If you enjoyed the Jesus Lizard labyrinth we brought you a few light years ago, crack yer knuckles and get to work on this new puzzle revolving around their fallen friends, Nirvana.
Continue readingMy Pet Sounds series on New Noise returns with a helluva comeback, showcasing one of the mag’s favorite bands (lovable legacy punks The Dollyrots) and their makeshift Noah’s Ark with chickens, two cats, a dog and three ghost shrimp. Read the full story here.
With the U.S. now unquestionably (pun intended) operating as an autocracy, The Bad Penny is launching a new feature series called On Tyranny, consisting of conversations with artists who are current or former residents of countries ruled by dictators (other than the U.S. and per the nonpartisan World Population Review). After more than a week of reflection, it became apparent that taking action and initiating this modest effort seemed like a healthier idea than giving up and obeying in advance.
On Tyranny, inspired by Timothy Snyder‘s book of the same name, is not intended to foster policy debates but rather facilitate artists who have lived under authoritarian regimes to educate artists who have not. With any luck, maybe some will discover ways to prepare, strategize, cope or simply find a sense of camaraderie as America’s new dictatorial regime targets artists, always one of the first groups to be assailed during times of right-wing political upheaval.
While we assemble our first proper installment of On Tyranny, here are some related articles that might catch your interest in the interim:
• “Thy Catafalque Mastermind Talks About Meaning of Life, Living Under Dictator Viktor Orbán” (12.10.24)
• “Malist Creator ‘Exhausted’ By Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine” (9.7.24)
• “Moscow Metal Band Malist Voices Opposition to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine” (5.15.23)
• “Faith In Metal: Orphaned Land Push For Peace In The Middle East” (9.28.10)
• “Steve Earle: ‘It’s Very Dangerous To Be Ignorant Of Islam’” (9.8.10)
Also related: “My Friend Neamah And The State Of Our Country” (9.21.24)
“Delusion and unwavering self-belief is the very thing that sustained us through difficult times for the band, like the pandemic a few years ago, when it was much easier to throw in the towel than it was to keep charging forward as an independent band,” Autumn Kings vocalist Joe Coccimiglio instructively confides in my latest Signing Story for Music Connection.
The sludgy noise-punk trio brings equal levels of ferocity, fearlessness, and foolishness to their seventh albums as they did their first. Read my full review courtesy of FLOOD.
Since founding tech-death metal trailblazers Cryptopsy in 1988, drumming master Flo Mounier has received most of the accolades directed toward the band. That’s justifiable given Mounier’s mesmerizing skills — but lead vocalist Matt McGachy, now entering his 15th year with the crew, has a few thoughts of his own to share about Cryptopsy’s enduring career, their unsurpassable technical skills and what lies ahead next for the Montreal band. Go deep with McGachy courtesy my Cryptopsy feature on Knotfest.com.
Hi readers. I rarely, if ever, speak directly to you on this website. Unfortunately, I’m called to do so now.
Today my doctor said my Medicaid coverage is ending, with an exact date TBD. He said the new hotshots at MAGA-controlled Medicaid have decided that my health insurance plan is not worth continuing. Thus, my years-long program involving mental-health therapy in tandem with antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications will soon be no more. The absence of that care will have immediate, deleterious, potentially fatal implications on my health and emotional well-being.
Let’s take a breather.
In November 2018, Idahoans–by a 20-plus-point margin–passed a Statewide voter initiative (“Idaho Proposition 2, Medicaid Expansion Initiative”) that expanded access to Medicaid to state residents who couldn’t afford far pricier health insurance otherwise. Before and after that transpired, I served as the Manager of a homeless shelter in downtown Boise, as the Communications Coordinator for one of the biggest Christian churches in the city, presented multiple courses at the Osher Institute for Higher Learning at Boise State University, wrote for local and state papers, wrote profiles on local Boise businesses and artists, worked for the Idaho Housing and Finance Commission, served as both the Chief Clerk and the Assistant Editor at the Idaho State Senate for one term (my first day on the job was Jan. 6, 2021), and much more.
Meanwhile, during that same time period, furious ultra-conservatives and Libertarians devised nefarious new ways to give the middle finger to the popular voters and dismantle that widely approved voter initiative. At this particular moment–feeling the walloping winds at their sails all the way from Washington–the nihilists have snatched on this potentially once-in-a-lifetime chance in furtherance of their efforts crush government in all its forms (citizens be damned).
As a freelance writer with a penchant for writing prolifically and an Achilles tendon for writing pro bono, Medicaid allowed me to pursue, for years, my calling to inform music lovers of other good music they may love, not to mention write features and tell stories about Boise culture, community events and, most importantly, community heroes who rarely get their due.
I will deeply miss all of this, and most of all you readers. Hope to see you again when I re-obtain health coverage and arrive at a place where I’m at least someone financially stable. As most of you know, I wrote 95 percent of the editorial on this website for free. That’s how much I believe in the importance of underground music, how much I’m willing to sacrifice for it. I’ve even tapped my my paltry remaining retirement funds so I could keep writing about music, but that strategy has now hit a wall too.
Hopefully this message will inspire some of you to pick up the torch for the time behind. Just please don’t get upset when I’m ready to snag it back. I have a red-hot stack of stories I’m dying to publish and hope to do so once at least some of this dust settles. Till then, don’t expect many more updates here for an undetermined length of time.
Love to all of you–especially for those who will suffer far more disastrous, horrific, and even fatal repercussions from this sick and depraved nationwide Sarlacc Pit that a sociopathic narcissist and the equally sadistic man — who also happens to be the world’s richest — are gleefully creating.
Never forget: “The Creature Lives!“
Take a brief respite from the horrors that are unfolding across the crumbling United States and join Knotfest.com for a conversation with 3 Inches of Blood’s Cam Pipes. We discuss his fantasy-metal band getting back together, Dungeons & Dragons, writing long-awaited new material and much more.
Don’t agree? Watch and decide for yourself:
For more, dig into the treasure trove of videos that Massachusetts-bred Chris Fleming has posted on his YouTube account. So much gold, you’ll need a wheelbarrow.
The Bad Penny (beta) 