Dave Lifton, who writes for both Ultimate Classic Rock and Diffuser, is a podcaster and author of several books. A native of New York, he now lives in Chicago, where he's usually staring out at Lake Michigan from his apartment or getting into arguments with Bears fans. Also, he likes Bruce Springsteen and pulled pork sandwiches.
Parking lots may seem like less-than-ideal places for rock concerts, but when 1,500 bands converge on Austin at once for SXSW, every inch of ground counts. Today (March 13) Tegan and Sara opened their set outside of Austin's Waterloo Records with a performance of 'Back In Your Head,' a tune from their 2007 album 'The Con.'
Old-school techno met EDM last night (March 12) on the stage at Austin's famous Stubbs BBQ. Deadmau5 and pioneering DJ Richie Hawtin, best known for his work in the mid-'90s under the alias Plastikman, spun some magic at SXSW 2013. To the surprise of many, Deadmau5 wore a baseball cap instead of his famous giant smiling mouse helmet.
Indie guitar shredder Marnie Stern displayed her take on Eddie Van Halen-style tapping Tuesday night (March 12) during her first show of SXSW 2013, which went down at the Mohawk. Fronting a power trio with her Fender Jazzmaster in tow, she tore through a variety of sounds and styles on songs like 'For Ash,' seen in the video above. Ann Powers of NPR was blown away by Stern's performance, calling her a "super-heroine."
Yesterday (Feb. 26), we learned Morrissey had canceled his spot on ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' because the presence of the cast of the A&E reality show 'Duck Dynasty' conflicted with his vegetarian and animal-rights views. In response, Kimmel teamed with his guests to film a bit mocking the situation.
Back in the early days of rock and/or roll, it was common for teen magazines to offer contests in which your typical American teenage girl -- let's call her Becky Sue Girlnextdoor - would win a date with the singing heartthrob du jour. Now, Marnie Stern is putting a modern spin on the idea by offering one lucky guy an opportunity for a night on the town.
After his tragic suicide in 2003, it was believed that the entirety of Elliott Smith's unreleased material consisted of the songs that wound up on 2004's posthumous 'From a Basement on the Hill' collection. However, video of an unaired television pilot featuring the troubled singer-songwriter appeared yesterday on YouTube.
March 19 will see the release of 'Tooth & Nail' by British songwriter Billy Bragg, his first album since 2008's 'Mr. Love & Justice.' Bragg also announced a six-week tour of North America that will kick off at SXSW.
The blurring of the indie rock and fashion worlds continues. Last year, Lana Del Rey helped break down the wall when she became the "global face" for an H&M ad campaign. Now, legendary designers Yves Saint Laurent have hired Beck to model part of their new menswear collection.
If you're like us, you barely have time to digest each new Guided by Voices album before Robert Pollard has another one ready to go. Today (Dec. 21), the band announced that their next album, 'English Little League,' will be released on April 30.
