Archive for the Features Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Sonny Rollins, Master Saxophonist and Jazz Pioneer, Dead at 95

Posted in Features, News with tags , , , , on 05/25/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Sonny Rollins, widely considered to be one of the greatest saxophonists of all time, has died, according to a Sunday post on his Facebook page. He was 95 years old.

“It is with deep sorrow and profound love that we announce the passing of Sonny Rollins,” read a statement posted on the page at approximately 10 p.m. ET. “The Saxophone Colossus died this afternoon at his home in Woodstock, NY, at the age of 95.”

The post continued with a 2009 quote from Rollins, a jazz tenor saxophonist known as a jazz music purveyor and improvisational extraordinaire.

“I think when the creative person ends, he continues in the next existence,” the Rollins quote read. “I’m a person who believes this life isn’t the be-all and end-all of everything. A spiritual person doesn’t feel like that.”

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

10 Best Free Bandcamp Downloads #12: Orchestra Gold, Sadness, Lux, Pet Mosquito, LAPêCHE, Products Band

Posted in Features, Lists, MP3s with tags , , , , , , , , , on 05/24/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

The 12th and latest installment of The Bad Penny‘s Bandcamp Freebie series features our strongest offering of free music to date. In addition to pay-what-you-want releases by a handful of artists that the site has featured (and thus recommended) in various posts, there’s only two singles among the bunch. The rest are full-lengths and short-players that the bands we’re featuring deserve hi-fives for posting for no cost on Bandcamp. So, without further ado, let’s dig in.

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

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Feral Kids: Get to Know Finland’s Freshest, Fiendish Fivesome – Before They Dethrone Guns N’ Roses

Posted in Features, Interviews, The Visionaries, Videos with tags , on 05/24/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

In their first video interview with an American music journalist, Helsinki’s brand-new, red-hot hard-rockers the Feral Kids talk about how they came together, what matters most to them as a band, and which Guns N’ Roses song rules above all the rest. The Feral Kids consist of Anti (vocals), Renko (guitar), Wuffe (guitar), Krisu (bass) and Rudy (drums).

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Favorite Films: Avant-Garde Trio Kilter Get Off on ‘Stalker,’ ‘Annihilation,’ ‘Street Trash’

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Interviews, Lists with tags , , , , , , , , on 05/23/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Credit: Malena Marquez

If your tastes in music are liberal and erudite enough to encompass Khanate and Yakuza, you are living in sin with each passing moment you fail to avail yourself to Kilter. The instrumental metal-jazz trio from Paris and Brooklyn is counting down the hours till Kilter’s new album, Ten Billion Years, arrives via Excursus Production on June 19.

“A concept album depicting nothing less than the birth and death of our solar system, Ten Billion Years unfolds with cosmic-level grandeur, its instrumental compositions exploring spaces between the sounds of John Coltrane, Sunn O))) and Meshuggah,” reads a statement in press materials about the release. That jibes with us; does it for you?

If you’re sold, mark your calendar for a week from today, when Bandcamp hosts a Ten Billion Years listening party a week from today at 1 p.m. ET. And with that sneak preview still a week away, The Bad Penny is casting the spotlight on the burgeoning band by featuring them in the latest installment of our Favorite Films series. If the title doesn’t give it away, the ongoing feature allows musicians to share their favorite movies ever (and we usually publish it on Saturdays).

Buckle up (especially in the case of the first selection) for the picks that Kilter’s Laurent David (electric bass, production); Ed Rosenberg III (bass and tenor saxophones); and Kenny Grohowski (drums) handpicked for their installment of Favorite Films.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

If Sam Raimi’s ‘Send Help’ Has You Begging for More Horror-Comedy, Watch This John Carpenter Short Film in Full

Posted in Favorite Films, Features, Videos with tags , , , , on 05/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Definitely more horror than comedy, Sam Raimi nonetheless made an indelible mark in a short film that was part of master-of-the-macabre John Carpenter’s 1993’s anthology, Body Bags. (Raimi made a couple of cameos in it; keep yer eyes peeled. Horror king Wes Craven also makes a cameo, and one of the main roles.)

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Pet Sounds #85: Nuzzle’s Bassist Loves to Snuggle With His Cats, Stormy and Butter

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags , , , on 05/10/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Los Angeles post-hardcore Nuzzle belong to a very exclusive and special contingent of bands that only made one proper album but left an indelible footprint nonetheless. The band’s releases are limited; three of the four are a live recording, a collection of non-album tracks and a split single. But the fourth, Nuzzle’s first and only proper full-length, was so impactful that it warranted a 30th anniversary edition reissue late last year. The new version of Follow, for Now features a remixed sound that makes even more clear why the band made its mark despite its short lifespan.

