Search Results for "Mark Woodlief"

Emerging from the Midwest (Minneapolis via Fargo, North Dakota, to be exact) with a brittle, pop-culture-inspired worldview, Hammerhead once told a journalist that Robert De Niro’s Taxi Driver character, Travis Bickle, was the “spirit of the band.” Paul Sanders (guitar, vocals), Paul Erickson (bass, vocals) and Jeff Mooridian Jr. (drums) sure play as if his…

This pre-Drive Like Jehu lineup sounds pretty much like what it is — singer Rick Fork (né Froberg) and guitarist John Reis, with drummer Joey and bassist Nick delivering some formative scree, prepping to take over gosh knows what. Had the members of this unit simply faded into indie oblivion after its four-year (1986-’90) existence,…

Five suburban guys from San Diego get together to play catchy blue-collar rock. Fusing a little influence from neighbors Rocket From the Crypt and employing manic frontman Charlie Ware, Lucy’s Fur Coat moves from an average local band to a solid songwriting force in just a couple of years, signs to Relativity, releases Jaundice and…

Despite Love Jones’ smarmy shtick — playing the ’90s “Cocktail Nation” revival to the hilt, even if from the periphery — it’s hard not to fall for the band’s sassy, wry pastiche. Call it nuevo-retro or whatever: the five Louisville gentlemen mine vintage Earth, Wind & Fire licks, sing sweet soul harmonies and spice things…

Having dropped out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (temporarily, as it later transpired) in the middle of a ’92 Japanese tour, guitarist John Frusciante withdrew further, but did manage to home-record an album called Niandra Lades, which went unreleased until it became half of this 24-track CD, preceding a dozen untitled numbers collected under…

College brought this trio together in Amherst, Massachusetts, a supportive academic community close enough to New York and Boston to provide a solid base for a fledgling indie-pop/rock band in its developmental stages. The group comes off a little derivative and amateurish on My Little Bastard Soul, but the record shows New Radiant Storm King’s…

If this Boston quintet goes down as a ’90s one-hit wonder for the Top 10 “Here & Now,” it won’t be for lack of effort. Originally released by the independent CherryDisc, Aurora Gory Alice was a respectable local seller before Giant reissued it in 1994 (with a fancier booklet but no major changes); aided by…

By 1992, grunge had been exported from Seattle to the department stores of America’s malls, and the pop-punk buried beneath the city’s fuzz pedals finally found room to shine forth. Among others (notably the long-lived, crucial Fastbacks), Flop exploded with noise-pop, sporting a mod-influenced edge, loud, sunny guitars and bittersweet underpinnings. Produced by Kurt Bloch,…

This Philadelphia quartet shows a wonderful talent for intertwined guitar riffs (Sonic Youth meets Television), neck-snapping rhythmic oomph and dynamic songwriting. The five-song World’s Portable barely suffers from its 8-track recording. “Wants” unleashes a barrage of twin-guitar workouts (Geoff Doring and Rich Fravel); “Good for Motion” harnesses those jagged guitar battles in a whirl of…

While it’s unlikely a power trio from the vast sprawl of Orange County, California (Tustin, to be precise), can change the rock landscape one iota, you can’t blame the dry-humored Smile for trying. “Before we start/I’d like to say that we’re all done,” winks singer/guitarist Mike Rosas on Maquee‘s fuzzadelic first track, “Rock Anthem for…