Email Author Chris Parker

2007 Stories by Chris Parker

• Grand Buffet

  published December 27, 2007

  "There's plenty of races on God's green planet, that doesn't mean you have to breed with them, goddammit," rap unrepentant wiseacres Grand Buffet... More >>

• Your Brain on Music

  published December 20, 2007

  How does music engage and touch us so deeply? Why is its presence so intrinsic to what we do? It's everywhere, from stereos and headphones to... More >>

• A Wilhelm Scream

  published December 13, 2007

  A cross between the melodic punk of Lawrence Arms and the churning hardcore of Rise Against, AWS combine a high quotient of both heft and hooks.... More >>

• Ben Lee

  published December 6, 2007

  Where do you go when the cute wears off? Lee's teenage band, Noise Addict, overflowed with precocious charm epitomized by his humorous ode to Evan... More >>

• Eyedea & Abilities

  published November 29, 2007

  This Minneapolis duo has been a team since their teens, when DJ Abilities left home, and Eyedea's mom put him up in their basement, where their... More >>

• Heavy Trash

  published November 1, 2007

  Regardless of where you plop Jon Spencer — Pussy Galore, the Blues Explosion, Boss Hog, or Heavy Trash, his current partnership with Matt... More >>

• Cornpone Hipsters

  published October 25, 2007

  Like looking at a middle-aged man's comb-over, sometimes we have to stare into another's mirrored shades to appreciate the ridiculousness of our... More >>

• Guitar Shorty

  published October 25, 2007

  He played with some of the best when he was just 17: Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Rush, B.B. King and T-Bone Walker. Guitar Shorty (born David... More >>

• Matt Pond PA

  published October 18, 2007

  Frontman Matt Pond doesn't care for the term "chamber pop," and it's a loose fit. His band's sound is more Delgados than Belle & Sebastian, which... More >>

• Martin Sexton

  published October 11, 2007

  Two things separate real musicians from wanna-bes — the willingness to tour without quarter, and the head-down attitude to plow forward,... More >>

• Turbo Charged

  published October 4, 2007

  Like commandos descending from helicopters in the night, Turbonegro's boisterous irreverence lands just in time to deliver a pinprick of humor to... More >>

• Sheer Samson

  published September 27, 2007

  Call him the John Darnielle of the North. Like the Mountain Goats' songsmith, John Samson of Winnipeg, Canada, has a high, reedy voice, modestly... More >>

• Underoath

  published September 27, 2007

  One of the biggest surprises of the past few years is Christian metalcore act Underoath, who've sold almost a million copies of 2004's breakout... More >>

• Not Dead

  published September 20, 2007

  Whatever animates Riverboat Gamblers lead singer Mike Wiebe, the audience is giving him a wide berth lest it prove contagious. Dragging the mic... More >>

• The Dorsets

  published September 13, 2007

  Put them in suits and give them bowl haircuts, because from the sweet harmonies to the charismatic melodies, this Phoenix quartet channels the... More >>

• Peter Bjorn and John

  published September 13, 2007

  Swedish imports (as if the name wasn't a giveaway) PB&J have been making music together for eight years, but it took their third and latest... More >>

• The Liars Handshake

  published September 6, 2007

  Drawing on a raw, ragged roots-punk ethos that's served everyone from The Pogues to Against Me!, Tempe's Liars Handshake stokes the same... More >>

• John Vanderslice, and The Bowerbirds

  published September 6, 2007

  John Vanderslice is a generally unnoted musical impresario whose versatility, talent, and intelligence make it seemingly impossible for him to... More >>

• Childish Ambitions

  published August 30, 2007

  To some, Billy Childish will come off as a crank. He's outspoken and has little patience for authority or institutions. It's the reason he was... More >>

• Scary Kids Scaring Kids

  published August 23, 2007

  No one can accuse Gilbert's Scary Kids Scaring Kids of lacking ambition. The local sextet's self-titled second album is an epic song cycle... More >>

• The Detroit Cobras

  published August 9, 2007

  Rachel Nagy is a strong, sexy frontwoman. Her vocals canter, strut, and shimmy with the knowing look of the much-adored — half coquettish... More >>

• Offbeat, But Right On

  published August 2, 2007

  Curly, raven-haired Annie Clark (a.k.a. St. Vincent) is a beautiful dork and potential prom queen of the science and math magnet school, seemingly... More >>

• Big, Rotten Apple

  published August 2, 2007

  It took the hills of Tennessee to shake The Comas' singer and guitarist, Andy Herod, of his bad habits. But the story goes back farther, to 2004's... More >>

• Pterodactyl

  published August 2, 2007

  The difference between noise and noisy rock is in the ear of the beholder, something Pterodactyl realized after initially aping a drunken,... More >>

• Street Dogs, and The Tossers

  published July 26, 2007

  This bill features a pair of bands noteworthy for their rousing style and lively stage presence. Hailing from Chicago's Irish South Side, The... More >>