Into the Presence
Self-Titled
Razor & Tie
4/10
It is really difficult for me to NOT like records. Artists and their teams put so much time and effort into the art of making an album that it is easy to fall in love with the music. As for Tim Alexander (Primus, A Perfect Circle) and Luis Carlos Maldonado’s new project, Into the Presence- their attempt did not grab me.
Alexander F. Remington at The Washington Post called their self-titled album, “superlative progressive rock and one of the best rock albums of the year.” “Progressive”- I …

To complement the international uprising of Harry Potter fandom is the incomparable genre of “Wizard Rock”- the underground music movement birthed by Potter fans. The July 17th release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment of J.K. Rowling’s literary brainchild, has sparked interest in wannabe wizards and robed rock stars that obviously like to read.
Although…this is not completely true. Despite its seemingly embarrassing geeky nature, I figured that there must be more to Wizard Rock than dressing up like Hogwarts students and having musicians pretending to be …

Incubus
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA
July 13, 2009

So-called “semi-celebrity” Candice Brown and I each shelled out eighty bucks for this Incubus show, so naturally, my expectations were high. Anticipation hit during one of the stuffy shuttle rides en route to the venue. I had seen Incubus perform a few years ago at the Wiltern after the release of Light Grenades, so I had no idea what to expect of the overall experience at such a big venue like the Hollywood Bowl.
Apparently Incubus didn’t either. This was their first time playing, as …

Elizabeth Wight, writer and creatively-driven mind, is the do-it-yourself front woman for the electro driven band, Love Grenades. She started developing her brainchild two years ago as a side project, which eventually became her full-time gig. Wight was heavily influenced by dance-punk band Le Tigre in forming the sound of Love Grenades. She writes, records, and arranges all the music by herself on her Pro Tools set up at home…Daniel Bedingfield style. From here, she began to share her music with others, attracting collaborators and producers such as electro producer, …

Jones Street Station
In Verses
Smith Street Records
7/10
Brooklyn band Jones Street Station does have a few things going for them. Their fusion of country and popular music makes them an interesting group to reach out to fans of both genres. In Verses, according to the band, is their debut album…Again. Including their drummer, newest addition Sam Rockwell, to the mix gives the group harder, mainstream rock grooves that would be absent otherwise in traditional country-folk music. And each player has his own strength. Bassist and singer Walt Wells holds it down. Keyboard …

REPO! The Genetic Opera
Lionsgate/Twisted Pictures
6/10
Not too long into the future, corporations will gain the power to take our lives and repossess our organs—this is the vision of REPO! The Genetic Opera. Writers Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, along with director Darren Lynn Bousman bring the original 2002 stage show to feature film. This rock operatic, corporate fairytale makes daring moves with its visuals and content, including its eclectic cast. Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Sarah Brightman (Phantom of the Opera), Paris Hilton (The Simple …

Street Sweeper Social Club
Self-titled
Warner Music Group
8/10
Tom Morello, guitarist and producer of the newest troupe on the block, Street Sweeper Social Club, calls it “revolutionary party jams.” I call it anthems for a nation. The latest project, named after your friendly neighborhood municipal employers of sanitation, is a recent collaboration between Rage Against the Machine’s Morello and The Coup’s Boots Riley.
Whether or not you believe in Morello’s and Riley’s political convictions, their arena rap/rock style captures the attention of the struggling middle-class (wo)man. I remember going with my friend and …