Email Author Ryan Wasoba

2011 Stories by Ryan Wasoba

• Mastodon

  published November 10, 2011

  Metal juggernaut Mastodon's newest effort, The Hunter, is the group's stripped-down, straight-forward rock record. If the awesome... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Statutory Rock Songs

  published Nov 07, 2011

  November is national Child Safety Protection Month. Part of protecting the young, naturally, is raising awareness of stranger dangers. We do that through warnings about taking candy and rides from unf... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Ben Folds with the St. Louis Symphony, 11/6/11: Review

  published Nov 07, 2011

  Ben Folds with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Powell Hall November 6, 2012 As he sat behind Powell Symphony Hall's grand piano and sang the phrase "Kiss my ass goodbye," the St. Louis Symphony Orch... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Ben Folds on Making the Most of a Misunderstood Career

  published Nov 04, 2011

  This Sunday, Ben Folds performs a sold-out show at Powell Hall alongside the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. We talked to the versatile, potty-mouthed and misunderstood performer during a rare moment of... More >>

• tUnE-yArDs

  published November 3, 2011

  Many have trod these same waters as tUnE-yArDs' Merrill Garbus, trading in a band for a looping pedal and marrying pop with noise, but none have... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Creepiest Children In Songs

  published Oct 31, 2011

  Happy Halloween! Let's celebrate with a list of the six best cameos from creepy children in song. 6. Michael Jackson - "Little Susie" The inclusion of Michael Jackson on this list has nothing to do ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Drum Fills

  published Oct 24, 2011

  In rock and roll, singers get the attention, guitarists get the glory and bass players usually just have to show up. It's the drummers of the world who often put in the most effort for the least retur... More >>

• Ume

  published October 27, 2011

  Ume is pronounced "ooh may," as in, "Ooh, may I purchase one of the CDs from the band that just destroyed at LouFest?" Few expected the Austin,... More >>

• Gin Blossoms

  published October 20, 2011

  Gin Blossoms' jangly pop jingles can be misleading. The Tempe, Arizona, band was steeped in chaos from its onset. Guitarist Doug Hopkins, who... More >>

• Spencer Krug isn't ready to go full-on singer-songwriter

  published October 20, 2011

  Some know Spencer Krug as the mastermind of ambient-rock outfit Sunset Rubdown. Others know him as a creative force in the pop powerhouse Wolf... More >>

• The Boss' Best Lyrics For Boss' Day

  published Oct 17, 2011

  Today is Bosses Day. If you knew that before you read it here, chances are your boss informed you of this fact when you arrived at work this morning. Unless your first name is Max and you have Conan O... More >>

• Steve Jobs' Six Best Music Innovations

  published Oct 10, 2011

  Apple (the Beatles record label) once sued Apple (the computer corporation). After initial squabbles over the right to name their companies after the same fruit, the two agreed that all was good as lo... More >>

• Better Than Ezra

  published October 13, 2011

  Better Than Ezra is best known for its radio slam dunks "Good" and "Desperately Wanting," both of which were singular enough to age well. The... More >>

• Emperor X On Stock Responses And Performative Marketing

  published Oct 06, 2011

  Chad Matheny, the quasi-local , geocaching rubber band spewing figurehead of Emperor X is performing at the Biliken Club on Friday (tomorrow) with So Many Dynamos. We spoke with Chad about his finally... More >>

• Larry Brown Jr.

  published October 6, 2011

  If the words Larry Brown Jr. don't ring any bells — or if you've confused him with the other thousand St. Louisans with the same name... More >>

• The Six Best "Bad" Guitar Solos

  published Oct 03, 2011

  The guitar solo has become an integral part of the rock and roll formula, either as a melodic counterpoint to a vocal line or an excuse for showing off. But there's a different kind of solo out there.... More >>

• The Six Best R.E.M. Non-Singles

  published Sep 26, 2011

  When I was in seventh grade, before I knew anything about indie rock or Athens, Georgia, or Reagan-era politics, R.E.M. was my favorite band. I'm certainly not alone; the band was a landmark in many l... More >>

• The Dodos

  published September 22, 2011

  There are two factual nuggets most commonly known about San Francisco's the Dodos: The group consists of two people, and its 2008 jam "Fools"... More >>

• Six Best Blatant Drug References In Song

  published Sep 16, 2011

  Drugs are a crucial part of the classic triumvirate of rock & roll; very few things in our society are of enough import to rival "sex." As a result, drugs have been mentioned and implied in countless ... More >>

• The Six Best Song Count Offs

  published Sep 09, 2011

  In popular song, the count off is a tool of function. Somebody counts from one to four (or three, or if people have even once compared the band to Don Cabellero, seven), and the musicians know when to... More >>

• Bomb the Music Industry!

  published August 25, 2011

  Jeff Rosenstock, the figurehead of Bomb the Music Industry! and Quote Unquote Records has become a DIY icon in the Internet age, a digitally... More >>

• LouFest Interviews: !!! On Outlasting Fads And Having An Unpronounceable Name

  published Aug 18, 2011

  When !!! vocalist, cowbellist, and hype-man Nic Offer spoke to us on the phone, he was waiting for a BLT. If the restaurant was spinning the Sacramento band's newest offering Strange Weather, Isn't It... More >>

• Janelle Monae

  published August 18, 2011

  In 2010, Janelle Monáe broke out like acne on an eighth grader with her robot-obsessed, asexual and surprisingly human R&B record The... More >>

• Atmosphere

  published August 11, 2011

  It was once common to hear the name Atmosphere and the descriptor "emo rap" in the same breath. This would read as a derogatory... More >>

• Vent Up Road Wars: The Vans Warped Tour Anagrams Game For The Whole Family

  published Aug 01, 2011

  The Vans Warped Tour is upon us: in two days 65 bands will play the St. Louis leg at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. In honor of the occasion, we've constructed anagrams of varying descriptive accu... More >>