It was actually a pretty easy process to pick my top 10 albums for 2009. All I had to do was look at what was...
Name: Dirt Communion From: Reno, NV Shares DNA With: Down, Goatwhore, The Sword Feels Like: A dirty communion on the banks of the Mississippi River...
Name: Sylosis From: Reading, UK Shares DNA With: Metallica, Lamb of God, Meshuggah, Pantera Feels Like: A bunch of my favorite metal bands put in...
Name: Black River From: Poland Shares DNA With: Technically, Vader and Behemoth…but sounds more like Black Label Society and Rob Zombie Feels Like: A death...
Name: White Rhino From: Austin, TX Shares DNA With: Motorhead, QotSA, Valient Thorr Feels Like: Riding a mechanical bull at a punk club Key to...
Name: dogs of winter From: Brooklyn Shares DNA With: Mastodon, Underoath, Apocalyptica, The New Regime Feels Like: Reading Kurt Vonnegut while listening to some metal...
Name: Goblin Cock From: San Diego Shares DNA With: Well, technically speaking, Pinback. But really, Goon Moon, Jane’s Addiction, QOTSA Feels Like: Trudging through a...
Name: JAW From: Winnipeg Shares DNA with: Tool, Metallica, Pantera Feels Like: Being punched and then hugged on repeat. Key to Success: Pleases both those...
Name: LYE From: Toronto Shares DNA with: Manson, Black Light Burns, Wednesday 13, Filter Feels Like: making out in a dark alley Key to Success:...
Name: SKELETEEN From: LA Shares DNA With: MBV, The Warlocks, Autolux, APTBS Feels Like: an action-packed dream sequence Key to Success: Cool name Needs to...
Last week, Trent Reznor announced that Ilan Rubin would be taking over drum duties for Josh Freese on NIN’s 2009 tour. Now, I had never...
Hot Pink Delorean. Let’s take a moment to think about how awesome that name is. And then listen to their remix of ‘Casual Satisfaction’. Gets...
Montreal’s The High Dials are the newest addition to the neo-psychedelic movement. They’ve recently supported Brian Jonestown Massacre. You can catch them at the Hotel...
Crystal Stilts, from Brooklyn, should find no problem riding the buzz wave that A Place to Bury Strangers and the newly reunited My Bloody Valentine...
Yes, it’s crass, but that’s what punk is supposed to be, it’s the Yuppie Pricks. It starts with the album cover, a banana hammock of...
Very interesting sound coming from SF’s grayceon…cellos + metal = awesome.
If Depeche Mode and The Cure made a baby, and that baby played in an indie rock band, they’d kinda sound like master slash slave.
For fans of Depeche Mode, She Wants Revenge, New Order and Fischerspooner…enjoy MakeUpBreakup from…Rhode Island. That caught me off guard.
Check out the wicked guitarist from The Faint’s death metal side project- which I am guessing is pronounced like ‘Werewolf Grave’. Like Joel Peterson’s- the...
The Black Crayons, from LA, are a nice addition to the slowly surging neo-psychedelic movement. They have a Southern rock slant, that reflects their influences...
Local SF band The New Centuries serve up Cure-style dreamy rock. Go to their page and take a listen to 'Moonlight Kawasaki Ride' and try...
Conqueror Worm, presumably named from the Edgar Allen Poe poem, play some wicked doom metal that is heavily influenced by horror films. 1843 THE CONQUEROR...
Theodore Grimm‘s the name, psychedelic indie rock is the game. Put your sunglasses on when you go to their page to listen- it’s bright- freak...
Seattle’s Daguerreotypes rock an interesting blend of a psychedelic and folk sound. It’s a big band- 6 members- leading to a pretty complex sound.
For those who love industrial, the most underserved music genre, check out 16 volt.
So one of my most read entries is Top 5 Stripper songs. Apparently there are a lot of people out there looking for stripper worthy...
Groovy Oaklanders Somehow at Sea create some mellow but totally danceable tunes. Doin THA Dishes even features the whistle tip. Get involved.
It’s kinda creepy, but definitely creative and interesting. Australia’s Toydeath uses the sounds of kid’s toys in their electronica music, resulting in song titles like...
Do you like Ghostland Observatory? How about The Rapture? Nirvana? Punk? Oh yeah, it’s all here…check out pleasureboaters, from Seattle.
Check out Blacklist, another envious product of NYC, particularly if you are a Bauhaus fan.
