Email Author Scott Heisel

2009 Stories by Scott Heisel

• Native/La Dispute

  published December 30, 2009

  Remember the '90s? No, not the mainstream '90s, the underground '90s, when bands played obtuse math-rock and post-punk to... More >>

• I See Stars

  published December 16, 2009

  How many screamo bands do you know that have a Grammy-winning rapper on speed dial? We can only think of one: The Warren, Michigan,... More >>

• Hawthorne Heights

  published December 16, 2009

  The premature death of a musician does one of two things: Either it gives their band a boost, however morbid (see pop-punk act Bayside, whose... More >>

• Mayday Parade

  published December 9, 2009

  Mayday Parade has spent much of its nascent career associating itself with the contemporary emo scene: The band's been on Warped Tour,... More >>

• Big D and the Kids Table

  published November 25, 2009

  The phrase "ska is dead" has been uttered so often by scenesters desperate to distance themselves from their checkered-shoe-wearing past that... More >>

• Boys Like Girls/Cobra Starship

  published November 12, 2009

  Pop music is meant to be just that: popular. Boys Like Girls knows this — which is why it's taken the mantra "go big or go home"... More >>

• Person L

  published November 12, 2009

  For those unsure about the difference between recently defunct pop-punk act the Starting Line and its more progressive offspring, Person... More >>

• Bomb the Music Industry!

  published November 12, 2009

  Starting in 2004 as a solo bedroom project for frontman Jeff Rosenstock after the dissolution of his popular ska band the Arrogant Sons of... More >>

• Teenage Bottlerocket

  published October 28, 2009

  While punk legends the Ramones are worthy of being an influence of just about every contemporary punk band, few decide to base their entire... More >>

• AFI

  published October 28, 2009

  Approaching two decades as a functioning band (with a few admittedly sketchy years in the beginning), AFI is effectively in punk rock... More >>

• MUTEMATH

  published October 21, 2009

  MUTEMATH — yup, the name's all one word and contains all capital letters and no, we have no idea why either — has been one... More >>

• Relient K

  published October 21, 2009

  After releasing six albums over the course of eleven years, it's strange to think that Canton, Ohio's Relient K is just now hitting its... More >>

• Taking Back Sunday

  published October 21, 2009

  For a few years in the mid-'00s, it was good to be Adam Lazzara. The Taking Back Sunday frontman was the king of the burgeoning... More >>

• Weatherbox

  published October 14, 2009

  Brian Warren, the sole permanent member of San Diego art-rock troupe Weatherbox, is a bit on the unusual side. His first full-length,... More >>

• Street Dogs

  published October 7, 2009

  Street-punk isn't exactly the easiest subgenre of punk rock in which to implant yourself — that three-foot mohawk ain't gonna spike... More >>

• Aggrolites

  published October 7, 2009

  One look at the four Los Angelinos who comprise the Aggrolites, and you might be surprised that they spend their nights playing sweet,... More >>

• Hanson/Hellogoodbye

  published September 30, 2009

  Although it's still trying to escape 1997's "MMMBop," the brotherly trio Hanson somehow managed to snag the "indie rock" moniker after... More >>

• Brand New/Manchester Orchestra

  published September 30, 2009

  Few bands under the ever-widening umbrella of contemporary emo have made stranger decisions than Long Island unit Brand New. From its... More >>

• Ben Folds

  published September 23, 2009

  Having flirted with the mainstream several times during his musical career, pianosmith Ben Folds now seems comfortable just being... More >>

• Owen

  published September 16, 2009

  The Kinsella family has been associated with the "emo" buzzword for nearly two decades at this point, whether it be referring to older brother... More >>

• Dear and the Headlights

  published September 9, 2009

  Take one look at (or listen to) Dear and the Headlights, and you'll likely be baffled when you learn that it's from Phoenix, Arizona... More >>

• The Honorary Title/Good Old War

  published September 2, 2009

  You might not recognize the faces of Brooklyn indie rockers the Honorary Title — especially because outside of frontman Jarrod... More >>

• Four Year Strong

  published August 26, 2009

  Make no mistake: Four Year Strong loves the '90s. Not only is its pop-hardcore sound a throwback to genre innovators the Movielife (as... More >>

• Andrew Jackson Jihad

  published August 12, 2009

  "Folk-punk" has become a four-letter word recently, with every two-bit hack thinking that picking up a poorly tuned acoustic and ceasing to... More >>

• Rx Bandits/Dredg

  published August 5, 2009

  Progressive rock isn't just for your dope-smoking, ponytail-wearing, uninvited-to-most-family-functions uncle anymore. A new batch of musicians... More >>