You’ve been crossing off the days on your calendar for months now, and the time is finally almost here – the 2013 edition of the Vans Warped Tour kicks off this Saturday. With so many bands to check out and only so many hours in a day, our writing team has put together a list of our must-see artists on this year’s Warped – some you already love, some you may not have heard yet, but all you should make an effort to see this summer.
In a dark world, we’re drawn toward fire. But within the fire, there is danger, and a different kind of darkness. On Precious, the new album from OURS, Jimmy Gnecco is the fire. His voice seduces, soothes – then slashes through the skin of indifference. The songs are a shout of anger or a cry of pain, unleashed from inches away. The band’s debut album, 2001’s Distorted Lullabies, also seemed wrenched from the guts of someone who, for all his youth, had weathered a lifetime of turmoil. But Precious comes like sonic surf from a place even more unsettled. Though… Read more »
Bennett Zier has a fine idea for a new radio format. His eyes light up as he tells you about it. “We play Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Bobby Darin,” he says. “The great thing about it is what we call it. You ready?” He pauses. “Vegas Radio! Is that great or what?” Zier can imagine the whole scene – the deejays, the jingles, the ironic retro-swinger patter. It’s his music, the kind he plays in his car. He’s in love with this idea, and with his natural salesman’s charm, he’s making you love it, too. So why doesn’t… Read more »
From his humble beginnings as an Oakland A’s batboy to his phenomenal success with the 1990 cross-over hit, “U Can’t Touch This,” MC Hammer rose to the top faster than any rap act in music history. But less than five years later, he had completely lost his more than $30 million dollar fortune. The music-filled dramatic biography “Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story” stars Romany Malco in the title role of this true story about the ’90s rap- music phenomenon who soared to the top – and then lost it all. Tangi Miller also stars in the VH1 Original Movie,… Read more »
