Email Author Ryan Wasoba

2010 Stories by Ryan Wasoba

• Power-pop cult heroes Ultimate Fakebook are back together playing shows, but it's strictly for fun

  published December 16, 2010

  At the turn of the millennium, Ultimate Fakebook was poised to become a household name. The Manhattan, Kansas, trio's addictive power pop and... More >>

• The Sword

  published December 9, 2010

  After a questionable foray into Renaissance-faire prog with its sophomore record, Gods of the Earth, the Sword returned to what... More >>

• An interview with Vince DiFiore on the eve of (finally!) a new Cake album

  published December 9, 2010

  Sometimes, there's nothing more apt than a cliché, and so it is for Cake, a band best defined by the old chestnut, "If it ain't broke,... More >>

• Pat Martino Trio

  published December 2, 2010

  In one of the most inspirational and bizarre tales in music history, Pat Martino experienced severe amnesia after undergoing surgery for... More >>

• Black Fast

  published November 18, 2010

  Black Fast is a group of proficient, schooled musicians who has chosen to use its collective talent for evil rather than good. The local... More >>

• Wolf Parade gathers together and shares experiences to create its latest album, Expo 86

  published November 18, 2010

  Fans of sprawling, endearing indie rock should be foaming at the mouth in anticipation of Wolf Parade's return to St. Louis. It's a promising... More >>

• Codeseven

  published November 11, 2010

  Codeseven wasn't the first band to abandon hardcore for the softer, blurred edges of space-aged alt-rock; Cave In and Dredg excavated... More >>

• The local studio Firebrand Recording continues to hone its reputation around town

  published November 11, 2010

  From the outside, Firebrand Recording is an unassuming space nestled discreetly between the office spaces of a nondescript business park. But... More >>

• Fang Island

  published November 4, 2010

  Through the lens of Brooklyn's Fang Island, Earth is an optimistic orb overflowing with positive energy, and Andrew W.K. is the... More >>

• Joan of Arc

  published October 27, 2010

  Cap'n Jazz broke up in 1995 and splintered into influential groups such as the Promise Ring, American Football and the prolific Joan Of... More >>

• Free Energy kicks out the classic-rock jams on the new Stuck On Nothing

  published October 13, 2010

  Naming the first song on your first album after your own band is a bold move — after all, then the track becomes a de facto mission... More >>

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  Digital indie whizzes Menomena refine their complex craft on Mines

  published October 6, 2010

  Menomena does not lend itself to clean-cut description. Journalists stumble over phrases such as "schizophrenic art punk" or "epileptic pop... More >>

• Interview: Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij on His Checkered Ska Past, Confounding Critics -- and Why Vampire Weekend is a Punk Band

  published Oct 01, 2010

  If you're reading this, you've probably already made up your mind about Vampire Weekend. Most find the New York quartet's music either delicious or disgusting, with very few people in the "just okay" ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Interview: Potty-mouthed Violinist Owen Pallett on "Bro Music," Sexuality and His Career

  published Sep 29, 2010

  In conversation, composer/violinist/songwriter Owen Pallett is outspoken. This might surprise those familiar with his music - from the serene orchestration on his acclaimed 2010 record, Heartland, and... More >>

• The Ponys

  published September 29, 2010

  By launching the careers of tranquil rockers such as Belle & Sebastian and Yo La Tengo, Matador Records could take blame for the trend of... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Review + Photos + Setlist: Kings of Leon Remains Poop-Free in St. Louis, Saturday, September 25

  published Sep 26, 2010

  Let's just get this out of the way now: pigeon shit, pigeon shit, pigeon shit. No rock concert has been stigmatized by bird feces as much as last evening's Kings Of Leon performance at Verizon Wireles... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Twelve Ways to Keep Kings Of Leon Poop-Free Tomorrow Night

  published Sep 24, 2010

  Tomorrow night, Kings of Leon returns to the scene of the bird-poop crime, the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. The concert is a make-up date for the band's abbreviated July 23 show, during which poopin... More >>

• Elf Power

  published September 22, 2010

  For psychedelic cult popsters Elf Power, the 2009 suicide of singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt hit close to home physically (both share a... More >>

• Colour Revolt

  published September 22, 2010

  Most who read the touring field guide Our Band Could Be Your Life came to the same conclusion: Bands these days couldn't cut it in the... More >>

• Jukebox The Ghost/Hooray For Earth/Via Audio

  published September 15, 2010

  Jukebox the Ghost's breakthrough debut, Let Live and Let Ghosts, led the group on a two-year touring binge, topped by an opening... More >>

• Cast Spells

  published September 15, 2010

  David Davison might be a wizard. Exhibit A: the superhuman technical feats he accomplishes as guitarist and frontman for Chicago math-rock... More >>

• Todd Rundgren

  published September 8, 2010

  A world without Todd Rundgren would be one where synthesizers and rock music were acquaintances rather than soul mates. Cruise lines... More >>

• Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship

  published September 1, 2010

  The flannel-clad fuzz rock of Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship is an ode to the three-year span between Sonic Youth's 1988 masterpiece... More >>

• Broken Social Scene works with Tortoise's John McEntire on its new album, Forgiveness Rock Record

  published August 25, 2010

  Those fortunate enough to witness Broken Social Scene's previous St. Louis performances can testify to the transcendent, exultant nature of the... More >>

• O'Brother/Felix Culpa

  published August 18, 2010

  Taking cues from post-Pixies dynamic troubadours Sunny Day Real Estate and Static Prevails-era Jimmy Eat World, the Atlanta quintet... More >>