Behind The Curtain... and Into Arcadia

[this article was originally published for Suburban Bully, May 27th, 2010]

Into Arcadia won’t be playing the show they had scheduled this Saturday due to a booking mistake/scheduling conflict. The name of the venue they were slated to perform at will remain unnamed here, however, due to the fact that I’m holding a grudge against the place’s owner for not responding to an e-mail I sent him regarding some other business I’d like to discuss - yeah, that’s how childish I am.

Crash Test Dummies Wow with 'Oooh La La'

[This article was originally published May 15, 2010 for Suburban Bully]

It’s been 6 years since Crash Test Dummies’ last effort, Songs Of The Unforgiven, and seventeen years since their 90’s salad days, brought on mostly by their hit single “Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm” (one of few top 40 song in American history to contain no vowels in its title). Though the fame and dynamic of the band has changed drastically over the almost two decades since anybody really paid them any mind, the Crash Test Dummies still have a lot to say, and in an ever-changing representation.

I'm Not A Pilot ... Or Maybe He Is....

[this article was originally published for Suburban Bully, April 30th, 2010]

If you’re one that holds the accusation that Milwaukee doesn’t have much to offer as far as indie music talent goes, you may have, at one time, been right. I mean, sure we rested on the laurels of Les Paul in the 1950’s and didn’t really produce any real talent here again until The Violent Femmes shocked the world out of its complacency in the 1980’s. In the late 80’s we gave birth to The Gufs, and in the mid-90’s The Promise Ring. Though we did offer some good ones here and there, for the most part Milwaukee never really had the Seattle, San Francisco or Cincinnati level reputation for being a powerhouse of musical talent. This city has no shortage of ‘80’s cover bands and teenage thrash metal ensembles, and so one can hardly be blamed for not wanting to bother sifting through so many oysters for the occasional pearls.

Ween's New 'La Cucaracha' Is More Siesta Than Fiesta

[this article was originally published October 29th, 2007 for Amazon.com]

I somehow feel as though I could blame myself. Maybe I'm just not "getting it". Ween has always been a band that's sheer tongue-in-cheek brilliance could easily go unappreciated by those who aren't "in tune" to it. It's subtle and brash, and dry and witty at the same time. Stylistically, you never quite know what to expect from album to album; but I've been a Ween fan for so long, I can't believe this one has gone over my head.