A key component energizing New Orleans revitalized mod funk scene, Galactic gained a modicum of success in 1998 with Crazyhorse Mongoose, their promising second album (and first for Southern rock staple, Capricorn Records). Though fronted by veteran Crescent City vocalist, Theryl “Houseman” DeClouet, the upwardly mobile troupe was actually originated…

Stuck in the frustratingly expensive sub-urban wasteland of northern Jersey, lanky white rapper, GDP (a.k.a. Matt Miller), doles out rambunctious lyrical whimsy and turbidly wrangled metaphors on his retaliatory sophomore breakout, Realistic Expectations. A self-motivated Essex County native, GDP spits dope rhymes loaded with vindictive righteousness, brashly unabashed…

NEW YORK, NY—Despite being stuck in the early evening opening slot this chilly wintry night at Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge, local quintet, The Majority Rules, nearly stole the show for a packed crowd of rabid fans, industry types, and curious club denizens. Dealing out well-crafted pop numbers with the greatest of…

Humble aged-in-the-wool folk artist, Richie Havens, continues to provide inspirational guidance for “Freedom”-bound post-hippies as well as a newer generation of earthy philanthropic college students and their forward-thinking progressive elders. Havens became legendary after performing a mammoth three-hour opening set at Woodstock, the historic three-day summer of ‘69…

Indelibly connected to ‘80s “old school” hip-hoppers Afrikka Bambaataa, Ultramagnetic MCs, and the Bomb Squad, Anti-Pop Consortium’s four permanent members met at a late-‘90s New York City poetry slam. Like beacons shining down on hardcore rap’s ominous doomsday devises, dexterous lyrical commentators Beans, High Priest, and M. Sayyid…

Admirable anti-fascist South American hippie, Sergio Dias, gained international acclaim fronting Os Mutantes, rebellious bossa nova-based folk surrealists whose ceremonial Beatles-influenced Tropicalia clashed against politically-empowered authoritarian traditionalists during Brazil’s turbulent late-‘60s uprising. The Sao Paola-raised Dias, alongside percussionist-brother, Arnaldo Baptista, and female singing counterpart, Rita Lee Jones, helped devise an…

Trailblazing ‘70s punk combo, the Slits, paid the cost to be the most revolutionary female band in a male-dominated subculture. Having the innate ability to dress up artless guitar debris with minimalist dub-reggae rhythms, the innovative lasses were initially violently attacked and verbally assaulted because their rudimentary approach leaned towards…

Rocking all over America since age seventeen, contentious bad-ass punk diva, Jemina Pearl, hit the ground running in the now-defunct Be Your Own Pet before hijacking their drummer to co-compose a few tunes as lead guitarist in a solo venture she only hoped would satisfy loyal minions. The…

NEW YORK, NY—A second wave of highly motivated sharp-skilled Canadian indie pop combos—encouraged by the universal underground success of Broken Social Scene, the Stars, and the Dears—have arrived fully formed. At the top of the heap, Toronto quintet Still Life Still, friends since grade school, became so musically focused they…

Despite having a rather peculiar appellation, Miike Snow is anything but strange. In fact, Scandinavian pop marvels Pontus Winnberg and Christian Karlsson make a living constructing some of the best conventional dance tracks riding high on the pop charts. That’s not to say they’re one-dimensional mainstream hacks. Instead, the cool-headed…