If Los Angeles trio the Cold and Lovely seem determined to take their efforts out of the realm of “side project,” their “Ellis Bell” EP succeeds in a big way. Owing to the muscular shoegazers and arena-hopping anthemic rockers of the 1990s, the three-piece follows up last year’s self-titled LP with an audacious six-pack of […]
[And so the last of our five days at South by Southwest came to a close – getting wowed by baby bands, plowed by the crowds and, at the end, sipping a colored drink on a rooftop watching Smashing Pumpkins rage through a free show while Prince and Justin Timberlake played free shows only blocks […]
By Chris McRitchie The intermission music consisted of UFO, Deep Purple and other hard rock and metal classics. What show was I at, Iron Maiden? Judas Priest? Nope, I was at the Smashing Pumpkins concert Sunday at the Gibson Amphitheatre. Was I surprised by these choices? No. Billy Corgan recently made some comments disparaging so-called […]
Sunday shows: ‣ Smashing Pumpkins visit the Gibson Amphitheatre behind their new album “Oceania.” ‣ SBTRKT rocks Club Nokia, supported by Kilo Kish and Syd the Kyd. ‣ And Manhattan Murder Mystery heads up a local show at the Troubadour that includes Fancy Space People and Seasons. Also:
Incoming: The Raveonettes, the Corin Tucker Band, the Wallflowers, Everest, Grimes, Metric, Jeff the Brotherhood, Yelawolf, Grizzly Bear, Circa Survive, Madonna, Bettye LaVette, AWOLNATION, Aon Robin, Gossip, The xx, Patti Smith, Nouvelle Vague, Aimee Mann, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Smashing Pumpkins Above: That’s the Corin Tucker Band’s video for “Neskowin,” a song off the […]
Midweek madness: ‣ The Smashing Pumpkins visit the Wiltern, promising to preview some material off their forthcoming album “Oceania” (due in 2012). Fancy Space People (featuring Don Bolles) and Light FM open. ‣ Blondie plays Club Nokia behind their new album “Panic of Girls,” and L.A. trio Nico Vega opens. ‣ Devotchka does a cozy show […]
Skysaw, a band formerly known as This, is the latest vehicle for ex-Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Chamberlin, plus cohorts Mike Reina and Anthony Pirog, will be augmented by Paul Wood and Boris Skalsky of NYC indie rockers Dead Heart Bloom on upcoming live dates. Skysaw’s debut album “Great Civilizations” will be with us in […]
Mark Tulin, the bass player for 1960s psych-rock innovators the Electric Prunes and a recent collaborator with the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, has died at age 62. According to various news reports, Tulin on Saturday was participating in the Avalon Underwater Clean-Up when he collapsed. The Prunes, best known for their 1966 hit “I Had […]
[Holiday parties, holiday shows, holiday shopping … Anybody else want to rewind to Thanksgiving and do the last couple weeks over?] My favorite holiday specials: ‣ Not only is the annual Christmas Sweater Festival a hoot because of all the cheesy sweaters that emerge, but it’s for a good cause – and we get to […]
[Random afternoon transmissions:] ‣ Rising fast: Heard that indie-pop quintet Grouplove is signing to Atlantic Records-affiliated Canvasback, which also recently inked the Joy Formidable. That was quick. Grouplove [pictured] has one EP with one good song, but their live show is uplifting in an Edward Sharpe Lite kind of way, and the band’s industry connection […]
