Music. It's ages old. It's ever new.
Who among us doesn't get all aflutter when encountering something different? Well, I know I sure as hell do and I'm going to go ahead and assume you can rise to the occasion, muster some enthusiasm, and open your ears for something delightfully original.
More often than not a band will rely on gimmicky nonsense to catch a break and appeal to the masses for a shot at the big time; there is no such danger with Crystal Fighters. One of the most wildly original and appealing bands I've heard in a long time, they bridge the gap and close the distance with their fans cheering them all the way. We recently had the chance to ask singer Sebastian Pringle a few questions about their unique sound during their US tour and this is what we found out.
How are you doing today?
We're doing well. We've got a couple of days off between shows in Minneapolis and Vancouver, so were catching up on a little sleep, getting some laundry done for the next part of the tour. Fresh.
Your music is like nothing I've heard before and that's saying something as I've heard a lot of bands over the years. Was the very distinct sound something you strove for before you even began working together or was it something that popped up, like catching lightning in a bottle?
Kind of you to say. We did try to mix different [types] of music that we didn't think had been put together before, that is to say elements of traditional Basque folk music with many different genres and sub-genres of dance music. But you are right, a lot of things do just "pop up" when you're mixing strange things together. You just got to spot them when they do, and expand!
Who are your musical influences?
In terms of artists, anything from Ame to Zappa helps us really, but some big influences on Star Of Love were Os Mutantes, Ricardo Villalobos, Skream, Gilberto Gil, J Dilla, etc.
Your sound makes it easy to understand how you would be huge internationally as it seems timeless and without cultural boundaries. The use of traditional and non-traditional instruments is a big part of that. When you go on the road and unload your gear, do you ever get funny looks when the roadies carry in the txalaparta along with the guitars?
We have learnt to conceal the large beams of wood we carry around on tour when anywhere except the stage, so I think the funny looks must just be at what we are wearing. But on stage yes, we do try to combine the traditional and the modern; we have various synths, pedals, and samplers providing the modern element, but also classical guitars, the txalaparta and some old rope-tuned drums that bring a more earthy, natural sound. The vocals sit somewhere in between, I suppose, somewhere between folk melody, tribal chant, and rap.
I recently had a chance to read Dana Fredsti's Plague Town, 
From the moment I first saw the video for "We're Not Gonna Take It" on MTV, I was a fan of Twisted Sister. I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Dee Snider about his new album, new autobiography, who would play him and his wife in the movie about his life, the PMRC, Clay Aiken, narcissism, The Celebrity Apprentice, and reality TV.
Dee Snider's autobiography, Shut Up And Give Me The Mic, details the rise and fall (and rise and fall and rise and fall) of Twisted Sister and his person struggles along the way. You'll find yourself rooting for Snider, even though you're already aware of the outcome.
Look, I get it. It would be very easy for people to dismiss this as a novelty record. I mean, it's Dee Snider, the frontman of Twisted Sister, doing a dozen Broadway songs. But if you can put away any preconceived notions and give this album a listen with an open mind, you'll find Dee Does Broadway is pretty kickass.
For weeks I've wanted to write a post about Mass Effect 3. 
Hot Problems is the dynamic duo who have come from the future to save the world through dance music. Dr. Hot was nice enough to take a few minutes from his heroic quest to spend Seven Questions In Heaven with us.
I can count on one hand the number of shows my daughter likes that I enjoy as well. One such show is Cartoon Network's Level Up, a tale of a group of gamers who accidentally open a portal and, along with the help of the game's creator, must send all the bosses and villains and monsters that escape from the game back home. Level Up's cast was nice enough to sit down and chat with us and we're going to feature a different actor each week.
