Check out my New Noise interview with Sal Ellington, vocalist/guitarist for Boston punks Rebuilder, about how his diligence and dedication to the band helped it reach 10 years. Buy the print issue that features the story here.
Archive for the Interviews Category
Sal Ellington of Rebuilder Talks ‘Local Support’
Posted in Interviews with tags Rebuilder on 10/25/2023 by Kurt OrzeckThe Breeders’ ‘Last Splash’ (30th Anniversary Edition): Two Cent Review
Posted in Interviews with tags Breeders, Dave Grohl, Frank Black, Kim Deal, Pixies on 09/25/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Read my FLOOD review of the latest reissue of the Breeders’ Last Splash, in which the flood of anniversary reissue albums is also discussed.
Trauma Kit: Flipside Fest Pick of the Day
Posted in Interviews on 09/23/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
The second annual Flipside Fest, staged just outside Boise, began in magnificent form on Friday, with an afternoon wave of cool air giving way to an evening filled with clear skies and music courtesy of Australian rockers Babe Rainbow and Virginia-based electronic musician George Clanton. Saturday’s forecast — a welcome relief from the muddy start to Treefort Music Fest in late March — calls for even more beautiful weather … with a touch of gnarly experimental-hardcore-rock courtesy of Boise’s own Trauma Kit.
One of the city’s strongest young bands regardless of genre, Trauma Kit are slated for a plum time slot at 8 p.m. at Push & Pour, after which Flipside Fest 2023 headliners the Walkmen will grace the main stage. Trauma Kit’s latest close-up comes mere weeks after they opened for red-hot metal band Portrayal of Guilt and then Seattle punks So Pitted.
“We were like kinds in a candy store,” Trauma Kit bassist Shadrach Tuck recently told The Bad Penny about the shows.
Continue readingBaroness Break Down Their Sludgy New LP ‘Stone’ Track by Track
Posted in Interviews with tags Baroness on 09/15/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Now two decades deep into their career, Baroness have the shrapnel to show for it. Anyone with fleeting familiarity of the stoner-metal band knows of the horrific 2012 bus crash that injured four of its members and almost tolled the death knell for the band. But more than 10 years later, the incident appears to be—if not a distant memory—a road bump in the timeline of a band that’s never released a poorly received album. The frequent comparisons to fellow Georgians Mastodon that Baroness drew early in their career fell by the wayside, especially after the crash. The band led by John Baizley cemented its own status as a hard-hitting but redemptive and invigorating group that brought broad strokes of color and flair to a sludgy subgenre.
For my latest FLOOD feature, Baroness members Nick Jost and Sebastian Thomson walk us through the Savannah, Georgia–based metal group’s sixth full-length.
If Not Us Then Who: Power Trip Vocalist Riley Gale’s Righteous Legacy
Posted in Interviews on 08/29/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Check out my recent FLOOD feature on dearly departed vocalist Riley Gale of Power Trip and what friends, family and fans learned about him after Gale tragically died three years ago. Riley’s father Brandon and board members of Dallas Hope Charities reflect on the late musician’s deep humanity and prolific social justice efforts.
Lead Pony Jump Out of the Gate With ‘Vultures’ Debut
Posted in Interviews with tags Lead Pony on 08/24/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
San Diego rock group Lead Pony are gaining speed on the heels of their long-awaited debut album, which finally dropped last month after the band formed seven years ago. As you’ve probably already surmised, the psych- and blues-inflected indie group used to take a leisurely (or even lax) approach. But with Vultures, the musicians are saddled up and turning their trot into a gallop.
(Now, as the introverted Lead Pony become more commonly known, they face the daunting prospect of suffering through an endless stream of puns related to their band name. As a public service, The Bad Penny is incorporating many (too many) of those puns into what is also a fairly accurate summation of the band, in the hopes that no other writing about Lead Pony will ever include even a single pun.)
Continue readingAudio Karate on Developing Their ‘Middle-Age Sound’
Posted in Interviews with tags Audio Karate on 08/15/2023 by Kurt OrzeckCheck out my interview with pop-punk legends Audio Karate for New Noise and why the bandmates believe they “know what they’re doing” this time around. Buy the latest copy of the magazine, which features the story, here.
Bruce Licher on Creating ‘Beautiful Physical Objects of Music’ for Independent Project Records
Posted in Features, Inside The Label, Interviews with tags Bruce Licher, Independent Project Records on 08/08/2023 by Kurt OrzeckCheck out my interview with Independent Project Records founder and former UCLA art student Bruce Licher for New Noise. Buy the latest copy of the magazine, which features the story, here.
Oxbow Pull Back the Curtain on New LP Love’s Holiday
Posted in Interviews with tags Oxbow on 08/05/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Six years elapsed since notoriously confrontational ruffians Oxbow last issued a record. Now they’re bursting back with more wisdom more distinctive approaches to their deeply affecting forays into experimental art-noise.
For my latest FLOOD feature, Oxbow’s members pull back the curtain on each song contained on the just-released Love’s Holiday (Ipecac).
Lauren Watkins Had Something To Prove—To Herself
Posted in Interviews with tags Lauren Watkins on 07/28/2023 by Kurt OrzeckMaintaining humility as both a songwriter and a musician could be the key to Lauren Watkins’ success: She never demands that luck go her way—instead, she puts herself in the best places for it to happen. Read my Music Connection profile on the artist here.
The Bad Penny (beta) 