Largely eschewing their initial distortion-doused approach of their early material, Silversun Pickups reach for the stars on their dreamy seventh LP,LA rockers’ seventh record is a cohesive body of work rather than a gumball machine for singles. Read my full review courtesy of FLOOD.
Feliz cumpleaños to Office actor and folk musician Creed Bratton, who turns 83 years old today. (Yes, that really is his age.) Creed (real name William Charles Schneider) portrayed a psychologically troubled but hilarious social misfit who occasionally popped his head out from his cubicle to uproarious effect.
The Bad Penny found it fitting to give Creed some love and attention because he’s also an honest-to-God musician. He made his recording debut in 1966, playing guitar for the Grass Roots on their album Were You When I Needed You. Nine years later, after making many more LPs with Grass Roots, he devoted almost his artistic energies on making solo material – and taking a stab ata professional acting. It’s widely considered that Creed was the most bizarre and perhaps side-splitting characters on The Office. His tenure with the series ended when The Office itself closed its doors in 2013.
Continue readingIn this edition of On Tyranny, Erin Walter – frontwoman of Austin power-pop punks Parker Woodland – discusses the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to build a slew of new detention centers (some call them concentration camps) across the country. Walter is particularly knowledgable on the subject, having protested at the South Texas Family Residential Center, which recently housed 5-year-old ICE detainee Liam Ramos and his father (they were released earlier this week).
The singer/activist also reveals what led her band to cover the Clash’s “Police on My Back,” which Parker Woodland released as a single roughly a week ago. Proceeds from sales of that song and its B-side, “Get Me to the Show,” are benefitting the Texas Civil Rights Project. The single is available on Parker Woodland’s Bandcamp page, which also contains copious information about the band and its releases.
Continue readingIf grungy alt-rock with a smattering of noise and post-punk if your bag – and if you live in Boise, Idaho – you’re in for a helluva treat tonight. A band fitting that aforementioned description, VTB are swinging through the City of Trees to play a set at Realms Arcade as part of their tour. VTB – which was originally a drum and bass project but is now a full-fledged band – are touring in support of their October EP, People Died & Things Exploded, which was issued by Bleakhouse.
On Wednesday, The Bad Penny caught up with VTB members Austin Stewart (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Mendez (synth) and Brennan Stewart (drums) for a lively interview ahead of their gig. It’ll be a special one for VTB, as they’ve never played in Boise before. For more on the group, go to their Bandcamp page.
Tickets for VTB’s concert tonight at Realms Arcade cost only 10 bucks. Chaz’s Corner, underdogs and potentially one more band will handle opening duties. VTB’s set will start around 8:30-8:45, the band told The Bad Penny.
Matthew Reid handles vocals and plays guitar and bass for his noise-rock band NORMANS. But as much as he loves music, we’re pretty sure he prefers playing with his two gorgeous dogs. The L.A. band consists of former members of FEELS, Prissy Whip and Blonde Summer and released their self-titled debut through Solid Brass in January 2024. Fans of the Jesus Lizard, Metz and IDLES will appreciate and get hooked on NORMANS’s penchant for creating cacophonies.
A press statement said NORMANS tap into the “terrified animal caged within us all.” But Reid’s limitless love for his dogs ensures they rarely get terrified, if at all – and he’s not the type of dog owner who would coop up his pooches in cages. For this edition of Pet Sounds, Reid answered our questions via email, resulting in the most superb writing of any installment in the series thus far. It’s hard to decide which is more breathtaking, Reid’s superbly poetic writing or the photos he provided. Either way, enjoy this consummately beautiful entry in Pet Sounds.
Grace Annabella Anderson – Art, Baby
Big Big Train – Woodcut (InsideOut)
Blossoms Fall – La Alma EP (Eclipse)
Oliver Coates – Pillion OST physical edition (A24)
John Craigie – I Swam Here (Zabriskie Point)
Cyclone – Known Unto God EP (M-Theory)
Robert Deeble – Space Between Us (Mind Bomb Publishing)
• On Tyranny: Singer/Songwriter Robert Deeble Claims ‘Faith-Based Social Justice Work Has Been Lost,’ Creating Power Vacuum for Autocrats
Garage-psych trio Black Rebel Motorcycle club are honored with a glorious reissue of their under-appreciated third album. Howl gets a second wind with a three-LP set featuring a photo album, handwritten lyrics and more goodies from the era. Read my review of the 20th anniversary reissue of Howl on FLOOD.
We hear ya here at The Bad Penny: We cover too much metal, not enough metal, etc. One common denominator across all genres is that artists are capable of creating captivating, innovative, original, hilarious and harrowing music videos regardless of genre. With that in mind, here are the clips we enjoyed the most in the month of January, two thousand whatever.
1. Taroug’s “Cicada”
2. Crippled Black Phoenix’s “Ravenettes“
The Bad Penny (beta) 