Archive for the Interviews Category

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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.

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Pet Sounds #84: Still Bones Frontman Can’t Live Without Music – and Coda, His Gorgeous Pooch

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

Roughly a month ago, emo-ish punks Still Bones unveiled a new EP. (Listen to it here.) Start/Stop is something of a blink-and-you-will-miss-it release, as the band barrels through its three songs at breakneck speed, with the entire release totaling only about eight minutes.

That said, Start/Stop captures the essence of the Baltimore band, which consists of John Gamble (vocals, guitar), Vinnie Burke (drums), Jake Butler (bass) and Ethan Salem (guitar). Gamble actually originated Still Bones as a solo project during COVID. He called it “a way to finally organize all the bits and pieces of songs I had written over the years. But the vision was always to be a full band, because being part of a scene and building community is what it’s all about.”

The band has stated that the light speed at which the release proceeds mirrors the urgency of modern times, with the world undeniably changing at an ever-increasingly rapid – and frightening – pace.

“There’s a lot of fucked up shit happening, and it’s hard to see any meaningful way to create change, so instead we just feel angry,” Gamble said. “This I want to rebel but don’t know how energy mixed with a one step forward two steps back sense of malaise is at the heart of Start/Stop.”

Helping keep Gamble stable and calm during these perilous times is his trusty dog Coda. Judging by what Gamble told us in his Pet Sounds submission, he’d be faced with a Sophie’s Choice were he forced to pick between Still Bones and Coda. Look at the below photos, and you’ll see why: Gamble has raised one very happy dog with a huge smile to prove it.

We recently caught up with Gamble to learn more about Coda and the crucial role she plays in his life.

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Dumbo Gets Mad Ready to Barrel Through Boise Again After Treefort Breakthrough

Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags , on 05/05/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Three years ago, psychedelic-pop band Dumbo Gets Mad gave a rousing performance at Treefort Music Fest that left a massive foot-size imprint on Boise. Tonight they return to the city in the hopes of matching or even besting their previous show. The band is opening for Levitation Room – read The Bad Penny‘s 2019 interview for The Big Takeover and 2024 interview for New Noise – at Shrine Social Club.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show beginning an hour later with a set by Floating Witch’s Head (featuring Treefort co-founder Eric Gilbert). Buy tickets here for approximately $40 apiece.

In anticipation of Dumbo Gets Mad’s return to Boise, we caught up with frontman Luca Bergomi – who founded the band 15 years ago – via phone on Saturday. The Bad Penny picked his brain about how their tour is going, various records they’ve put out over the years and why asking the right question is often more important than arriving at the right answer.

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On Tyranny: Ecce Shnak Leader Says ‘White European Plutocrat Supremacist Psychosis’ Has Gripped US

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , on 05/04/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

As marginalized Americans continue to get hammered by a new upper-class uppercut every day, at least so it seems, visionary composer/bassist/singer David Roush is turning his idealistic vision into a reality by directly helping those most in need. Roush is the frontman of Ecce Shnak (pronounced Eh-kay sh-knock), a five-piece art-rock band now in its 15th year. They describe their sound as “one part pop music, another part classical music, and a third part punk music.”

Rousch is one of the 100-plus musicians profiled in The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series who are taking action during the most perilous time for U.S. democracy in recent decades, if not centuries. Specifically, Roush is tirelessly trying to help get poet/philosopher Keith LaMar off death row, where he was relegated to an Ohio prison 30 years ago for crimes he allegedly didn’t commit.

Roush discusses LaMar’s case and shares his analysis about the abysmal state of America, Ecce Shnak and much more in the latest installment of On Tyranny.

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On Tyranny: Nequient Vocalist Links America’s Current Catastrophes to Obama Haters’ ‘Deep-Seated Racial Animosity’ After He Was Elected President

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 05/03/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Fans of grindcore no doubt are aware that Nequient – arguably Chicago’s greatest contribution to the subgenre – just spat out their third LP two Fridays ago on Nefarious Industries. One of the main themes on the nine-track Avarice fits in comfortably with The Bad Penny‘s ongoing On Tyranny series.

Vocalist Jason Kolkey shows no restraint in lambasting the greedy oligarchs who are stridently, shamelessly and soullessly puppet-mastering the U.S. economy into incalculable and perhaps unsalvageable economic ruin, particularly during Donald Trump’s fascist reign. It’s difficult which is more terrifying, Nequient’s unforgivable brutality or the nauseating avarice of the top 1 percent richest individuals in America.

Kolkey generously carved out some time late last week to elaborate on his highly charged and completely coherent positions with The Bad Penny. Dude knows what he’s talking about … Kolkey earned a PhD in English from Loyola University Chicago, and works as an independent scholar and writer when not declaring war on his vocal cords (and the ultra-wealthy) as the frontman of Nequient.

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New Zealand Band Dreamweb’s Dream of Making Experimental Metal Is Coming True

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , on 05/02/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Split Enz. Crowded House. The Feelers. The Chills. Over the past 50 years, New Zealand has cultivated many bands that achieved an impressive amount of international success – especially for a country with only 5.3 million residents. Now, there’s a new contender from the island country, Dreamweb, that is seeking to join the ranks of those aforementioned titans.

