David Cross > Bill Maher; Watch This Exchange on Maher’s Lame Podcast for Proof
Posted in Comedy, Videos with tags Bill Maher, David Cross on 05/07/2026 by Kurt Orzeck10 Best Free Bandcamp Downloads #11: Dave Grohl Side Project’s Full LP, lowsunday, TINO, Post Pulse, Zabus
Posted in MP3s with tags Body Shirt, Dave Grohl, lowsunday, Mike June, Miracle Blood, Post Pulse, Probot, TINO, Tumbleweed Dealer, Zabus on 05/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
The 11th 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.)
1. Probot – s/t
In the early ’00s, Dave Grohl started showing more affection toward heavy metal, even though his three most prominent projects – grunge gods Nirvana, hardcore heroes Scream and mainstream-rock darlings Foo Fighters – were never categorized at that sort. In particular, Grohl had developed a close friendship with Lemmy Kilmister, later appearing in a 2010 documentary paying tribute to the Motörhead majordomo.
Grohl confirmed his appreciation for metal with this one-off 2003 release by a project he called Probot. The songs featured Grohl playing along with some of metal’s greatest legends ever: Max Cavalera, Wino, Eric Wagner, King Diamond – and, of course, Lemmy. Our eyes grew wide when we noticed on Bandcamp that this special release is available for release.
Continue readingA Very Deep Dive Into Josh Homme’s Collaborations in and Out of Queens of the Stone Age
Posted in Features with tags Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl, Elton John, Iggy Pop, Josh Homme, Mark Lanegan, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney, PJ Harvey, Queens of the Stone Age on 05/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
In my first feature for Collider, I dig deep into Josh Homme’s miles-long list of collaborations with other prominent musicians from a range of genres as part of Queens of the Stone Age and other projects. The 1,200-word article analyzes his work with PJ Harvey, Mark Lanegan, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Iggy Pop, Norah Jones, Rob Halford, Billy Gibbons and Dave Grohl – just to name a few.
Listen to My Discussion About Psychedelic Music on WCRS LP-FM’s ‘Ear Opener’ Radio Show
Posted in News with tags BLKE, Gift, psych-rock, psychedelic music, psychedelic rock, The Birch, Tumbleweed Dealer, Turtle Skull, Vitskär Süden, WCRS on 05/06/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Check out my lengthy (and hopefully informative) appearance on WCRS LP-FM’s radio program The Ear Opener about modern psychedelic music with host, Programming Director and great guy Pat Leonard. (WCRS is a non-commercial, listener-supported community radio station.)
In addition to our conversation, I provide commentary on Turtle Skull’s “Into the Sun,” The Birch’s “Free your Head,” BLKE’s “Money Says,” Vitskär Süden’s “R’lyeh,” Gift’s “Going in Circles” and Tumbleweed Dealer’s “Dark Green.” (I’ve also written about those songs in my Treble column on psychedelic music, called The 13th Floor.)
The show aired last night in Columbus, Ohio; and plays in Western Pennsylvania this morning. You can listen to it right here anytime:
Pet Sounds #84: Still Bones Frontman Can’t Live Without Music – and Coda, His Gorgeous Pooch
Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags John Gamble, Still Bones 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.
Continue readingDumbo Gets Mad Ready to Barrel Through Boise Again After Treefort Breakthrough
Posted in Concert Previews, Interviews with tags Dumbo Gets Mad, Levitation Room 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.
Continue readingFailure’s ‘Location Lost’: Two Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags Failure, Ken Andrews on 05/04/2026 by Kurt Orzeck
Failure’s fourth post-reunion LP avoids trends in favor of songs that penetrate the heart—it’s as if the spacey grunge trio have finally found the magic they’ve had in themselves from the start. Read my FLOOD review.
