Mike R. Meyer

On the surface, John Vanderslice seems like just another in a long line of melancholy singer-songwriters. Frankly, even if a slew of mopey indie-folk songs were his only contribution to the American music canon, he'd still be worthy of praise, just because he does that whole mopey indie-folk thing so...

Genre revivals are interesting phenomena that don't always occur in chronological order. For example, the current thrash metal revival has been going strong since the early 2000s, but the New Wave of British Heavy Metal sound that served as a precursor to the original thrash uprising in the 1980s is...

There's no "secret formula" for success in any music genre, but finding an audience as a prog rock band seems especially tricky. Prog rock's biggest success stories range from the legendary (Pink Floyd) to the legendarily annoying (Rush). For a genre in which virtuosity is so highly regarded, the gaps...

It's not everyday that a band's first gig is also its CD release show. It's rarer still that such a gig would take place at Tempe's Clubhouse Music Venue, a 600-capacity venue that typically plays host to up-and-coming national touring acts. Then again, The Artifact isn't your typical wet-behind-the-ears local...

For Howard Stern Show fans, the mere mention of Amon Amarth inspires chuckles. It's virtually impossible not to think of Stern show writer Richard Christie declaring Amon Amarth his "faaay-vrit" in his trademark Kansas drawl. While Christie — an accomplished heavy metal drummer in his own right — is often...