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BARRY THOMPSON

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The punk business plan of Cock Sparrer

Oi! To the World
If you play in, work with, or write about bands, you've doubtlessly listened to dozens of wheeler-and-dealers pitch purportedly clever plans to "make it" in the music biz.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | May 15, 2012

Catching up with the world of Dom

American boy
In many respects, the much-ballyhooed demise of the so-called "rock star" is a real thing.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | May 11, 2012

Interview: Nerdist’s Chris Hardwick on Mad Men, Jenny McCarthy, and why geeks get it

The duke of dorks
These days, being a nerd is more likely to get you laid than beaten up.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | May 02, 2012

Out: Walter Sickert envisions his Broken Toy apocalypse

28 Seeds later
Throughout history, influential entertainers such as Stanley Kubrick, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and the dudes who wrote the Bible have peddled theoretical final chapters to history.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | May 01, 2012

Mellow Bravo | Mellow Bravo

Mad Oak Records (2012)
Some of us with a limited scope of vision figured Mellow Bravo — who strive for the crown of America's ultimate bar band — only had three possible strategies for following up 2010's Strut.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | May 01, 2012

The folk battlecry of Bryan McPherson

Bad company
There's no shame in baring your soul for the pleasant old folkees who haunt open mic nights at your favorite independent coffee shop.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | April 26, 2012

Interview: Brendon Small finds his niche

Guitar hero
Years before he cracked the dimensional barrier that separates the real from unreal by turning Dethklok, the lovably sociopathic stars of Adult Swim's Metalocalypse , into one of the most lucrative metal acts in both cartoonland and the material world, Brendon Small trudged through stints at Berklee and Emerson.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | April 24, 2012

Out: Bow Thayer remains Perfect in the 2012 Rock 'n' Roll Rumble

Trainwreck in Cambridge
When Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck were announced as the 2012 Rock 'n' Roll Rumble champions, I wondered what the judges were smoking, and where I could get some.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | April 23, 2012

Out: Walter Sickert and friends invade Brighton Music Hall

’Tis her heart!
While smoking behind Brighton Music Hall, I eavesdropped on one of the other cool nicotine-addicted kids as he asked his buddy, "Can you tell me what the fuck I just saw?"

By: BARRY THOMPSON | March 21, 2012

John K. Samson | Provincial

Epitaph/Anti- (2011)
His inaugural gathering of bona-fide solo work summons an aura of full-blown tranquility.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | March 06, 2012

Getting glitchy with Mindless Self Indulgence

Horror business
I once thought all music that wasn't performed by three-to-five angry dudes with guitars and a drum kit was stupid.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 28, 2012

Xiu Xiu | Always

Polyvinyl (2012)
"I Luv Abortion" is the most disturbing song of 2012.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 28, 2012

Stuff your art hole

No Kidding?
The Somerville-based Union Square Round Table is about to prove how funny high art can be.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 22, 2012

Out: Chasing the ghost of punk with the Ducky Boys

Hey, Duck you
I recall the notion of the Ducky Boys breaking up and getting back together for "one last show" on a regular basis becoming kind of a running joke among cynical punk scene dwellers of the '00s.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 21, 2012

Sleigh Bells | Reign of Terror

Mom + Pop (2012)
At least three unrelated people we know responded to Treats, the 2010 opening salvo from this Brooklynian pop duo, with statements like, "It's drum loops that took five minutes to write, cock-rock guitars, a singer who usually sounds like she's parodying a porn actor faking an orgasm — and it's super cool?"

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 21, 2012

Anti-Flag | The General Strike

SideOneDummy
It wouldn't be easy for Anti-Flag to stay relevant nearly a quarter century into their careers, but it's as if they're not even trying anymore.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 15, 2012

Rage against the Stool

Knocking Out Blackout
Even behind the wall of semi-anonymity provided by blogs and Internet message boards, some rules still apply.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | February 08, 2012

Mark Lanegan Band | Blues Funeral

4AD (2012)
Unlike a few of his early '90s Seattle contemporaries who made tons of money, erstwhile Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan has not died, put out shitty records, or made a self-deprecating cameo on Portlandia.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | January 31, 2012

Law & Disorder: The Best of Last Semester's Campus Crime Logs

Best time of your life? Hardly. Behold these stunning antics, ripped straight from the campus crime blotters.
Incident logs available online and/or at campus police stations display laundry lists of amateur-hour escapades and bike/backpack/wallet/gadget thefts. Here are some amusing, singular shenanigans and trends from last semester culled from public records

By: BARRY THOMPSON | January 25, 2012

For Coyote Kolb, the roots come together

State of mind
Johnny Cash's baleful self-portrait "Ain't No Grave" oozes into my skull through a Sailor Jerry haze.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | January 24, 2012

Give Up the Ghost roar back for a timely reunion

Growing up hardcore
It's tough to maintain unswerving matter-of-factness without boring anybody. But hardcore, at its best, manages exactly that.

By: BARRY THOMPSON | December 20, 2011

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