As humble a music industry executive if there ever was one, the eminently genteel and likable Sharratt cut the ribbon on his project in February 2018 after interning at Sub Pop to cultivate his skills in the music biz. Seven years later, Share It Music barged into 2025 with prized full-lengths by the Unfit and Cumulus. Read my feature story on the admirable nonprofit courtesy of Music Connection.
Archive for the Features Category
15 Best QOTSA Parody Ideas for ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic to Create
Posted in Comedy, Doppelgängers, Lists with tags Bily Ocean, Owen Wilson, Queens of the Stone Age, Weird Al Yankovic on 06/15/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
Sure, they may be one of the biggest rock bands in the world, but let’s get real: Have Queens of the Stone Age truly “made it”?
Some would argue no for the simple reason that, some 30 years into their career, “Weird” Al Yankovic still hasn’t made a parody of even one QOTSA song. It’s a critical rite of passage in pop music, and until it happens, a musical act really hasn’t achieved irrefutable commercial success.
In an effort to help QOTSA finally break that glass ceiling, and to inspire Al to write some quality new parodies, here are The Bad Penny‘s Top 15 choicest ideas for QOTSA parody songs:
Original: “Regular John”
Parody: “Regular John Tesh“
Original: “Go With the Flow”
Parody: “Go With the Flomax“
Original: “Better Living Through Chemistry”
Parody: “Better Living Through Home Ec“
Original: “I Think I Lost My Headache”
Parody: “I Think I Lost My Keys“
Original: “Avon”
Parody: “The Avon Lady”
Original: “I Sat by the Ocean”
Parody: “I Sat by Billy Ocean (On a Plane)”
Original: “You Can’t Quit Me, Baby”
Parody: “You Can’t Quit Me, Baby Ruth“
Original: “The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret”
Parody: “The Lost Art of Wearing Secret Antiperspirant“
Original: “The Way You Used to Do”
Parody: “The Way You Used to Do the Mountain Dew“
Original: “Sick, Sick, Sick”
Parody: “Mick, Mick, Mick” (tribute song to Rocky Balboa’s deceased trainer/ manager)
Original: “My God Is the Sun”
Parody: “My God Is the Hamburger Bun”
Original: “Long Slow Goodbye”
Parody: “Long Slow Fart“
Original: “Keep Your Eyes Peeled”
Parody: “Keep Your Oranges Peeled“
Original: “How to Handle a Rope”
Parody: “How to Handle a Rope-a-Dope“
Original: “No One Knows”
Parody: “Owen’s Nose” (referring to actor Owen Wilson’s unusual facial appendage)
• Fun fact: QOTSA frontman Josh Homme told me he especially enjoyed this one.)
Go here for more QOTSA coverage.
Big Takeover #96: Michael Gira and Todd Trainer Interviews, Bernie/AOC Rally Coverage, More
Posted in Album Reviews, Essays, Features, Interviews, Reviews with tags Airport 77s, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Built to Spill, Dez Dare, Librarians With Hickeys, Mdou Moctar, Michael Gira, mssv, Onsetter, Pleasure Pill, Plight, Royal Chant, Shellac, Swans, The Big Takeover, Todd Trainer, Unstable Shapes on 06/05/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
The special 45th anniversary edition of The Big Takeover, one of the oldest and last-surviving punk-rock magazines, is now available here. The special issue features more contributions from yours truly than every before–and they’re exclusively featured in the magazine:
• a deep conversation with Michael Gira of Swans
• my second feature with drummer Todd Trainer, stemming from the first interview he gave after the passing of his beloved Shellac bandmate Steve Albini
• a dispatch from a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Idaho that featured Built to Spill, Bernie Sanders and AOC (and drew national attention)
• my reviews of new releases by Airport 77s, Dez Dare, Librarians With Hickeys, Mdou Moctar, mssv, Onsetter, Pleasure Pill, Plight, Royal Chant and Unstable Shapes
Exclusive: Miracle Blood Are in for a Bloody Good Time With Epic Tour
Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, My City Rules, News with tags Caterwaul Fest, Miracle Blood on 05/19/2025 by Kurt OrzeckNoise punks Miracle Blood are ready to bring the ruckus with an ambitious tour starting July 11 in Buffalo, NY, running through August 2 in Washington DC.
The Beantown badasses are also on the docket for the fifth edition of the ultra-underground Caterwaul Fest in Minneapolis on May 26. In between Caterwaul and the onset of their summer trek, the band will hit up Portsmouth, New Hampshire (June 13); Troy, New York (June 24); and Boston (June 28).
Miracle Blood certainly aren’t allergic to playing live, and this new jaunt will be their most extensive one to date.
“Play new material in front of crowds to kind of see what’s landing right and what maybe needs a little bit more work,” cofounder/guitarist/vocalist Andrew Wong told The Bad Penny.
With so many upcoming engagements, it’s patently obvious that Miracle Blood–who tout themselves as “gnarly noise-punk for the weird at heart”–are on fi-yah. If noise-punk isn’t your jam, give Miracle Blood a shot nonetheless, as they meld their music with mathcore as well.
Expect scenes like this to unfold frequently during Miracle Blood’s upcoming gigs:
Summer Music Fests Near for Those About to Rock
Posted in Features with tags Brutal Assault, Maryland Deathfest, Wacken on 05/17/2025 by Kurt Orzeck
Read my primers on three of the best music festivals on the planet–Brutal Assault in Czechia, Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore and Wacken in Germany–in this summer music-fest preview feature for Knotfest.com.
On Tyranny: As US Citizens Get Disappeared and Terrorized, Chile’s Mawiza Reflects
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny with tags Mawiza, On Tyranny on 04/30/2025 by Kurt OrzeckThe frontman for band Mawiza, who blend metal with Mapuche folk music, reflects on the horrific treatment of his indigenous ancestors by the Chilean military as U.S. citizens are getting disappeared and terrorized by the Trump administration. Read my New Noise interview.
Cellista: ‘Creating and Existing Under Trump’s America Is My Act of Radical Resistance’
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny with tags Cellista on 04/25/2025 by Kurt OrzeckIf you read one story about the role of artists in our lovely new authoritarian America, please let it be my interview with cellist, composer, aerial performer and resistance artist Cellista. Props to New Noise for publishing this critical interview.
Inside the Label: The Mysterious Sentient Ruin Laboratories
Posted in Features, Inside The Label, Interviews on 04/15/2025 by Kurt OrzeckSentient Ruin Laboratories, an Oakland-based endeavor founded 11 years ago by an individual who goes by the name “M,” gives superb yet overlooked music—almost always of the heavy, experimental, and obscure variety—the exceptionally high quality that it deserves.
Dusk Sees Hope for Metal in Homeland of Saudi Arabia
Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny with tags Dusk on 04/04/2025 by Kurt Orzeck“Trading CDs is illegal. Metal music was illegal in (Saudi Arabia). Music in general (was outlawed) by what was called ‘the religious police.’ ” So says Dusk in New Noise‘s latest installment of On Tyranny, a series about artists making music under authoritarian regimes.
Blood Lemon Guitarist Puckers Up to Her Smoochable Cats
Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags Blood Lemon, Lisa Simpson on 03/28/2025 by Kurt OrzeckLisa Simpson of Boise breakout band Blood Lemon discusses, for New Noise‘s Pet Sounds series, her two tabbies: Gabriel, who is about 8 years old; and Chicken, who is one-and-a-half years young.
The Bad Penny (beta) 