Mastodon’s Release of a Heart-Wrenching Video About the Death of Ex-Bandmate Brent Hinds Was a Tragic Mistake

Posted in Essays with tags , , , , on 07/19/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

(I don’t typically break the third wall on The Bad Penny, because my grandmother taught me it was rude to use the word “I,” it creates distance with the reader, and the goal of this website is to focus on bands and not a hack journalist like me. But in this instance, as Mastodon are responsible for deeply enriching my love of heavy music – and because I don’t want to suggest the opinion I’m about to set forth is held by anyone other than myself – I’m breaking my rule.)

Mastodon are the most important heavy band of the 21st century. (Queens of the Stone Age ceded the throne with their softer, but no less righteous, “Matador trilogy.”) When I first saw them in concert – at Knitting Factory Hollywood in February 2004, in support of their Remission debut – the 300-person venue seemed on the verge of spontaneous combustion during their entire set. There was no need – or ability – to cut a rug; the floor was shaking with such force that those of us who didn’t intend to jump up and down in place didn’t have the option to do so.

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JFK, UFO, Bigfoot, Loch Ness Conspiracy Theories: Reunited UK Post-Punks Jack Rubies Sound Off

Posted in Interviews, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 07/19/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

What’s more entertaining than entertaining the possibility that conspiracy theories are actually true? Well, listening to the time-tested, catchy, post-punk tunes of U.K. legends The Jack Rubies, for one. The band, which originally formed in London in the late 1980s, reunited three decades later – with their original lineup intact – to great fanfare.

In the unlikely event that you’re unfamiliar with the band’s sound, SD Ineson (backing vocals, guitar, harmonica) described it to The Bad Penny as such: “Jack Rubies music is a collision of every member’s musical idiosyncrasies. On the face of it, it is a rock band (whatever that means), but there is no pandering to ‘rock’ normalcy. [Frontman] Ian Wright and I met in art school and carried that sensibility into music. Ian is left-handed, and he developed his own unique chord shapes that ‘don’t look right’ (wright!).”

Ineson continued: “Consequently, everybody else in the band had to work from a place of abstract creativity, inventing riffs out of thin air to fill out the picture of what [frontman] Ian [Wright] concocted lyrically (i.e. off-the-wall absurdist irony, with shades of Morrissey and Dadaist poetry). But thrown in sideways are shards of Bolan riffs, Smithsian jangle, Ghosts of Rockabilly twisted into the awkward shapes of the guitar disassemblage of Gang of Four anti-rock. Jack Rubies are pop-rock saboteurs. Engineers of melodic disorientation and what you see is what you don’t get.”

The Bad Penny had the good fortune to kick back (virtually, of course) with the revered band to pick apart some of the most notorious conspiracy theories of the past hundred or so years. Enjoy the chat – and snag The Jack Rubies’ comeback record, Are We Being Recorded? right here.

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Video Interview: Boston’s 7-11 Jesus – Fans of Smashing Pumpkins, Maneka – Are Converting Noise-Rock Fans With a (Gasp!) Positive Attitude

Posted in Interviews, Videos with tags , , , , , , , on 07/19/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Join arguably the most amicable noise-rock band to ever come out of Boston – all three members of 7-11 Jesus, in fact – for some lighthearted fun, lotsa laughs and maybe the most definitive account yet of their history, in this recent interview with The Bad Penny. We caught up with the trio shortly after the conclusion of a tour of theirs that ended on June 26 at Wildflower Festival.

Vocalist/guitarist August Darula, drummer Will “The Thrill” Bryan and bassist “Animal” Adam Rioux (The Bad Penny has dibs on the latter nickname) will win you over with their collective humble charm. In fact, they’re probably the first Bostonians to claim such attributes. But in the event their gnarly and noisy music doesn’t, 7-11 Jesus’ recently released White Noise full-length will seal the deal.

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Jesus Lizard Guitarist Duane Denison Ignites ‘Challenging’ New Jazz Trio With Ex-Silver Jews, Lambchop Members

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

It’s unclear whether the Jesus Lizard are an active band to any degree at the moment – an ambiguous status level the noise-rock tricksters seem to enjoy as much as they do occasionally reuniting for an unexpected swing of shows or even a new record. But with vocalist David Yow having ditched the U.S. for Poland, the chances seem slimmer than usual for another reunion of any sort.

