6.19.2012

Beer and music have gone together since those ancient Mesopotamians first learned that consuming fermented sugars tended to cause them to burst into song. Though the traditional pub song has mostly...

As a child growing up between Peoria, Ill., and Columbus, Ohio, ice cream artisan Jeni Britton Bauer was often told by her grandfather to go her own way. He would say it when she fought with her...

No matter where you fall on the nature vs. nurture debate, it’s hard not to conclude that the director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi had his path determined at a very early age. David Gelb’s father Peter is...

If you’ve ever wanted to be scared pantsless with something as relaxing as a good, old-fashioned summer barbecue, look no further than Hadad’s Lake in Richmond, Va., this year. On Aug. 18, the venue...

Even the most casual Mountain Goats fan knows that John Darnielle is a master of describing intense, complicated relationships fraught with tension and passion. What not everyone realizes, though, is...

Think of the five senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste. Now think of a song, and all it implies. I hope I don’t have to explain how music influences, stimulates, rewards, and even damages...

The city of Bloomington, Ill., that the rustic trio known as Backyard Tire Fire calls home is down a stretch of four-lane interstate that takes you diagonally through the state into accent country and...

Perhaps the most defining moment in Fiona Apple’s career is the video for “Criminal” and the ensuing controversy over its “heroin chic” aesthetic. The clip, directed by Mark Romanek, showed Apple and...

Rhythm and Repose could have been Glen Hansard’s Nebraska—a collection of stripped down acoustic songs that shed the layers and memories of bands of yore—but the Irish troubadour didn’t really...

Debut albums can be many things. They can be an ocean of different sounds and genres with a fledgling band caught in its vastness. They can be the first step to something bigger and better. They can...

Metric haven’t had the easiest time earning respect. First they operated in the towering shadow of epic Canadian mega-band Broken Social Scene, who just so happened to release one of the finest indie...

Ancient pathways, Nubian vows, bridges of magpies, whispering saints and rusty bikes piloted by writers in tattered coats are only a few of the often overwhelming array of images that Patti Smith uses...

The delicately effortless quality of Kat Edmonson’s voice makes her sophomore album, Way Down Low, what could be considered easy listening, but its romantic, vintage sound warrants closer attention....

Unfounded success can raise suspicion, and there’s nothing typical about Zulu Winter’s rise in Britain’s indie pop-rock scene. Releasing their first single in the fall of 2011, British critics have...

In the 18 months sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow have been playing as 2:54, they’ve caused quite a stir, snagging shows with Yuck and leaving the blogosphere clamoring in their wake. But on their...

In the beginning of Americano, Mathieu Demy (also the writer and director) plays Martin so dispassionately, one is immediately interested in seeing how his character’s nature will evolve over the...

Improvisation must be alternately liberating and frightening for actors. It certainly can provide fresh results and lead to a realism that is otherwise hard to harness. Alternatively, dialogue can...

A title can say a lot, but in the case of Stephen Kessler’s 2012 documentary on Paul Williams, it says it all. The film opens with Kessler believing...

It took me less than five minutes of watching the 2012 continuation of Dallas to realize Bobby Ewing will never pronounce his g’s, he will always love his mama and that he will give hell to anyone who...

For those who tuned in last week to Comedy Bang! Bang!’s premiere episode and found it a bit more conventional than what was imagined, I’m sure this second episode, “Amy Poehler Wears a Black Jacket...

This is it. Rosie Larsen’s murderer has finally been revealed. It all seemed pretty straightforward this week, and the entire story unfolded right before our eyes through the creative use of...

At first I thought I’d reached the end of a joke.There, among floating piles of debris, the boxes and crates and torn up asphalt that are the well-established mise-en-scene of the shooter genre, I was...

Pocket PlanesPlatform: iOS, AndroidDeveloper: NimblebitRelease Date: 6/15/2012Price: Free I have a growing suspicion that our obsession with smartphones is a bit more distasteful than we acknowledge....

In the last few years, hipster hating has become a popular sport. There is no shortage of spite published, in print and on the World Wide Web, about vintage-clothed, ironic-toned youth. As Amanda...

Eric Bachmann has had an illustrious career with Archers of Loaf, as a solo artist and most recently with Crooked Fingers. Now with six albums under that name, Bachmann has crowed out countless tracks...

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound went viral last year with their lovingly raucous cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.” That song appeared...

Never got a chance to see this legendary act live? You’re in luck: the original line-up has reunited, and they recently announced a new album (Falling Off the Sky) slated for a June 12 release. “In...

When childhood friends Adam Thompson, Michael Palmer, Sean Smith and Darren Lackie first played music together, they were fifteen years old and had...

Rayland Baxter’s “driveway meLody” is a warm video for a warm, personal song—engaging and inviting without ever being intrusive or overbearing.Ryan Holmberg directed a video that looks an awful lot...

Jaill has a knack for being messy. Their new video for “Perfect Ten” runs amok with crusty pizza boxes and weeks-empty beer cans, taking this mentality to new levels. Their sense of humor continues to...

Even the most casual Mountain Goat fan knows that John Darnielle is a master of describing intense, complicated relationships fraught with tension and passion. What not everyone realizes, though, is...