Big Takeover #96: Michael Gira and Todd Trainer Interviews, Bernie/AOC Rally Coverage, More

Posted in Album Reviews, Essays, Features, Interviews, Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 06/05/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

The special 45th anniversary edition of The Big Takeover, one of the oldest and last-surviving punk-rock magazines, is now available here. The special issue features more contributions from yours truly than every before–and they’re exclusively featured in the magazine:

• a deep conversation with Michael Gira of Swans
• my second feature with drummer Todd Trainer, stemming from the first interview he gave after the passing of his beloved Shellac bandmate Steve Albini
• a dispatch from a “Fighting Oligarchy” event in Idaho that featured Built to Spill, Bernie Sanders and AOC (and drew national attention)
• my reviews of new releases by Airport 77s, Dez Dare, Librarians With Hickeys, Mdou Moctar, mssv, Onsetter, Pleasure Pill, Plight, Royal Chant and Unstable Shapes

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Depth Beneath Us Rise to the Occasion on Epic New Single

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews with tags on 06/04/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Saunter over to New Noise to hear a new song by Depth Beneath Us ahead of the band’s upcoming LP release on Aug. 1. Also, read insights on the song and LP, both called Descent, courtesy of Depth Beneath Us guitarist Matt Rockman.

Interview: Depth Beneath Us Unveil Epic New Single

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Todd Trainer on Surviving Shellac: ‘There’s Still a Massive Void There’

Posted in Interviews with tags , , on 06/02/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

One of the greatest noise-rock drummers of all time granted yours truly his first interview following the still-unbelievable death of long-time Shellac bandmate Steve Albini, roughly a year after the underground legend’s tragic departure. Read one of two feature stories stemming from a truly heartfelt conversation via Music Connection.

Tip Jar: Todd Trainer — Inside the Mind of a Drummer

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Drifter Tests the Boundaries of Sludge-Metal on Debut LP

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/23/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Drifter bassist/vocalist Dean Edington says the band from Kansas “want to see how far we can push the envelope before it becomes ludicrous.” Learn more about Edington’s thoughtful approach to making heavy music in my New Noise story on the band.

Interview: Drifter Set Sail with New Song from ‘Crazy’ LP

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‘New Noise’ Editor Addison Herron-Wheeler Has the Purr-Fect Punk-Rock Cat

Posted in Interviews with tags , on 05/23/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Addison Herron-Wheeler has a huge mutt, a fluffy black cat, and a fat ex-alley cat to ensure there’s never a dull moment in the life of the New Noise Editor.

Pet Sounds #50: Addison Herron-Wheeler Oversees this Website—and Her Three Pets

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Bruit ≤ Force Fans to Challenge Their Musical Horizons With New Album

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/23/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

The Age of Ephemerality, the sophomore effort from France’s Bruit ≤, is a transfixing tornado that sweeps into its spiral numerous musical styles, moods, tones, volumes, and melodies. Read my interview via New Noise.

Interview: Antolinos and Libes of Bruit ≤ Talk ‘The Age of Ephemerality’

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Fuzz Evil ‘Smear’-ing Boise with Punk-Rock Doom Tonight

Posted in Interviews with tags on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

To use the most groan-inducing rhyme that we can conjure at the moment, buzz is building around Fuzz Evil, a distortion-heavy desert-doom quartet set to perform tonight at Realms Arcade in Boise. The four dudes share a strong affinity for the Stooges, and it shows in the ensconcing Smear Merchants, a new full-length the band unveiled almost two months ago to the day.

Fuzz Evil hail from Sierra Vista, Arizona, and feature drummer Kenneth (Cajun) Adam, baritone guitarist Preston Jennings, guitarist/vocalist Wayne Rudell, and bassist/vocalist Joseph Rudell. (As you probably surmised, the Rudells are brothers.) In addition to Smear Merchants‘ 10 slow-but-somehow-still-catchy songs, Smear Merchants marks a watershed moment for Fuzz Evil, as they reconfigured themselves from a trio into a four-piece.

Joseph (affectionately called “Joey” by his mother) humored us with his answers to a slew of questions we tossed Fuzz Evil’s way just three days ago.

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Now Playing: Felgrave, DVNE, A Flock Named Murder

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , , on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Hop over to Treble‘s Patreon page to read my pithy remarks about the five records I’m most hooked on at the moment. No spoilers. Oh, wait, I’m gonna have to get around to changing the headline to this post …. and the image … and the tags. Cripes. Pretend you didn’t see any of those things and just clink on the link.

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Club Night’s ‘Joy Coming Down’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 05/22/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Joy Coming Down is an expertly crafted piece of work, as if Club Night—comprising guitarist Ian Tatum, bassist Devin Trainer, singer Josh Bertram and keyboardist/drummer Nick Cowman—can already see themselves playing it in full if not this year then on tours 10, 20 and 30 years from now. Read my lengthy review of the record on Treble.

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Blood Monolith’s ‘Calling of Fire’: Two Cent Review

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags on 05/21/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Don’t seep on my first story for Post-Trash, a new music website that launched six months ago and is catching on like an out of control blaze. In my first contribution to the website, I review The Calling of Fire, for which Profound Lore brain scramblers Blood Monolith relentlessly punish listeners over the course of 28 minutes.

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