Mini Mansions Get Big

MP3: Mini Mansions Daytrotter Session

LA’s Mini Mansions, the side project of Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman, will play the Tin Can Alehouse on Monday, November 29th.

The trio released its self-titled debut earlier this month on QOTSA front man Joshua Homme’s Rekords Rekords label, and it’s truly a stunning piece of work. The record fuses elements of Grizzly Bear’s psych-pop with Mike Patton’s sinister, cinematic tones, resulting in one of the year’s strongest and strangest releases. Continue reading…

Live Review: Blonde Redhead at House of Blues San Diego, November 14, 2010

Photo credit: Natalie Kardos

In many ways, Blonde Redhead bear little resemblance to the Sonic Youth-inspired band that exploded onto the post-rock scene in the mid-90s.

The Blonde Redhead of yesteryear were a force to be reckoned with on stage, with front woman Kazu Makino’s blood-curdling screams and guitarist Amedeo Pace’s jigsaw guitar work always keeping the listener firmly on edge. But a lot has changed since the band’s formative years, and its present incarnation favors airy melodies over atonal chaos and electronic ambiance over electric guitars. As the crowd gathered to watch the trio at House of Blues on Sunday, it was treated to something that was much more soothing than scathing. Continue reading…

Live Review: Dr. Dog with Here We Go Magic at Warehouse Live, November 13, 2010 (Houston, TX)

Photo credit: Natalie Hebert

The stage at Houston’s Warehouse Live has seen plenty of great acts in recent months. But if the crowd that gathered at the venue on Saturday was suffering from any kind of rock exhaustion, the terrific set by Dr. Dog turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Pomegranates (List)

When your band draws frequent comparisons to established acts like The Flaming Lips, Deerhunter, and Broken Social Scene, you must be doing something right. Just ask Pomegranates, who released their third album, One of Us, last month. Thanks to its swooning production and assured energy, the record has already climbed to #7 on the CMJ Top 200 Chart.

You can experience Pomegranates’ sugary sounds firsthand on Wednesday, November 17th, when the Cincinnati band plays the Casbah. In anticipation of the show, vocalist/guitarist Joey Cook was kind enough to share some of his influences. You can check out the list and the rest of Pomegranates’ tour dates below. Continue reading…

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