But that’s not to say the other band members – we’re looking at you, guitarist Duane Denison – are inclined to rest on their laurels. At the end of a 20-minute video conversation with Melvins main man Buzz Osborne that Consequence posted two days ago, Denison mentioned – almost as an aside – that he’s formed a new band in Nashville, where he currently resides. It’s called D2 Archipelago and features two other players: guitarist Matt Swanson and drummer Brian Kotzur, formerly of Lambchop (also based in Nashville) and Silver Jews, respectively.

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On Tyranny: Leetham, Queer Pop Artist Who Grew Up Mormon, Mocks MAGA for Getting ‘Star Wars’ Canon Backward

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Vibrant SLC newcomer Leetham wants to be taken seriously – but only by people who also know how to throw down on the dance floor. Raised in a Mormon household and now embraced by the queer community with which he proudly associates himself, he’s furious that intolerance is driving trans kids to suicide. He’s also mystified as to why young MAGA don’t seem to grok that the Dark Side were the villains in Star Wars. Yeah, folks, it’s worse than we thought out there.

Catch Leetham in concert soon when he opens for another ascendant pop newbie, Zee Machine – and in the meantime, savor his recently released, four-track, must-get EP, KINK, for all its worth.

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Favorite Films: Tim and Eric Turn Vancouver Psych Squad Meltt Into a Puddle of Laughter

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/18/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Last we checked in with Meltt – Vancouver’s greatest psych-rock band this side of Black Mountain – we tried to channel their excitement over playing Boise’s Treefort Music Fest shortly before they graced the annual event three years ago. Fast-forward to 2026, and the duders were once again in good spirits, still giddy over the release of their fourth full-length, Pathways (Nettwerk), last month.

As much as we recommend you snag Meltt’s new release, when they graciously granted The Bad Penny the chance to catch up with them for a second time, we all agreed to mix it up and rope the band into our consistent-ish ongoing Saturday series, the self-explanatory Favorite Films. Each band member generously participated in the exercise – and, wouldn’t ya know it, The Bad Penny would’ve raved about many of the same flicks were the tables turned.

But, of course, this story is not us. It’s about Meltt, Pathways and movie recommendations that might inspire you to take a hop, a skip and a jump during your weekend. Scratch that: These selections might prompt you to pick up a chainsaw, commune with an octopus underwater or reminisce about Star Lanes (RIP) instead.

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10 Best Free Bandcamp Downloads #16 (Albums-Only Edition): Alienatör, Nux Vomica, all under heaven, Iris Temple, Carbon Tomb, Variant Cause

Posted in Lists, MP3s with tags , , , , , , , , , on 07/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Welcome to the 16th installment of The Bad Penny‘s Bandcamp Freebie series, in which we handpick our favorite free songs on the platform and dish them up for your consumption. We deserve lotsa high-fives this time around, because all 10 picks are full-lengths – of the highest quality, naturally – which makes us the most benevolent music outlet on the website. And which, in turns, explains we’re so unimaginably financially destitute that Merriam-Webster needs to adopt a new phrase for it.

(Note: If you’re financially capable of supporting any of these artists and/or labels, please consider doing so.)

1. Alienatör’s Pariahs (September 2019) and Regrets (November 2002) (self-released with help from the Canada Council for the Arts)

Hailing from Thunder Bay, Ontario – the municipality where Paul Shaffer also famously (?) grew up – Alienatör held the noise-rock torch between the years they released their two full-lengths. Whether Brad King (vocals, guitar); Sean Skillen (bass, vocals); and Simon Paquette (drums) threw in the towel after those two marvelous migraine-inducers is unclear. The three guys might also have a new album on their hands – but we say that without a shred of certainty, as there’s no mention of it on Alienatör’s Bandcamp page, and their Instagram account is still hyping Regrets. Isn’t that like two newlywed parents getting strangers to kiss their baby in Target because it’s a newborn? Perhaps the Target redshirt on duty can answer our questions. More likely, though, questions, critiques and the like will melt away upon taking Alienatör’s Pariahs and Regrets out for a test drive.

