CD by Nudity. Discourage Records. Chances are that if you’ve been grooving to the likes of Acid Mothers Temple, Earthless and Wooden Shjips, or taking advantage of the recent slew of psych/space rock reissues, then Nudity is more of what you’re looking for. The influences are easy to spot, and as the band will tell […]
Michael Mannix
Pet Genius
CD by Pet Genius. Hydrahead. From the primal angst of Cave In to the quirky pop meanderings of his numerous side and solo projects, Stephen Brodsky has always displayed a penchant for inspired and inventive songwriting. What is baffling, however, is that outside limited circles of the indie underground, Brodsky has not received the success […]
Raiding the Airwaves Volume One
by Various Artists. Humboldt Free Radio Alliance. Take a look behind any local music scene and you’ll usually find a handful of dedicated people working hard to keep music alive and accessible. Fortunately for those of us behind the Redwood Curtain, there exist a number of individuals and organizations that selflessly commit themselves to this […]
Little Kingdom
CD by Citay Dead Oceans/Important Records Originally spawned as a studio-only project by Ezra Feinberg and Tim Green of the Fucking Champs, Citay quickly garnered critical acclaim within independent music circles with their 2006 self-titled debut, a release well noted for its warm and vibrant tones, lush harmonies and discerning compositions. It is a formula […]
Heavy Metal Parking Lot
Directed by Jeff Krulik and John HeynFilm Baby On May 31, 1986, amateur filmmakers John Heyn and Jeff Krulik pulled into an arena parking lot outside of Washington D.C., unpacked their equipment, and proceeded to shoot footage and conduct interviews with the scores of fans who had gathered to prepare for that evening’s Judas Priest/Dokken […]
Shelter from the Ash
CD by Six Organs of Admittance. Drag City Records. At this point in Ben Chasny’s storied career, it is unfair to continue referring to John Fahey and Robbie Basho in an attempt to situate the Eureka native’s musical orientation. His accomplishments in Six Organs of Admittance, as well as Comets on Fire and various other […]
Diabolic Inventions and Seduction for Solo Guitar
CD by Al Di Meola. Inakustic. Widely recognized for his technical mastery and Latin flare, guitarist Al Di Meola gained notoriety playing with Chick Corea’s jazz fusion project Return to Forever. Di Meola quickly established a successful solo career and spent the ’70s and ’80s integrating traditional Latin sounds with intricate song structures and his […]
The Alchemist
CD by Witchcraft Rise Above Records/Candlelight Records. The reality that any band immersed in a “retro” rock sound faces is that an inability to transcend novelty can result in them becoming a footnote in music history. After two releases of Black Sabbath/Pentagram-worshipping doom, Sweden’s Witchcraft was close to a point of stagnancy that could have […]
Wooden Shjips
CD by Wooden Shjips. Holy Mountain Records. Psychedelic rock has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the past few years, and we here in California have been lucky to witness such homegrown talent as Comets on Fire, Citay and Six Organs of Admittance as they have nursed the scene from its humble beginnings to its […]
