Phil Spector, preeminent music producer and architect of the famed "Wall of Sound" made popular by such artists as The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers and John Lennon, was sentenced to 19 years in a California jail this past Friday for his alleged part in the death of ladyfriend Lana Clarkson in early 2003.
It's been a long and strange road to jail for Spector. Since his 2003 arrest for the murder, he has fired numerous high-profile defense attorneys, including former O.J. Simpson defender Ro
St. Patrick's Day is, well, today, so, rather than hit the pub to celebrate - which we'll probably still do, to be honest - we thought we'd put together a mixtape for you of our favorite Irish and Irish-American bands along with a favorite tracks by them. Pint of Guinness and shot of Jameson sold separately, but still mandatory.
Thin Lizzy, "The Boys Are Back in Town": Though founded in Dublin in 1969, Thin Lizzy was as diverse in its lineup as it was in its influences. Frontman Phil Lynott
Photos by Craig HlavatyHeartless Bastards' Erika WennerstromTight economies ain't gotta slow anyone down. SXSW is chock full of
free shows and most importantly, FREE BOOZE. Yes, anyone of legal age
can literally walk into some shows and guzzle to their dark heart's
content. Or until they set something on fire. Heartless
Bastards put on a barroom rockin' show over at Waterloo Records, with
lead singer Erika Wennerstrom doing her southern-gothic PJ Harvey
thing. "Sway" got people moving, coaxed al
In my last Flannel File entry, I talked about March's big reissue of Pearl Jam's Ten. This time, I want to look at a "little" reissue set from January: Swervedriver's Raise and Mezcal Head.Like Jawbox or Sloan, Swervedriver had a pretty low profile among suburban youth of the early '90s, despite having (at least theoretical) major-label backing. I was familiar with them in name only when they played in Austin last June, an state of affairs that the concert itself did nothing to rectify since I
Not to sound like an American conditioned on the stuff of the patriarchy, but thank God St. Vincent is a woman; to say Annie Clark is a saint among female musicians would be way too obvious. It's a shame that critics feel forced to throw in the caveat 'female' when writing about female musicians (especially the good ones), but for her part, St. Vincent is doing her best to wrench that mindset from us all and slap into us the realization that musical excellence transcends gender.
So here's what I
Photos by Adam P. NewtonThe Factory PartyIn Aftermath's opinion, there are few things more enjoyable than spending an evening together with friends at the beloved haunt that is the Mink. We're able to toss back a drink or four, catch up on each other's lives, and hopefully hear some really great music. So Friday night, we gladly made our way out to the corner of Main and Alabama to hear Springfield Riots, Ringo Deathstarr, and The Factory Party, along with the hopes that we would get to hear
