Email Author Michael Alan Goldberg

2008 Stories by Michael Alan Goldberg

• Snoop Dogg, Amy Winehouse, and Ozzy Explain Hanukkah

  published December 18, 2008

  Let's face it. Every year around this time, many of the non-Jewish among us struggle to understand (or spell) Hanukkah. Some mistakenly think it's... More >>

• Agnostic Front

  published December 18, 2008

  Around this time last year in these pages, I noted that a shit-ton of ancient hardcore punk bands are still regularly out on the road, and that... More >>

• Unaired Wu-Tang TV Shows

  published December 4, 2008

  Over the past year or so — since just before last December's release of 8 Diagrams — legendary hip-hop crew the Wu-Tang Clan... More >>

• Get the Dir en grey Look

  published November 27, 2008

  Tokyo rock quintet Dir en grey have been through a number of musical incarnations over their decade-long history, but none of them resemble the... More >>

• Soulfly

  published November 27, 2008

  It's been about 12 years now since singer-guitarist Max Cavalera left Brazilian metal gods Sepultura and formed the Phoenix-based Soulfly. Some... More >>

• In Flames

  published November 20, 2008

  So, the other evening I was watching the History Channel when a two-hour program about the Dark Ages came on. I thought to myself, "Wow, I should... More >>

• Eye Alaska

  published November 20, 2008

  Hey, kids, how'd you like to know how brand-new Orange, California quartet Eye Alaska came up with its name? Well, according to singer-guitarist... More >>

• Metallica’s Therapist Opens Up

  published October 16, 2008

  By now, even if you've never seen the 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster, you probably know that the band was rescued from... More >>

• Metallica’s Therapist Opens Up

  published October 16, 2008

  By now, even if you’ve never seen the 2004 Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster, you probably know that the band was rescued... More >>

• Mary J. is A-OK

  published October 16, 2008

  Is Mary J. Blige still the reigning queen of hip-hop soul? It was looking iffy a few years ago, when she released her lukewarm Love & Life,... More >>

• Portugal. The Man vs. Sarah Palin for Vice President

  published October 9, 2008

  Experimental indie-rock quartet Portugal. The Man — which alternates rocking hard, bluesy, and soulful, like an unhinged Zeppelin, and... More >>

• Pat Benatar: Soon-to-Be Hipster Icon?

  published October 9, 2008

  In an early scene from one of our cinematic treasures, 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Phoebe Cates' character "Linda" points out,... More >>

• Byrne After Reading: Advice from a Talking Head

  published September 25, 2008

  This week, we present "Byrne After Reading," our new advice column by musician/artist (and former Talking Heads frontman) David... More >>

• The Watson Twins defend Fire Songs from misinterpreting critics

  published August 14, 2008

  Two years after providing the haunting, gospel-tinged, and mighty crucial backing vocals on Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis' solo album, Rabbit... More >>

• Wolf Parade bites back at critiques of At Mount Zoomer

  published July 10, 2008

  Montreal indie-rock quintet Wolf Parade — relentlessly championed by Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock — made a huge splash in 2005... More >>

• Boston gets Michael Sweet, thanks to some divine intervention

  published June 26, 2008

  One day last year, Michael Sweet — frontman of the Christian metal band Stryper — was sitting down with a bowl of Cheetos to watch... More >>

• How Boston Got Sweet

  published June 26, 2008

  One day last year, Michael Sweet -- frontman of the Christian metal band Stryper -- was sitting down with a bowl of Cheetos to watch a Law &... More >>

• The Futureheads strike back against critiques of This Is Not the World

  published June 12, 2008

  It's been a tough couple of years for The Futureheads. Following the mixed reception to 2006's ambitious News and Tributes, the British... More >>

• Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner critiques the critics of his new album The Lucky Ones

  published June 5, 2008

  Seattle rock heroes Mudhoney — the last band standing from the grunge era — celebrate their 20th anniversary this year with a new... More >>

• Singer Josh Grier puts his spin on Tapes 'N Tapes' recent reviews

  published May 15, 2008

  Minneapolis quartet Tapes 'n Tapes was one of the first examples of both the "blog buzz" and "Pitchfork effect" phenomena — widespread... More >>

• Tristan Prettyman on Hello . . . x

  published May 8, 2008

  Tristan Prettyman — the San Diego folk-pop singer-songwriter, surfer, and former Roxy model — is back with her sophomore album,... More >>

• Clinton vs. Obama: Is Neil Peart the best drummer in the world?

  published May 1, 2008

  [A fictional transcript of the 27th debate between presidential hopefuls Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton.]... More >>

• Lyrics Born raps back at the critics

  published May 1, 2008

  Bay Area rapper and Quannum Projects co-founder Lyrics Born, a.k.a. Tom Shimura, has a big, engaging personality, whether on wax — as with... More >>

• How does Man Man stack up to other Philly bands?

  published April 24, 2008

  So, the other day, I was listening to Rabbit Habits, the terrific and addictive new album from Philadelphia quintet Man Man —... More >>

• Shannon Hoon on Blind Melon's reunion and being dead

  published April 24, 2008

  On a recent evening, as the clock approached midnight, I created a makeshift altar with a photo of late Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon, then lit... More >>