What’s the difference between these folks: Well, specific interest for one. Not level of interest though. Each of these photos represents the countless number of fans of everything from Star Trek to anime to the Oakland Raiders to My Chemical Romance. In each one of these, the individuals express their adoration through some form of costume … [Read more…]
A new week, another great musician who’s words and work will be included in America Is Just A Word. Justin Pearson – currently the bassist and half of the vocal team that is grindcore/noise-rock/post-hardcore group The Locust – will be talking to me about his experience fronting the mid-90s emo/screamo/post-hardcore/whatever weirdo term is out their act … [Read more…]
Just a quick little message to folks out there that use MySpace. You can find this page on it: That’s right, an America Is Just A Word MySpace page. It’s another way to spread the word, but stick to this blog for all the up-to-date updates and previews from the book. But, if you’re on MySpace, … [Read more…]
Emo is getting a bad rap in New Zealand. First, there was the charge of a gang of so-called “emo killers” threatening youths who basically didn’t even consider themselves emo at Spotswood College; the entire incident appears to have died down and had the basic mark of sensationalist-driven journalism looking to dig up dirt on … [Read more…]
I’d been bidding my time, putting off writing about the new musical, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Why? I’m not sure really. The musical sounds interesting enough, and The New York Times gave it a sparkling review. And for such a mainstream interpretation of emo, it’s got the idea of the genre in its current form … [Read more…]
Continuing with the interview series with artists that will be featured in the forthcoming book, America Is Just A Word, this week I’m offering up snippets from an interview with Shinobu frontman Mike Moroboshi. Most of the bands that I’ve written about in the book so far, and many of the acts I’m drumming up … [Read more…]
Tim Karan had an interview with former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk for Alternative Press posted the day after the release of his newest solo album, OK Bear. What’s interesting was the conversation at the very end of the interview: Is there any truth behind the rumors that Sunny Day Real Estate are … [Read more…]
 Be on the lookout for a review of the Dan Deacon + Ensemble show at the Middle East Downstairs on Bostonist in the next day or two. As a side note/review preview, it was interesting to note a certain conflict between the ritualization of a performance and Deacon himself, and the thankfully positive resolution … [Read more…]
Lookout Russia and Mexico, there’s another country that’s got emo in the public’s depress-ed eye. Egypt was recently over-run with anti-emo fervor, and as The Guardian‘s Jack Shenker tells it, the authorities and media took things way out of proportion. Go figure. As Shenker tells it, Cairo recently saw a bloom of graffiti in the … [Read more…]
When I last dropped in an interview with an artist that will be featured in America Is Just A Word, it was with Dismemberment Plan frontman Travis Morrison. Today’s post features selections from an interview with Sam Zurick, a multi-instrumentalist extraordinare of Chicago’s esteemed post-hardcore scene. Zurick is probably best known for his work as … [Read more…]