Archive for the Interviews Category

Lead Pony Jump Out of the Gate With ‘Vultures’ Debut

Posted in Interviews with tags 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.)

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Audio Karate on Developing Their ‘Middle-Age Sound’

Posted in Interviews with tags on 08/15/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Check 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 , on 08/08/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Check 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 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 on 07/28/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Maintaining 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.

Oblivion Access Cofounders on This Year’s Fest: ‘This Is the Biggest Deal for Us So Far’

Posted in Interviews with tags on 06/21/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Dusty Brooks and Dorian Domi explain in my New Noise interview how this year’s edition of their experimental-music festival in Austin raises the bar.

Jeromes Dream Say New LP ‘Gray in Between’ Is Hardcore Done Right

Posted in Interviews with tags on 06/20/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Check out my interview with hardcore legends Jeromes Dream for New Noise about their latest LP, The Grey in Between — an early contender for best album of the year. Buy the print issue that features the story here.

Faust Feast Their Eyes Over New Explosion of Experimental Music

Posted in Interviews with tags on 06/19/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Check out my interview with 74-year-old Faust original member and kraut-rock pioneer Jean-Hervé Péron for New Noise.

Oblivion Access Friday Pick: Yellow Swans

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 06/16/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Catch up with Yellow Swans in my brand-new interview for New Noise, ahead of their first concert in 15 years tonight at Oblivion Access in Austin.

In ‘Times’ of Struggle: Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme on New LP

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 06/16/2023 by Kurt Orzeck

Amid the release of the band’s eighth studio album, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme discusses change, acceptance, and the sonic brutality of their latest offering in my wide-ranging interview with him for FLOOD.