Punk rock Tag

I discovered PWR BTTM only a month ago, and they probably wouldn’t have crossed my radar without a little stoking from Apple Music. One Friday in early May, a raw punk thrasher called “Big Beautiful Day” from their new release “Pageant” found its way onto my New Music playlist. I was immediately enamored. As I began to read about their image of queer advocacy, the hook sunk deeper. Here were a pair of gender non-conforming musicians rocking drag, while howling out songs about bodily autonomy. I dug it in aRead More

While Taking Back Sunday finishes up their VIP acoustic set and meet-and-greet at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado, Greg Barnett, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, hangs around by the merchandise table. The twentysomethings who have come to relive their high school years and the eyeliner-clad tweens who have come to meet their idols gather around John Nolan and Adam Lazzara. Meanwhile, Greg and the rest of the Menzingers, a four-piece punk band from Pennsylvania, chat and laugh, fairly anonymous figures to the fawning group that has gathered. But whatRead More

Punk rock and basketball certainly aren’t the first things that come to mind upon listening to singer-songwriter Stefan Pruett’s debut single, but both make up the cornerstone of “Carefree” – a smooth slice of 80s dream pop that plays like a lost track from The Breakfast Club and the National’s first foray into EDM. If that sounds like an earful, listen and judge for yourself:   If the culture clash of punk and hoops isn’t immediately apparent, Pruett wouldn’t blame you. The evolution of his music into the dark popRead More

How many angsty away messages were comprised of the lyrics to these classics? Dust off your Chuck Taylors and get ready to be rocked by some hardcore nostalgia.   The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows – Brand New Brand New reigned the scene after Deja Entendu dropped. “Quiet Things” was the album’s lead single, followed by equally epic “Sic Tansit Gloria…Glory Fades.” Though both fantastic songs, the “Quiet Things” music video was one of the best of its time.       Cute Without the “E” – Taking BackRead More

I truly believe that the hallmark of any great artist, of any great musical outfit, is the ability to evolve musically, to grow personally, and to have every new album serve as a showcase for that latest great step forward. There is little more impressive than progress. Against Me!‘s latest album, the deeply personal Transgender Dysphoria Blues, not only represents a bold new step for the band and frontwoman Laura Jane Grace – it represents a colossal step forward for the LGBT society, and hell, the American public at large. If TransgenderRead More

The world of electronic dance music (EDM) was good to me in 2013. I saw 20 plus DJs in three different states and at a plethora of venues. At Coachella, I reveled in the glory that is the new Sahara Tent where I saw soon-to-be named “No. 1 DJ in the world,” Hardwell. In July, I had my first Deadmau5 experience at the MGM’s new super club, Hakkasan, and I closed 2013 by seeing the ruler of EDM himself, Tiesto. All that being said, few of my 2013 DJ experiencesRead More