carolyn pennypacker riggs illustration for 2009 LA RECORD Mike Watt interview Mike Watt is set to complete his third opera. Here is the message transmission exactly as we received it: mike watt (minutemen, fIREHOSE, solo artist, Stooges’ bassist, missingmen and secondmen leader) sez: “I’m finishing my third opera (“hyphenated-man”) w/bass brother tony maimone at studio [...]

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The band sounded so good and brought such a euphoric new dimension to the tracks that I couldn’t even hate Loud Drunk Guy behind me. He drowned out Jarv’s between-song quips with declarative bellowing. (“Stella makes you get in a FIGHT!” “Come ON, Jar-vis!” “Homewrecker!!!”) But anyone who sings along to Jarvis song—every single one, mind you—with such passion has to be a good guy, right?

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Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple were (legendarily) the only people in North Carolina who bought Big Star albums the very first time around, and they’d team up most famously for the power-pop band the dB’s. (Stamey would also release Chris Bell’s 45 and Holsapple would go on to play with Hootie and the Blowfish!) They are now teamed up as a band with no official name. This interview by Dan Collins.

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The Dream Syndicate found whatever was in Sister Lovers and Tonight’s The Night still breathing in L.A. in 1984 and used it to make Medicine Show, still a nervous and wild local classic. Guitarist-singer Steve Wynn will perform the album in its entirety tonight with his band the Miracle 3. He speaks now from a quiet park in New York. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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The Warlocks have been panned for both self-similarity and for trying different sounds, for taking drugs and not taking drugs, for their chaos and careerism. At this point in their career, if they made a fantastic album, would anyone stop coming up with memes long enough to notice?

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