Did someone say they wanted a 4,536-word feature on Dark Tranquillity and Halo Effect frontman Mikael Stanne? Check out my very long conversation with one of the very best metal frontmen:
An Epic Conversation With Mikael Stanne of the Halo Effect, Dark Tranquillity
Posted in Interviews on 02/08/2023 by Kurt OrzeckHuman Potential Tells Story Behind New Single, ‘Hoosi, No!’
Posted in Interviews with tags Human Potential on 02/07/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Charles Bukowski famously said: “Potential doesn’t mean a thing. You’ve got to do it. Almost every baby in a crib has more potential than I have.”
Whether or not Andrew Becker knows Bukowski’s axiom, he might’ve had tongue in cheek when naming his solo project “Human Potential.” But, sarcasm or not, Becker is continuing to raise the bar — or pushing his potential even further, as it were.
The former drummer for Dischord Records’ Medications, Los Angeles-based Becker formed Human Potential about a decade ago so he could do his own thing. Each Human Potential release demonstrates Becker’s ever-expanding tool kit of musicianship. His latest single and video, “Hoosi, No!” dropped today, and they’re no exception.
Continue readingBonnie Raitt Talks About ‘Favorite Track I’ve Ever Cut’
Posted in Interviews with tags Bonnie Raitt, Grammy Awards on 02/06/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Big props this morning to Bonnie Raitt, whose tune “Just Like That” won Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards last night. The music legend now owns 15 Grammy statuettes, including her wins for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal album and many more. But this was the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s first victory in the Song of the Year category.
In honor of her win, here is an interview I conducted with her for ICE magazine in 2002.
Continue readingVideo Premiere: Four Star Riot’s ‘Adding It Up’
Posted in Exclusives with tags Four Star Riot on 02/03/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Twenty years after their formation, Tampa, Florida’s Four Star Riot are rising up again with the infectious new song and hypnotic video for “Adding It Up.” Even more exciting, it’s the harbinger of things to come, with Four Star Riot announcing that they’ll deliver a new album in the spring.
“Adding It Up” swirls together the strongest aspects of the alt-rock band: its catchy rhythms, jangly melody and laid-back style. The song is the best anthem for indie-rock sleepyheads so far this year. The melancholic, narcotic song is particular well-suited for fans of Ride and Brian Jonestown Massacre.
“It’s a culmination of our influences over the years,” frontman Steve Alex told the Bad Penny of the new track.
Continue readingIn Flames’ Foregone: 2-Cent Review
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags In Flames on 02/03/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
The end of the world is coming if the status quo continues. We all know that. But is there still a sliver of hope? That’s the question everyone is returning to — ironically, as we try to shake off the collective stupor that the global pandemic inflicted upon us.
It’s also the overarching theme of Foregone, the brilliantly crafted 14th album by Swedish melodic-metal masters In Flames. That’s right: metal. Whereas many of the band’s previous recent records fell under the umbrella of heavy rock, this 12-song tour de force delivers a punishing blow befitting the dire topic at hand.
Continue readingDoppelgängers: ‘It Follows,’ ‘Hereditary’ and ‘In the Mouth of Madness’
Posted in Doppelgängers, Favorite Films, Features with tags Ari Aster, David Robert Mitchell, Hereditary, In the Mouth of Madness, It Follows, John Carpenter on 01/31/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Three of the scariest horror films from the past 30 years deeply affected audiences for radically different reasons.
Continue readingMantar: ‘We’re Not Super-Good Musicians’
Posted in Interviews with tags Mantar on 01/30/2023 by Kurt OrzeckJanuary is winding down. That means February is almost here. Then it won’t be long till spring arrives. Spring, you say? How about some early spring cleaning? Ain’t that a killer segue?
Here is my still-kinda-recent New Noise interview with Germany-based two-piece Mantar, who revel in sludge, black metal and melodic doom. Better yet, go here and buy the magazine’s issue in which the interview appears. It’s only six bucks, which is the best value you’ll find among the top music publications in the U.S.
Chase Matthew: Nashville’s Top ‘Unicorn’
Posted in Interviews with tags Chase Matthew on 01/29/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
Pick up the latest issue of Music Connection — or check out the magazine’s website — for my feature article on country-music newcomer Chase Matthew.
Best Movies of 2022: ‘Stranger,’ ‘Tár,’ ‘Emily the Criminal,’ ‘Hellbender’
Posted in Lists with tags Barbarian, Emily the Criminal, Happening, Hellbender, Moonage Spacedream, Tar, The Outfit, The Stranger, X on 01/28/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
The Moss ‘Stoked’ to Sprout Tour Tonight in Boise
Posted in Interviews with tags The Moss on 01/25/2023 by Kurt Orzeck
At a time when so many bands are wrangling to gain a foothold after a brutal few years for artists, young rock band the Moss are staying humble and letting their music do the talking. Well, almost.
“We’re stoked to start our tour tonight in Boise,” Moss leader Tyke James recently told the Bad Penny. “There seems to be a lot more support for younger bands than most cities. We’re building support in new places this year.”
The singer/guitarist and his friend Addison Sharp, also on guitar, started playing together in Oahu, Hawaii, as teens. About four years ago, James and Sharp landed in the Salt Lake City area, where they formally started the Moss with drummer Willie Fowler and bassist Caiden Jackson.
Together, they channel a sound resembling West Coast faves like Waaves, Ty Segall, Cayucas and Best Coast. It’s a hearty blend of distorion-laden surf-rock, alt-rock and grunge.
Continue reading
The Bad Penny (beta) 