Archive for Todd Trainer

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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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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Shellac’s ‘At Action Park’ in Treble’s Hall of Fame

Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews with tags , , , on 04/13/2025 by Kurt Orzeck

Shellac’s At Action Park was the consummately contrarian, anti-establishment record of the 1990s that didn’t belong in a record store’s hardcore bin. In many ways, the masterwork by Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer was the antithesis of every rock record that had come before it—a Paul Bunyan-size middle finger to the corporate machine regarded at the time as the enemy. Read my lengthy review of one of my favorite records ever for Treble, which inducted it into their Hall of Fame.

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Live Review From The Vaults: Shellac Are Not Your Friend

Posted in Interviews with tags , , , , on 08/04/2024 by Kurt Orzeck

Go to New Noise to read my live review, previously published on MTV News’ now-shuttered website, of Shellac’s caustic concert at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood on January 28, 2001.

For the sake of good measure and posterity, here’s an email that largely media-averse Shellac guitarist/vocalist Steve Albini sent me before his deeply sad passing on May 7:

“I’d be happy to talk to you. I’m traveling at the moment but I’ll be back on May 6th. I can do a conversation any morning prior to my normal sessions starting at 10 am (Central) or I can answer questions by email, where I will likely be more eloquent.”

The Bad Penny, named after one of Albini’s creations, already misses him more sorely than words can express.

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