Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
Concert Review: Mr. Bungle at Emo’s, Austin: rock’s favorite oddballs return to ATX for the first time since 1999, with assistance from Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. ★★★★★ It’s been over 24 years since Mr. Bungle, the weirdest band in rock, played Austin (I was at that show. Good times). Given that the band disbanded […]
Dave Lombardo ‘Rites of Percussion’ Review: influential metal drummer gets drum-centric on debut solo album (May 5, Ipecac) “When the pandemic hit, I thought, ‘Well, I can’t tour now. I immediately started working on the record. It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. I had my studio, all my drums. Nothing was […]
Dead Cross ‘Dead Cross II’ Review: Hardcore supergroup fronted by Mike Patton overcome tragedy and strife on triumphant sophomore release. After Dead Cross’s critically acclaimed 2017 self-titled debut, the future looked bright for the hardcore supergroup featuring vocalist Mike Patton, bassist Justin Pearson, guitarist Michael Crain and drummer Dave Lombardo. Then all hell broke loose: […]
Prolific bassist talks new collaborative release via his new self owned label in our latest podcast episode. For our 39th episode I speak to Trevor Dunn, the bassist and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work in the experimental rock group Mr. Bungle, as well as Tomahawk (who released their latest album ‘Tonic Immobility’ in March), […]
Tomahawk ‘Tonic Immobility’ Review: Mike Patton and co. battle pandemic fatigue on 4th studio album. Not even the pandemic can slow Mike Patton down. Ever the busybody, he released new material from both tētēma and a reunited Mr. Bungle in 2020, and his latest release is Tonic Immobility, the 5th album from alt-metal super group Tomahawk (March […]
The Best Alternative Rock and Metal Albums of 2020: 13 of the best releases from a year that needed great music more than ever. What more can be said about the shit-show that was 2020? It’s been awful, exhausting, demoralizing, harrowing, maddening and relentless. But despite that, we found ways to adapt, some by sidestepping […]
Mr. Bungle ‘The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny’ Review: Mike Patton and co. re-embrace their thrash metal roots on their first album in 21 years, which also features Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. When Mr. Bungle reunited for their first tour in 20 years, they did the most Mr. Bungle thing they could do. […]
King Buzzo featuring Trevor Dunn ‘Gift of Sacrifice’ Review: Melvins frontman/guitarist keeps it weird on 2nd solo release. On his 2014 solo debut This Machine Kills Artists, Melvins’ frontman/guitarist Buzz Osborne proved he could make his acoustic six-string sound just as heavy (and strange) as any menacing distorted riff he’s conjured in his formidable career. […]
tētēma ‘Necroscape’ Review: Mike Patton and Anthony Pateras release another sonic chapter in their unique musical partnership. Between recent and in-the-works projects/reunions with Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Jean Claude Vannier and Tomahawk, powerhouse vocalist Mike Patton has kept busier than even his normally insanely packed schedule allows. And his seemingly endless prolific streak continues […]
Mike Patton ‘1922’ Soundtrack Review: musician’s avant-garde score for the Netflix Stephen King adaptation is a suitably sinister and haunting soundtrack. [rating=5] The world of Stephen King has been alive and well thanks to the recent success of It, the Netflix adaptation of Gerald’s Game (directed by Mike Flanagan), and the upcoming Hulu series Castle […]
