INTERVIEWS
How Built to Spill Became the World’s Best Daniel Johnston Cover Band
Sometimes your favorite band gets sick of being themselves. “We started doing a ton of covers when we switched rhythm sections a few years back – maybe 2015,” Built to Spill frontman Doug Martsch explained over the phone from the comforts of quarantine at his home in Boise. “Brett Nelson and Scott Plouf had played in the band for 15 years or more and both quit at the same time. So we got a new rhythm section and together we learned a ton of Built to Spill songs, but also a bunch of covers – part of it was to try to make the whole thing more fun. Jim Roth, Brett Netson, and I were kinda tired of playing Built to Spill songs, so… [Laughs.] Learning a bunch of covers was really fun and kind of informed this whole thing.” And by that, Martsch means the shows Built to Spill played with the late...
Shallou Talks Debut Album Release and Spreading Hope Through Music in Times of Crisis [Interview]
Music has the potential to inspire hope even in the darkest of days. Since first emerging into the electronic landscape in 2015, talented producer Shallou has garnered more than 350 million streams, making him one of the scene’s fastest-rising stars. Performing at Outside Lands and Coachella and collaborating with Bob Moses in 2019, Shallou recently dropped his highly anticipated debut full-length album titled Magical Thinking, out now on Island Records. With the record, Shallou takes us on a mystical journey replete with euphoria and wonder. Carrying an ambient and otherworldly vibe, Magical Thinking powerfully reveals the range and beauty of Shallou’s production while powerfully maintaining his signature ambient, emotive, and atmospheric sound. Featu...
Q&A: Incubus Talk New EP, Conspiracy Theories and This Year’s Darwin Awards
“Have you guys gone down the rabbit hole on any of these conspiracy theories?” His trademark long hair tied up in a bun, Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd poses a question to the rest of his bandmates on our Zoom call. The rest of the guys — guitarist Mike Einziger, drummer Jose Pasillas, bassist Ben Kenney, and DJ Chris Kilmore — murmur some variation of “yes” or “no.” Pasillas shakes his head, laughing, “I don’t got time for that shit.” “There’s incredible mental gymnastics happening,” Boyd muses at length. “From a psychological perspective, there is some rationale for people pulling disparate elements into one place to come to some form of like a theory, and the fact that we have no centralized response and we don’t know who we’re supposed to trust, and everything’s just so up in the air...
‘We Were a Disaster’: Jason Isbell Discusses the Making of Reunions
There will come a time, probably not too long from now, when someone will turn to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s album Reunions, see that it was released in 2020 and come to the reasonable conclusion that it was a response to the breakdowns, devastation and (hopefully) eventual reawakening from a global pandemic. To that person, Isbell’s latest release, out on May 15 on his own Southeastern Records — after dropping exclusively at independent record stores a week earlier, an idea Isbell conceived to help keep those precious operations afloat — seems to be saying: “Where have you been?” Isbell (who, of course, wrote and recorded the album long before the world broke) acknowledges the prescience that comes through on so many songs from Reunions, but notes that he just pointed his pen at the ...
Peter Hook on 40 Years Without Ian Curtis, Working with Gorillaz, and Keeping the Party Going
“The best thing you can do in life is stick on that smile and get out there and enjoy as much as you possibly can,” Peter Hook says over our lunch on Skype. “Because as we’ve seen from the way that you’ve suffered in America — the way that we’ve suffered here in the UK — time can be very short. You don’t know what’s around the corner do you?” With the utmost tragic timing, an alert flashes on my iPhone screen, informing me of the death of Kraftwerk legend Florian Schneider, who I learn has passed away from his battle with cancer. Absolutely destroyed, I tell Hook, who reflects, “There you go Phillip. A prime example isn’t it? Life can be very short. Too short … and not filled with harmony…” Hook knows a thing or two about harmony, both off stage and on it. The veteran musician, who laid do...
Damian Lillard Goes as Hard on the Mic as He Goes Down the Lane
The NBA season, like much of our lives, may currently be on hold due to COVID-19. But Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard, one of the league’s coldest, most rigorous dudes has had no trouble keeping busy, thanks to his robust second career as a rapper. The preternaturally calm and collected player went viral last year for both making one of the greatest shots in NBA Playoffs history as well as his memeable reaction and hopes to bring the same heat to his music career. Recording as Dame D.O.L.L.A., Lillard has already collaborated with the likes of 2 Chainz, Jadakiss, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Lil Wayne, who is such a fan that he’s appeared on all three of Lillard’s surprisingly good LPs and has said that Lillard is skilled enough to rap for a living, something even...
Everclear’s Art Alexakis Dives Into Living With MS, Going Solo and COVID-19
Art Alexakis may no longer still be living with your ghost, but he has been dealing with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis for the past few years. Almost exactly 25 years after Everclear found mainstream success with their sophomore album, Sparkle and Fade, the veteran songwriter recently released one of the most personal of his career: the MS-inspired “The Hot Water Test” from his solo album that was released in October. The track from Sun Songs comes at a fitting time for Alexakis and the rest of the MS community due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it’s a valuable reminder to people about the importance of social distancing — particularly for those dealing with other medical conditions, like an autoimmune disease. The video has also helped draw some extra attention to the 58-year-...
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Laidback Luke Launches New Mixmash Dating App to Connect Music Producers [Exclusive Interview]
With self-isolation and quarantine orders in effect across the globe, people are connecting through music online more than ever. With unity at its bedrock, the EDM scene has been leading the way, with new drive-in raves, virtual festivals, and artist livestream events every week. Iconic producer Laidback Luke has taken notice, vlogging himself listening to demos submitted to his website, interviewing dance music industry leaders affected by COVID-19, and even offering a DJ livestream tutorial. Laidback Luke’s team at Mixmash Records took things a step further while working on the remix contest for his new single “We Found Love,” a beautiful future house collaboration with Dutch dynamo Steff Da Campo. The bouncy summer banger dropped on April 17th, followed by a vi...