2. Side-Line Magazine‘s United 1 – The Freya Files and United 2 – The Odin Files by various artists (Side-Line)

If you’re even somewhat aware of The Bad Penny‘s devotion to democracy and whole-scale rejection of fascism, it’ll come as no surprise to you that we included these two comps – both released Friday – in our latest Bandcamp Freebies roundup. In fact, we just published an illuminating conversation with Bernard Van Isacker, the Belgian magazine editor and music fan who helped see these Ukraine-supporting collections to fruition. Learn a thing or two about the Ukraine/Russia war that could determine the fate of democracy in that part of the world, and throw down (as little or as much as you want) for these two darkwave compendiums.

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Portrayal of Guilt’s ‘…Beginning of the End’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 07/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Portrayal of Guilt seemed to come out of nowhere in 2017, but once they did, they stuck their tongue to the frozen light pole and released five LPs, six EPs and three singles while our heads were still trying to catch up to their murderous maelstrom of metal. Once we got a good look at ’em, the brilliance of the band was on their collective face.

On paper, one would’ve sworn numerous bands had melded black metal and post-hardcore. But what makes Portrayal of Guilt’s music so magical is that whatever one deigns to describe in words (and yes, this writer is fully aware of the irony at play here) doesn’t do justice to the sound that bursts out of their amps like flames from a nuclear explosion.

That Portrayal of Guilt has surreptitiously tried to sidle up to the “grunge” qualifier is as laughable as the band is serious: Be proud of what you’ve accomplished, guys, by continuing to marry two heavy subgenres (to reiterate, black metal and post-hardcore) with the same success that Deafheaven did with black metal and shoegaze.

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On Tyranny: Belgian Music Magazine Editor Creates Benefit Comp to Fund Ukrainians Amid Russian Horrors

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , on 07/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Before Russia unleashed its shocking, abhorrent, genocidal and unlawful invasion into Ukraine in February 2022, Bernard Van Isacker – Chief Editor of Side-Line – didn’t have designs on focusing his music publication on current affairs and events per se. “But it did happen,” Isacker, a Belgian citizen, confided in a candid interview with The Bad Penny on Friday, July 17. “I had witnessed something I never imagined … [would be] possible in a democratic country. Tyranny can hit quite close sometimes. You’d never imagine this would be possible in a democratic country, but it happens,” Isacker continued. “And it happened to me. [Not to mention] a lot of crap being published online about myself.”

In response, Isacker spearheaded an initiative to help the people of Ukraine. Specifically, a pay-what-you-want-compilation called United 1 – The Freya Files, a various-artists dark-wave compendium issued by Side-Line. The collection just came out today.The track list is below:

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New Releases 7.17.26: Loathe, Quicksand, Fuming Mouth, Boundaries, Left to Die, Tiger Bear Wolf, Secrecy, Emptiness

Posted in New Releases with tags , , , , , , on 07/17/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Loathe

Joey Alexander – Celestial Keeper (Mack Avenue)
Baby Mel – Drought single (Capitol/Motown)
Banda AL9 – Hey! Hey! We’re Banda AL9 (Wicked Cool)
Taylor Bickett – Nothing I Can’t Undo (If This Then)
The Black Drumset – Friends in Dark Places (self-release)
Boundaries – Yearning: The unbeautiful after (Sumerian)
BTS – Normal (Korean version) single (BigHit)
Day We Ran – Naked at Your Door EP (AnnapurnA)
Emptiness – Nowhere Speaks (Season of Mist)
Brian Ennals & Blockhead – Boatshoes (Phantom Limb)
Fuming Mouth – The Ringing Bell (Triple B)
Presley Haile – Hamilton Honey: Part I EP (Columbia)
Infected Disarray – Redisseminating Obscenity (2026 Redux) (Unique Leader)
Iris Temple – Ghosts of the Future (Sooper)
Jodeci – Naked At Your Door EP (Retreat)
Larry June – Who Coppin (feat. Swizz Beats, Jhené Aiko, Musiq Soulchild) (Freeminded)
Kamal. – How the F*** Does Everybody Else Manage? (Def Jam)
Kennedys – Without Us single (self-release)
Lathums – Vice Versa single
Left to Die – Initium Mortis (Relapse)

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