Christmas is a psych-punk band from Olympia, WA. This past summer, I stumbled upon their wild daytime set at the Helsing Junction Sleepover. I’m pretty sure I was put under some sort of black magic, because I’ve been thinking of the show on and off ever since. It’s interesting that a group of witchypoos would [...]

Comic books and music often come together in strange, blind date sort of situations that feel forced and unwholesome. It’s hard to believe that your favorite arena rock star (ala Gene Simmons or Ozzy Osbourne) will suddenly save the world using the power of ROCK.
One Model Nation, by C. Allbritton Taylor and Donovan Leitch, is [...]

When I originally read the title of Cariad Harmon’s debut record, Four Letters, since I’m a jaded little grump, I thought it was referring to obscene words like fuck, shit, and damn. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Upon listening to the album, I realized the title track speaks of a sweet, happy word that [...]

Naming his album Diary of a Sick Boy was no exaggeration — At the age of 34, Chicago native Stephen Howard has struggled with more health problems than most individuals have to deal with in a lifetime. Shying away from the spotlight, Howard has honed his skills over the years in bands (Pinebender, Denali, Ambulette, [...]

Helsing Junction is an organic farm in rural Thurston County, outside of Olympia, Washington. Each year in August, K Records and Helsing Junction hold a concert event lovingly referred to as the Helsing Junction Sleepover. It’s the sort of event that everyone should get the chance to attend before they die. The natural surroundings at [...]

Bonnie Wood is a rogue taxidermist from Norwich, England. Traditional taxidermy focuses on making deceased animals appear as lifelike and realistic as possible. Rogue taxidermists tend to take artistic license in the reassembly and posing of the stuffed animals. Bonnie explains, “Commonly, [rogue taxidermy] is understood as the creation of animals that do not exist [...]

Mew’s music is like one of those seeing-eye pictures — as you delve deeper into it, three-dimensional pictures are unveiled, and the hidden meaning behind the beautiful colors and sounds is revealed. Their 2006 release And The Glass Handed Kites was extremely well-received by critics all over the world, and their new release (set to [...]

Originally published in Verbicide issue #25
Kristin Gundred, for all intents and purposes, is living the good life. Relaxed, laidback, and fresh off of tour, she called to talk on a sunny Sunday afternoon. “I’ve just had a perfect day, just walking around. I took a yoga class, and I’ve been recording music. It’s pretty awesome. [...]

Originally published in Verbicide issue #25
On the fifth volume of Burn To Shine, Jesy Fortino (a.k.a. “Tiny Vipers”) stole the show. Settling onto a stool, her tiny frame eclipsed by an acoustic guitar, Fortino’s unique, warbly voice filled the room. The clear, mournful sounds of “On This Side” made for a perfect dirge for the [...]

Originally published in Verbicide issue #24
Things have been moving at light speed for The Fashion. Jakob Printzlau, lead vocalist of the band, says, “In the last six months, things have been going really, really fast for us. It’s pretty hard to grasp that we are finally on the way to a place where we want [...]

Originally published in Verbicide issue #23
How many bands can you think of that have been together for 15 consecutive years with no lineup changes? The Donnas are one such band. Brett Anderson, Allison Robertson, Maya Ford, and Torry Castellano started making music together in 1993 at the tender age of 13. They were barely out [...]

This album is piercing, like early morning mortar fire. It’s a live improvisation with no overdubs, and is meant to be a protest against “preemptive wars,” hence the irony laden title. Song titles include “Depleted Uranium Part 1,” “White Phosphorus,” and “PFM-1 Green Parrot.” A wide array of strange sounds came together to create this [...]

Originally published in Verbicide issue #21
Tegan and Sara’s 2004 release So Jealous was the biggest hit for the duo yet, landing them on Rolling Stone’s “50 Best Albums of 2004,” and thrusting them to a level of fame which they (and their tight knit fan base) weren’t accustomed to. Critics everywhere were charmed by their [...]

Metal is great. There’s nothing like a kick ass metal riff and a growly singer grumbling on about death, war, and Satan. When I saw my editor was requesting me to review the EP I said to myself, “Nice! Metal. Should be fun to review.” Upon first glance, I knew it was metal. I mean, [...]

Permanent Me don’t stray too far from the formula on this record. After the Room Clears is an album that relies on pop-punk hooks and heartbreak. The vocals are clear, clean, and confident, and the songs are well written and produced, even if they are a bit shallow and formulated. Fans of bands like Fall [...]