Bands Tag

“So…what kind of music are you into?” It’s a stock question everyone uses to pry open that door of awkwardness in class or at a party. It could mean anything from “I’m bored and this silence makes me uncomfortable,” to “let’s bang in the bathroom between stats and psych.” It’s a safe conversation starter and it has the potential to make you feel instantly connected to someone if your playlists are divinely synced up (oh my gosh, you’ve heard of the Front Bottoms, too?) It also let’s you find out inRead More

In the world of professional sports, a dislocated knee could mean the end of a career.  For a certain Los Angeles-based electropop quartet, however, it was only the beginning.  “It’s been a trip,” muses frontman Ryan Daly.  “We never thought a year ago that things would have blown up so quickly.” The Slidebar in downtown Fullerton is packed, but somehow I’m able to hear him over the roar.  The KROQ Locals Only Show is already in full-swing, but we still have a few solid hours before Parade of Lights takesRead More

I truly believe that the hallmark of any great artist, of any great musical outfit, is the ability to evolve musically, to grow personally, and to have every new album serve as a showcase for that latest great step forward. There is little more impressive than progress. Against Me!‘s latest album, the deeply personal Transgender Dysphoria Blues, not only represents a bold new step for the band and frontwoman Laura Jane Grace – it represents a colossal step forward for the LGBT society, and hell, the American public at large. If TransgenderRead More