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Will Kennedy is a freelance writer and a senior music writer with Eugene Weekly. He lives in Eugene with his wife, daughter and two cats. All of whom politely accommodate his obsessions with Doctor Who and The Smiths.
Rock and pop worked their way into theatrical productions long ago: Jesus Christ Superstar and Hedwig and the Angry Inch to name two. Lately, Broadway has struck gold weaving tunes from pop artists like Abba with 1999’s smash hit Mamma Mia! (coming to the Hult Center January 2014) and Franki Valli in 2005’s Jersey Boys. Continue reading
Any discussion of Neko Case usually revolves around the voice — and a remarkable instrument it is: smoky, agile, delicate, strong, rich, expressive. Hers is a real sound that puts the fakers to shame. Continue reading
Twenty-five years ago Bruce Springsteen was king of classic rock. Now, there seems to be a whole generation of young punk bands that claim The Boss as their own. And in hindsight, they just might be right. Brooklyn’s The So So Glos share Springsteen’s meat ‘n’ potatoes sound while remaining steeped in punk rock’s golden age. Vocalist Alex Levine sounds an awful lot like Joe Strummer. Continue reading
In a post-Miley Cyrus world, people of a certain vintage are (again) all twerked-up over young people and their pop culture landscape. It was in this context I checked out the video for “Coming Down” by L.A. nu-metal outfit Five Finger Death Punch. The video, off their 2011 release American Capitalist, tells parallel storylines: A young man commits suicide in front of his parents; a young woman violently vomits, having overdosed on pills, distraught over a sexting scandal. Continue reading
Ra Ra Riot’s 2010 release, The Orchard, begins with a solemn and lush track of the same name that’s heavy on strings and atmosphere supplied in part by now-departed cellist Alexandra Lawn. “Dance With Me” kicks off 2013’s Beta Love very differently. And the song title pretty much says it all. The New York-based Ra Ra Riot — formerly known for classical-leaning string arrangements and bookish, collegiate indie rock — has put on its dancing shoes. Continue reading
The man behind one of the New Wave era’s wormiest ear worms “Cars” could have been content to remain a one-hit wonder. Instead, industrial-synth pop pioneer Gary Numan has maintained a vital artistic output over a career spanning three decades. And this fall the iconic artist will put out Splinter (Songs from a Broken Mind), his first album of all-new material in seven years. Continue reading
Matt Pond’s sound is pure chamber pop: introspective and literate, backed up by lush string arrangements and delivered with classical music formality. Pond (who dropped the PA of his former band Matt Pond PA) toils in semi-obscurity, despite 10 full-length records and an impressive array of EPs. Continue reading
Burlesque is just stripping for hipsters, right? Or the kind of show to which Don Draper from Mad Men would take clients (performed at places with names like “The Boom Boom Room”)? Wrong. The truth of the matter is burlesque has a long and storied history, and while dance is vital to burlesque, the popular variety shows also feature comedy, live music and social commentary. Continue reading
When a band “makes a record” these days it means a lot of different things: everything from home recordings available free on Bandcamp.com to studio releases on record labels. L.A.-based art-noise rockers No Age played their first show at an art gallery; they are no strangers to making an art project out of clamorous rock ‘n’ roll. So when asked, the duo took the directive to “make a record” to heart. Continue reading
You best get on the Wild Child bandwagon now. The song “Pillow Talk” — leading off the 2011 release of the same name — is a bittersweet, ukulele-powered breakup tune. While saccharine, the song is utterly charming with a he-said-she-said storyline shared by primary songwriters Alexander Beggins and Kelsey Wilson. Use it in a sentimental iPhone ad or roll it over the credits of the right Ryan Gosling movie and it’d be a massive hit on par with the Lumineers’ “Hey Ho” or “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service. Continue reading