Jubilee is where Aaron North is spending his time now that he’s not touring with NIN. He’s still playing the guitar, but he is singing...
A little glam rock for you, Dandi Wind will be playing Bottom of the Hill on my birthday, March 9th.
A local gem whose name comes from a Kerouac quote, Low Sea Roar is a 4 piece rock band. They have a female drummer- always...
The Dead Kids myspace kinda freaks me out. But then, their LCD Soundsytem meets The Rapture sound draws me in…
Local up-and-comers Hot Challenge have a sound that spans from pop rock to to a darker electro rock, echoing the band’s diverse influences. They’ll be...
I have no idea if I’m pronouncing it correctly, but who cares. It’s the drummer from The Warlocks. Xu Xu Fang is dreamy psych rock...
This band, Ceremony, apparently uses the same effects designer as A Place to Bury Strangers. Ah, the ways I find new music…
Discovered by Jack White, toured with Beck…and it shows in their sound. Whirlwind Heat is a good one.
This is from a tip from a friend of a friend who is also a big fan of The Faint. Since The Faint is taking...
A Place to Bury Strangers, from Brooklyn, besides having such an intriguing name, has a killer sound. It’s psychedelic rock in its most impure form-...
So….these guys aren’t really new, but the band itself is- U.S.S.A. About a year ago, bassist/programmer/producer Paul Barker ( ex Ministry/Revolting Cocks) and guitarist/composer Duane...
Hot up and coming local act The Frail have gotten my attention lately. It’s… space out electro rock? Hard to categorize. They’re around town a...
Triclops! Named for a cool dinosaur: check Exclamation point: check Perry Farrell meets David Brockie/Oderus Urungus voice: check local and play often around town: check...
Metal on Metal...from Lithuania? Very dance-worthy beats, they do a lot of remixes. Just take a look at their page for some good entertainment.
Zoot Woman is the newest band in the British invasion. Their electro dancy eighties vibe makes them a much better choice than some of the...
Bang Lime is the latest discovery on myspace. An indie rock band from Oakland, they keep company with bands like Metric and MSTRKRFT. Go check...
The Dukes of Windsor are from Melbourne, Australia. They have a similar sound to The Rapture. Check it out.
The Common Men‘s ‘sounds like’: Interpol, Joy Division, David Bowie, The Cinematics, Franz Ferdinand, New Order, Editors, Moving Units, Bauhaus, The Cure, Elefant. Nice combo.
Raver culture is back big in London, kids. Having spent 1995 as a bit of a club kid- listening to Keoki and wearing really retarded...
Liars, from LA. Plaster Casts of Everything [audio:01 Plaster Casts of Everything.mp3]
From Australia, this ghettotech will set off your weekend right. Check out AJAX.
Black metal/ showtunes/happy hardcore. Nice combo. Check out Bumblebeez, hailing from Venezuela.
When I get friend requested by a band, I do the usual profile sweep to determine if they warrant a ‘myspace find’. To my surprise,...
Check it– SF group All Teeth And Knuckles. Fun to dance to. Go to their Mezzanine CD release set this Thursday, August 2nd.
I’m having a bit of trouble believing that these guys are from SF. I’m constantly bitching about the lack of live industrial music here- not...
Darker My Love, offers some great psychedelic rock music. If you’re a fan of BRMC, Brian Jonestown, and the Black Angels, then you should check...
So I’m a little partial to Austin bands. I’m even more partial to Austin bands that move to the Bay Area. Giant Squid fits into...
So, if you haven’t noticed, the HardRockChick isn’t all about hard rock music. I have a special place in my heart for hip hop, and...
I’m a little late on this one, as I was networked through to this a couple of months ago. Black Light Burns is – I...
If you like Mickey Avalon…particularly the track ‘My Dick’, then you should check out Dyslexic Speedreaders, the more official effort by MA, Dirt Nasty, and...
War Tapes. Very prominent vocals that sound a bit Joy Division-y with some AFI mixed in. Sound interesting? Check it out.
Check out Living Dead if you like music that sounds like the soundtrack to a horror movie. I do. Plus, they did a remix of...
Land Shark I’ve been searching for a band that I can go see when I want to go get a dark and gritty rocktronica fix....
OK, I’m cheating a little. I didn’t really find these guys on myspace. But you should! I saw Driveblind when they opened for Candlebox. Yeah,...
Having a bad day? Go take a listen to ‘Animal Battle’ by Saliva Slingers. Instant smile.