Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, Jorma Kaukonen – Blue Country Heart, The Dandy Warhols – Welcome to the Monkey House…

[Read more →]

Kid Congo Powers was a Cramp and a Bad Seed (and a founding member of the Gun Club) before striking off on his own with a flock of Pink Monkey Birds. He speaks now just minutes after finishing recording a new album in a high school gymnasium in Kansas. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

[Read more →]

BASTARD is from East L.A.—born and raised in the San Gabriel Valley. They are a force to be reckoned—deflecting bullets with the power of rock. The sound is a mix of influences from kids who stayed true to their punk and metal roots, reminiscent of early Motorhead with a little bit of the Stooges mixed in. This interview by Taeil Kim.

[Read more →]

The Minutemen’s Double Nickels On The Dime is one of the several weathered foundations of L.A. RECORD. Exactly twenty-five years later, it still starts bands and makes friends. Minutemen bassist Mike Watt meets for pizza at San Pedro’s excellent Pavich’s Pizza for remembering D. Boon and George Hurley and that guy Mike Watt in the summer of 1984. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

[Read more →]

Walking up to the Smell Friday night, I see a slight man with bushy hair and unusually well-tailored casual wear walking a few feet behind. Ian Svenonius walking the streets is just like finding a mint copy of a Beatles Butcher LP in a dollar bin, a serendipitous October surprise. So I asked him how the Chain And The Gang tour was going. He wearily replied, “We’ve been on tour for 43 days, with only two days off. I’m kind of tired, but it’s a good time, I guess.” An honest answer. His newest band, Chain And The Gang, is on tour with The Hive Dwellers, Calvin Johnson of K Records’ new group. While both Ian and Calvin shared the same backing band, the two live experiences varied drastically.

[Read more →]