Dear Miranda, I’m your biggest fan! I know, being the famous country singer you are, you must get this a lot, but I really think we’d make a great couple. Sure, there’s a bit of an age difference here. It’s not like I could be your dad, but, hell, my…
Fall Out Boy bassist and songwriter Pete Wentz can’t stand being limited by 4/4 time. He has aspirations of becoming the next Russell Simmons. “People didn’t just buy a Def Jam record,” he says. “People bought a culture.” The multitalented entrepreneur talks about the need to create a similar counterculture…
Marty Larson-Xu is confused. “I woke up and didn’t know where I was,” he says. “Was like, ‘What the hell is that smell?’ Then I looked out the window and remembered, ‘Yeah, I’m in L.A.'” It’s not quite home, but it works for now as Larson-Xu and his Eugene, Oregon-based…
Ah, Valentine’s Day — that one day a year when you can say, “Baby, I love you as much as a diamond pendant from Zales.” Or, if you’re one of the unlucky ones, that one day a year when the loneliness actually gets worse. That’s because finding love ain’t as…
Wasn’t Josh Gracin that country-singing Marine from American Idol’s second season? How did that jarhead land himself a recording contract? Well, actually, it’s a lot easier to understand than you might think: While Simon, Randy, and the eternally narcotized Paula have never really understood the relevance of country music to…
Tristan Prettyman is difficult to categorize, even though most everything written about her blames her sound on beach party superhero Jack Johnson. That might have something to do with the fact that they both surf like it was a religious experience and perform their stripped-down acoustic pop with the same…
The 2004 presidential election was accompanied by an almost universal outcry from the music industry for the dethroning of George W. Bush, but no one embodied this sentiment better than Green Day, with its punk-opera masterpiece American Idiot. That wasn’t the only band with something to say, though, as ska-punk…
The only music genre less driven by social politics than modern country music is pop music, which isn’t so odd when you think about it — today’s country is just saccharine-sweet pop nothingness anyway, and that’s how Wal-Mart shoppers like it. That’s why Natalie Maines’ criticism of George W. received…
It’s that time of year again, when all our sins come back to bite us in the ass, and right around midnight on New Year’s Eve, we resolve to fix all the things we keep doing wrong. Here are a few resolutions from musical artists to help you remember it’s…
Shooter Jennings had a country Outlaw for a father (Waylon), grew up on tour with country rebels the Highwaymen, and is now breaking a few country rules himself by embracing the Southern rock side of the biz that Nashville’s been ignoring for too long. To make this point, consider a…
When asked about favorite Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa memories, most people remember the good times. You know, the stuff they write songs about to get you in the holiday spirit — deck the halls, fa la la la la, and all that jazz. Now, ask a musician the same question…
While The Earlies’ . . . uh, earliest collaborations (1998) didn’t necessarily constitute a band, their first EP in 2002 did. What began as a file-sharing project between two Texans (JM Lapham and Brandon Carr) and two chaps in northern England (Christian Madden and Giles Hatton) who all loved prog,…
Three of the Briefs’ four members recently took the time to briefly discuss their new album Steal Yer Heart, punk rock’s brevity, and the truth behind their songs “Genital General” and “My Girl (Wants to Be a Zombie).” New Times: Any downside to being so brief? Steve E. Nicks (guitarist):…
Poor Paul McCartney: a Knight of the Realm, with a personal fortune of more than $1 billion, a new wife (an ex-model) and kid (to join his other three), and an early career so monumental that journalists still manage to perform critical fellatio while bashing him. You’ve got to feel…
Tim McTague, guitarist for UnderOath, place your right hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . . . New Times: How do you feel about being labeled a Christian metalcore band? Tim McTague: I think that’s exactly what we’re…
The Greencards are probably one of the best examples of American bluegrass out there right now, which is why it’s so gosh-darned peculiar that the trio consists of two Australians (Kym Warner, Carol Young) and an Irishman (Eamon McLoughlin) who’ve only lived in this country for eight years. Onstage, they…
Merle Haggard can’t sleep well at night knowing what’s become of his beloved country music. Every time Kenny Chesney sashays across a stage, ol’ “Hag” has to want to dig out a revolver and make it all go away. Can you blame him, though? This is the guy who finished…
New Wave was a joke two years ago, and probably will be in two more, but in the meantime, bands like The Killers and The Bravery are milking it for every penny they can. The Epoxies, on the other hand, dish out something that feels new . . . er…
How do you like to apply your makeup? • Eyeliner, eyeliner, eyeliner! (2 points) • I’m a dude, dude. Makeup’s for queers. (0 points) • White foundation with black eyeliner and/or red/black lipstick. (3 points) When you open your closet, what do you see? • Khakis and Ralph Lauren polo…
Born out of the blues revival of the early ’60s, John Hammond Jr. has defied stereotypes from Day One. You know, like when he said he wanted to play the blues and someone sharply replied, “Boy, you white.” Then came Day Two, when someone else said, “Boy, you from the…
Mega-producer Clive Davis of J Records declared Gavin DeGraw his “next big thing” a few years back, but ivory tickler DeGraw is still waiting for everyone else to realize just how good he really is. If you know anything about him, then you already know it might just be his…
Have you seen Gwen Stefani onstage, on the red carpet, or on camera in one of her countless MTV appearances? She’s a living testimony to the joys of caffeine. She’s a human energy drink. And, in case you haven’t noticed, she’s critic-proof, too, whether we’re talking those outrageous styles she…
