Label: Vagrant Records Released: February 11, 2008 There is a musical gray area that exists between good bands that live within their limitations and great bands that have no limitations. Bands in that gray area are clearly very, very good and deserve credit for their willingness to push the envelope of their sound. At the same time, they get dinged… Read more »
One of several hip-hop acts on the tour this year, Shwayze’s laid back jams and good-time vibe stood out amongst punk, hardcore and emo…and the ladies loved ’em. RnRnMN: How has the Warped Tour been treating you? S: Warped has been really cool.. I think over the years its become more diverse, which is great for a group like us…. Read more »
Shwayze put on a good show at the Warped Tour, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD on 7/16/2008. See all of my coverage from the Warped Tour in Columbia, MD on July 16, 2008 here.
Label: Acerbic Noise Development Released: January 29, 2008 When an album runs wild, there’s not usually a whole lot of middle ground. It’s either on the verge of brilliance or on the verge of disaster. The Devil and the Sea are certainly wild. Like Black Flag before them, they take the spirit of free jazz (call it free punk, if… Read more »
Animo is one of the Warped Tour’s younger bands, but this isn’t their first time out. A few years ago, they lobbied Kevin Lyman directly for a shot at playing and they’ve been out each year since. Here’s what bassist Donovan Welsh had to say about this year’s tour and what the band is up to otherwise. RnRnMN: How has… Read more »
Here’s a few from Relient K’s set early in the day at the Warped Tour, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD on 7/16/2008. See all of my coverage from the Warped Tour in Columbia, MD on July 16, 2008 here.
Label: Facedown Records Released: July 22, 2008 Over the past decade or so, the old notion that Christian rock was just a watered-down attempt to infiltrate youth culture has been dispelled by a new breed of Christian band. Not one that’s trying to evangelize by tapping into the latest thing, but one who’s intensity is the very expression of their… Read more »
Label: Hear Music Released: July 15, 2008 By many, John Mellencamp has long been thought of as kind of a heartland Springsteen and Life Death Love and Freedom won’t do much to dispel that notion. However, Mellencamp exercises a grittiness that has long been absent from Springsteen’s work. Where the Boss has more than once attempted to recreated the raw… Read more »
Label: Black Numbers Released: September 9, 2008 Back in the early 80s, Minor Threat discovered something about hardcore: Melody and intensity aren’t mutually exclusive. As seminal as MacKaye and company were, that’s still a lesson that’s been lost on a lot of bands. But not Static Radio NJ. An Evening of Bad Decisions finds Static Radio NJ progressing from solid,… Read more »
Reel Big Fish were right in the thick of that third wave of ska ten or so years back, but they’re one of the few bands to not only stick around, but to still be vital and their Warped Tour performance on Columbia, MD on July 16th was evidence of that. Singer Aaron Barrett gave me some feedback on why… Read more »