1. “1984” by David Bowie (book by George Orwell)
2. “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Metallica (book by Ernest Hemingway)
3. “The Right Stuff” by New Kids on the Block (book by Tom Wolfe)
Continue readingArchive for the Features Category
Top 10 Songs With the Same Titles as Great Novels
Posted in Lists, What You Readin' For? with tags Coolio, David Bowie, Deep Blue Something, Led Zeppelin, Lucinda Williams, Metallica, New Kids on the Block, Overkill, Queen, Tigers Jaw on 07/07/2022 by Kurt OrzeckMemento: A Spellbinding Set List From Bewitcher
Posted in Concert Reviews, Features, Mementos, Reviews with tags Bewitcher, Brain Tourniquet, Cloak, Infernal Magus of Nocturnal Alchemy, Shredder, Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations on 07/04/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Bewitcher, Portland’s most scintillating speed-metal band since Toxic Holocaust, blew the garage doors off the Shredder in Boise once again on Friday night. It was an exhilarating set played by the band that played the same venue with Nile in mid-April, and with Exhumed and Creeping Death in November 2021.
The 50-or-so attendees danced and rubbed knocked elbows during each song, before and after which Bewitcher’s gracious frontman — who goes by the tough-to-memorize moniker Unholy Weaver of Shadows & Incantations — frequently expressed his appreciation for the crowd.
Bob Odenkirk’s New Memoir: 20 Key Takeaways
Posted in Comedy, Lists, Reviews, What You Readin' For? with tags Bob Odenkirk, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, David Cross on 05/03/2022 by Kurt Orzeck
Thanks to his breakthrough role as Saul Goodman a.k.a Jimmy McGill in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Bob Odenkirk finally got his due in mainstream culture starting in 2009. Landing the part was a game-changer for the actor/writer/director/sketch-comedy icon who had spent more than a decade toiling on dozens of projects that never saw the light of day.
Continue readingCover Story: Lord Huron
Posted in Features, Interviews on 07/15/2018 by Kurt Orzeck
I recently interviewed Ben Schneider about his rock band Lord Huron for the July cover of Music Connection. Check out the full article here.
Cover Story: Thirty Seconds To Mars
Posted in Features, Interviews, Sound Off with tags Ben Schneider, Lord Huron on 06/11/2018 by Kurt Orzeck
I recently interviewed Jared Leto about his rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars for the April cover of Music Connection. Check out the full article here.
Woods Of Ypres’ David Gold And Crash Test Dummies’ Brad Roberts: Doppelgängers
Posted in Doppelgängers, Features with tags Brad Roberts, Crash Test Dummies, David Gold, Woods of Ypres on 03/21/2012 by Kurt Orzeck
Since David Gold is no longer alive, we’ll never get to hear him sing Crash Test Dummies’ “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.”
But that shouldn’t stop Brad Roberts of fellow Canadians CTD from tackling Woods of Ypres at some point.
Long live the bass-baritone.
My City Rules: Exray’s On San Francisco
Posted in Features, Interviews, MP3s, My City Rules with tags Evangelista, Exray's, the Decemberists, the Fresh & Onlys on 10/27/2010 by Kurt Orzeck
You say your band has a big following on Facebook? Well, San Francisco’s Exray’s can do you one better: One of their songs is featured in David Fincher’s related movie “The Social Network,” which appears well on its way to a Best Picture nomination. The experimental lo-fi group just released its debut EP; here’s a downloadable song from it – along with one of the bandmembers’ contribution to “My City Rules,” a new Bad Penny series. Continue reading
Revising History: Wooden Wand On Guided By Voices, Black Flag, Rolling Stones, More
Posted in Features, Interviews, Revising History with tags Ace Frehley, Black Flag, Brownie McGhee, Cockney Rebel, Deniz Tek, Dr. Feelgood, Guided by Voices, James Toth, Jim Ford, Johnny Dowd, Kiss, Royal Trux, Slaughter Joe, Sonny Terry, the Cure, the Durutti Column, the Feelies, the Gris-Gris, the Roches, the Rolling Stones, the Vanishing Voice, Tom Verlaine, Tompall Glaser, Wooden Wand on 10/27/2010 by Kurt Orzeck
Over the years, James Jackson Toth has quietly proven himself to be one of the more undervalued American songwriters out there. Calling to mind a broad array of characters from the canon of great music – Captain Beefheart, Willie Nelson, Sun Ra and more – the man better known as Wooden Wand has been making a case that, perhaps, eventually, he should stack right up there with those legends. For the most poetic edition yet in the Bad Penny’s “Revising History” series, Toth touched on the Rolling Stones’ “Coming Down Again,” Guided by Voices’ “Chicken Blows,” Black Flag’s “Three Nights” and other songs he wishes he had made. Continue reading
Cover Me: Dearling Physique’s Deadeye Dealer
Posted in Cover Me, Features, Interviews, MP3s with tags Autechre, Beyoncé, David Byrne, Dearling Physique, Digital Underground, Domino Davis, Janine Rostron, John Legend, Joy Division, Kate Bush, M83, Matthew Friedberger, Moloko, Peter Gabriel, Planningtorock, Portishead, Roisin Murphy, Slowdive, Sonic Youth, the Fiery Furnaces, Tom Waits, Wild Beasts on 10/27/2010 by Kurt Orzeck
Minneapolis’ R&B-ish electro-pop squad Dearling Physique recently released a new single. Which artists would they most like to hear cover it? For that matter, which artists would they most like to hear cover every song on their forthcoming new record? Two members of the band chimed in for the latest installment in the Bad Penny’s “Cover Me” series. Continue reading
Chapin Sisters Reveal Best Songs To Get Dressed To
Posted in Features, Interviews with tags Ann Peebles, Arthur Russell, Bill Fay, Chapin Sisters, Cocteau Twins, Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Scott, Link Wray, Martha Reeves, Nico, Nina Simone, Scott Walker, She & Him, Sinead O'Connor, Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Zombies, Tim Buckley on 10/11/2010 by Kurt Orzeck
From Revising History to Guilty Pleasures to Brushes With Greatness, the Bad Penny has had no shortage of new features as of late. But in deciding to blaze a less-traveled path, Lily Chapin of the Chapin Sisters – who have been performing live as part of She & Him’s ensemble, and opening for them too – has come up with an impressive one of her own: “Best Songs to Get Dressed To.” Here’s the list she compiled; fans of Scott Walker, the Zombies and Nico, look no further. Continue reading
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