Back when MTV weaved its way into the cable-ready homes of America in 1981, the industry machine of producing music videos was just beginning, and if you were there in those early broadcast hours, you surely remember the strange flow of primitive imagery that made the magic box such a mesmerizing experience.

Jason Anderson likens his band’s drummer situation – looking for number four presently, after three years – to that of the legendary, imaginary Spinal Tap, and the comparison is pretty apt.
Skinny Weirdo’s “Fist” is exactly the kind of crude rock-and-roll that Tap specialized in before the guys got old and flabby.

Lots of Pavement fans are whetting their whistles as the first new solo music from band founder Stephen Malkmus hit the street this past week. I really like the new tracks I've heard from the just released Discretion Grove EP - definitely made to be played loud - so warm up those speakers, kids! Malkmus' new identity as a solo artist is staked out February 13 when Matador Records releases the new full-length album, which might or might not be entitled Swedish Reggae.

If you're a member of a young rock-and-roll band, that first show supporting somebody big can be nerve-wracking. So imagine being Miles and Daxx Nielsen of Harmony Riley on January 12, opening for the first time with Cheap Trick and ... dad?
Yes, Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen's two sons will be setting the table for him on eight East Coast dates in January.