Based in Wellington, Ian Moir and his partner, Tyley Burkin, formed Dreamweb in 2025 as band of the experimental noise/drone variety. But as the couple delved deeper and explored the possibilities of Dreamweb, they gradually incorporated hearty amounts of atmospheric doom and black metal.

Dreamweb kindly reached out to The Bad Penny around the time they released their debut single, “Call of the Void,” in mid-March. For metalheads, the song title might call to mind Denver’s now-defunct metalcore band Call of the Void or perhaps even death/doom-metal band Call ov the Void from Mexico. That is, until one listens to the New Zealand duo. Their sound is far more experimental, adventurous and diverse than those other two acts.

(Moir and Burki generously posted their single as a pay-what-you-want offering on their Bandcamp page.)

While we had a very pleasant chat with Moir, Dreamweb gifted us with something very, very cool: An exclusive conversation between the two bandmates that touches on pretty much everything you need to know about their band. Instead of presenting you with The Bad Penny‘s interview with Moir, we decided to defer to this rich exchange between him and Burkin.

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Merry Brigade’s Joe Love Took Tips From Soundgarden, David Foster Wallace for His Aspiring (and Inspiring) New Band

Posted in Interviews, The Visionaries, Videos with tags , , , on 05/02/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Earlier this week, The Bad Penny caught up with Joe Love, vocalist/guitarist of brand-new, badass Boston band Merry Brigade, who freshen up grunge-era alt-rock with a modern sound. The quartet — which also features Dave Holmes (guitar/backing vocals), Kevin Delprete (bass) and Ben Chase (drummer) — self-released their debut EP, DDD, in mid-March. After taking that first step, Merry Brigade are moving full-steam ahead, with their first full-length slated to come out later this year and a second LP — which the band is already toiling away at — poised to materialize in 2027.

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White Denim Aiming to Put Out New Punk LP ‘Sooner Than Later’

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 04/26/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

White Denim’s James Petralli talks celebrating 20 years of the band, maintaining a positive outlook, and more ahead of the release of his 13th album, 13. Read my full feature on FLOOD.

Photo credit: Charlie Weinmann

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On Tyranny: Silver Jews and Lambchop Collaborator William Tyler Takes a Fierce Stand Against Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , , , on 04/08/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“The real deal” is a phrase that gets bandied about often – excessively and sloppily so when it comes to singer/songwriters. But listen to Nashville musician William Tyler say five words, and you’ll immediately identify his Achilles’ heel: bullshit. Tyler has no reason to bloviate when he’s spent so much of his decorated career recording and touring with a litany of other sacrilegiously overlooked yet irrefutably talented musicians of the indie-folk, Americana and cosmic country varities. Tyler had membership in Silver Jews and Lambchop, made a record five years ago with Marissa Anderson, and counts Bonnie “Prince” Billy as one of his multitudinous collaborators.

Over the course of his three-decade career, the immediately disarming and infectiously kind Tyler’s list of credits runs longer than one featured at the end of a Sergio Leone film. And yet occasions in which Tyler overtly tackles topical issues or shares his beliefs about politics and the like are rare. Which is why The Bad Penny took note of Tyler’s participation in a recent compilation co-produced by indie filmmaker Rick Alverson called Passages: Artists in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers. A description accompanying the Western Vinyl release stated: “Passages is both an acknowledgement of work in progress and an invitation to do more. Our representatives need to see us. Our families need to hear from us. Our neighbors and local organizations on the front lines of this crisis are ready for us to join them.”

Curious to learn more about the collection and its participants, we reached out to some of the contributors. One of them curiously rebuffed our invitation to participate in On Tyranny, saying “I really don’t feel like any of my troubles are the real burden of this moment.” But as the days, weeks, months and years in the still-nascent fascist regime taking hold of this country are proving, none of us will be untouched by the shock, awe, pain and lament that is growing like a cancer inside our collective civic body.

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On Tyranny: Russian Alt-Metal Musician Urges U.S. Artists to Resist America From Turning Into Her Fascist Homeland

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags , , , , , , on 04/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

As if any of us needed any more convincing that Authoritarian America is increasingly resembling Russia, thanks in part to Donald Trump modeling himself after his hero Vladimir Putin, this latest installment of The Bad Penny‘s ongoing series On Tyranny will demonstrate how chillingly similar life in the two countries has become. And for this we have a musician named n0 trixx to thank: The Russian artist is unwavering in her conviction that those who call themselves artists must be uncompromising, courageous beyond dispute and speaking truth to power.

At a time when more American musicians are finally speaking out about the full-scale assault on democracy that Trump and his band of sycophants and sociopaths effectively began launching a decade ago, artists in the U.S. still have much, much more to learn. If there’s an upshot to the pillorying of musicians here, it’s that they have learned, are learning or soon will learn that making art is not simply an exercise in entertainment: It’s a critical activity that ensures the circulatory system of democracy is in good shape.

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