Much to our delight, Nuzzle’s bassist – Simon Fabela – expressed interest in participating in The Bad Penny‘s ongoing Pet Sounds series. A cat lover through and through, take a gander at smile-inducing pics of his cats, Butter and Stormy, as well as some commentary Fabela provided in the form of answers to questions we sent him.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

On Tyranny: LAPêCHE Bassist Calls Making Music ‘An Overtly Political Act’ of ‘Radical Compassion’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , on 05/08/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Brooklyn, New York, has no shortage of bands – specifically, ones considered to be of the indie-rock or post-punk persuasion. But while it’s tough to stand out among the crowd, LAPêCHE do so with catchy, addictive songs matched with impressive intellect. That goes for vocalist Krista Holly Diem – who initially incepted LAPêCHE as a solo project 10 years ago – guitarist Drew DeMaio, drummer Colin Brooks and bassist Dave Diem (Krista’s husband).

Enthusiastic about participating in The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series, Diem’s critical thinking skills were on full display in a Zoom conversation that took place a month ago. The interview began with Diem providing some background on LAPêCHE and commenting on the band’s their third LP, the recently released Autotelic (Tiny Engines). (The album title implies having a purpose in and not apart from itself, according to Merriam-Webster.)

The interview then segued into Diem waxing philosophical and sharing his profound-yet-crystal-clear beliefs about art:

“Music and art connects us, brings us together, so I think that creating art is an overtly political act, a form of radical compassion,” he said. ” ‘Radical acceptance,’ to me, is being mindful and responsive to a situation rather than being reactive. Acceptance … is really being honest and truthful about the situation, and then taking [the next right] action [that] keeps in mind yourself and how you impact others.”

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

Dave Grohl’s Hardcore-Punk Bonafides Propelled Him – and Nirvana – to Enormous Mainstream Success

Posted in Essays, Features with tags , , , , , , on 05/08/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

When Nirvana signed to a major label in 1990, they had already established a strong fan base in their hometown of Seattle thanks to the underground success of Bleach, their debut album. But even though the band was just a trio, the consistency of its lineup was tested by a Spinal Tap-esque rotating cast of drummers (the last of which was Dave Grohl). When Nirvana inked a deal with the David Geffen-owned DGC Records, they also faced skepticism from a fan base suspect of artists tied to corporate entities. Whether deliberate or not, Kurt Cobain successfully diffused those concerns while simultaneously strengthening his three-piece by tapping Grohl, a drummer who had already established his punk-rock bona fides by the time he joined the band in his early 20s. Read my full feature on the topic courtesy of Collider.


Leave a comment »

On Tyranny: Anarcho-Punk Band Gottlieb Say They ‘Don’t See ICE Coming to Our Shows’

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , on 05/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Of all the musicians that have participated in The Bad Penny‘s ongoing On Tyranny series, two musicians with whom we spoke on Thursday seemed to be the most informed, smartest and amped-up when it comes to fighting fascism. If you’re seeking the most educational videos in this 125-plus-part series, don’t miss this interview with Gottlieb.

After forming in L.A. way back in 2000, the anarcho-punk band finally released their first full-length, The Far Fallen Fruit, on Friday via Quiet Panic. Gottlieb continuously prove they’re not going to be intimidated by the authoritarian forces who now have a stranglehold over the American citizenry. They’re also not afraid to share their political beliefs; in fact, discussions about fascism and other political matters surface in virtually every song on The Far Fallen Fruit.

Vocalist Andrew Pescara and bassist Dylan Marquez carved some time to talk with The Bad Penny for On Tyranny – and boy did they ever. The Gottlieb bandmates didn’t mince words, placate or pull punches during the wide-ranging conversation, which included discussion of fascism, socialism, ICE atrocities and the economic disaster facing all of us who aren’t in the top 1 percent of richest Americans.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

On Tyranny: Nixil Insist Black Metal Bands Are Fighting Harder Against Fascism Than Veteran Punks

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , , on 05/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Could there be a band better-suited to participate in The Bad Penny‘s ongoing On Tyranny series than one that prominently states on their Bandcamp page that they “detest fascism, white supremacy and nationalist ideology. NO GODS, NO MASTERS, NO BOOTLICKERS”?

The answer is no.

Meet Nixil, a melodic black-metal band that hails from Baltimore and is still pretty young at approximately five years old. When The Bad Penny learned that they. Nixil also distinguish themselves from just about every other extreme-metal band by incorporating atmospheric elements, French avant-garde flourishes, occult psychedelia and crust punk into their sound.

To the extent that Nixil have a peer group, it’s Portland, Oregon’s Drouth. That quartet stirs a stew of atmospheric death metal, black metal and blackened death metal in their proverbial cauldron. Nixil and Drouth are such a good match that the bands teamed for a split album, recorded and mixed by the revered J. Robbins, that came out roughly two weeks ago. The two bands are also heading out on tour together starting tomorrow.

The Bad Penny caught up with Nixil vocalist Ash Nix – who says he became an anarchist and anti-fascist in high school – and bassist/backing vocalist Aurora less than a month ago. During our candid conversation, they made a strong case that black metal currently occupies the fiercest role of any music genre in battling the Trump administration’s and oligarchs’ fascist takeover of the U.S.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »