros Horn Rim Fury E.P. (Submersible Recordings) Pure, unabashed pop bands are a rare commodity locally; the few... More >>

• Sense of Humidor

  published June 18, 1998

  Smoking fine cigars was long the province of the overprivileged. Now, although you won't find many food stamp recipients puffing on Cubanas, it's... More >>

• Send In the Clones

  published June 11, 1998

  Technology has advanced exponentially since my birth nearly a quarter-century ago. These days, computers ensure that the first letter of each... More >>

• Recordings

  published May 14, 1998

  Sonic Youth A Thousand Leaves (DGC Records) Like Karl Stockhausen or John Cage, Sonic Youth has always exerted more power as an... More >>

• Mouse That Roared

  published May 14, 1998

  Modest Mouse just does not give a fuck. For two weeks, the tape recorder jacked into my telephone has been sitting still, waiting for... More >>

• Dropout Rock

  published May 7, 1998

  College towns tend to spawn millions of bands, most of them worth slightly less than shit. Take Tempe, for instance, where I live. A hundred cover... More >>

• Recordings

  published April 30, 1998

  Fugazi End Hits (Dischord Records) Being punk rock's king of rhetoric and idealism, it's often forgotten that Fugazi is also an... More >>

• Recordings

  published April 9, 1998

  Propellerheads Decksanddrumsandrockandroll (DreamWorks Records) At first glance, the title of the debut album by Propellerheads... More >>