1. Hyrrokkin: This post rock leaning avant-jazz band has huge chops.  http://www.facebook.com/hyrrokkinband
2. Feathered Serpent: Tons of attitude and a skull-rattling Am Rep-inspired sound.
   http://www.reverbnation.com/featheredserpent3000
3. Footbinder: Pulverizing math- and noise-rock inspired sonic experimentation.
   http://www.footbinder.bandcamp.com
4. Neon Warship: Arena-ready stoner metal from the states finest heavy songwriters.
   http://www.youtube.com/user/NeonWarship?feature=mhee&fb_source=message
5. Struck By Lightning: Destroys shit!
   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Struck-by-Lightning/213670235570?ref=ts
6. Mixtapes: Adorable, poppy and heartfelt punk rock.
   http://www.facebook.com/MixtapesOhio
7. Worship This!: Hardcore-inspired punk from the heart of the Midwest.
   http://www.facebook.com/WorshipThisOH

Seven more to come in the near future…

Conduits

Shoegazey Omaha-based quintet Conduits emerged with their debut in March 2012 and immediately hit the road with hometown heroes Cursive.  Drawing comparisons to Portishead, Slowdive and Spiritualized, the band deliver soundscapes that embrace everything droney, psychedelic and rhythmic.  Fronted by vocalist Jenna Morrison, known for her work with indie rockers Son, Ambulance, the band is quickly becoming a mainstay of the Midwest indie rock scene.  Ghettoblaster caught up with Morrison to ask her a few questions about her drama-some current home.

1. What’s your town’s nickname?
Omaha.

2. What’s your nickname for your town?
Years ago, I am pretty sure that I coined the phrase, Dramaha. However, like anywhere, it is only dramatic if you allow it to be. I like to call it “The O.M.A.” – But I really only call it that to myself.

3. Why do you live there?
I live here because I’m connected to and surrounded by a really wonderful network of businesses, artists and musicians. I’m not sure that this is true, but I feel it would be incredibly hard to replace what I have here. This city is getting better and better, and on top of it, I can actually almost afford to be an artist and live here!

4. Did you grow up there? If not, what brought you there?
I grew up not far away (in Iowa) and would always come over for shows. Singing has always been my greatest passion. I got tired of driving over, so I moved here, despite keeping a job in Iowa. 

5. What’s the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you there?
I had a re-occuring angry homeless man who seemed to find me everywhere. I even woke up one morning to a knock at my door, looked out, and there he was, grunting angrily. He yelled at me for giving him $5, once. Our short relationship went quickly south, after that.

6. What is your favorite local attraction (monument, park, etc)?
My favorite monuments are just over the river in Council Bluffs, because you can actually look out over Omaha, the airport, etc from them. Louis and Clark Monument, and the Lincoln Monument. The Black Angel in Council Bluffs gets an honorable mention.

7. What is your favorite local event or festival?
Maha Music Festival is my favorite, thus far.

8. What is the best time of year to be there?
Spring and Fall, of course. If I can eventually start going south for the winter, I will. In a heartbeat.

9. Who is your favorite local celebrity?
Trey and Lallaya Lalley. They are one.

10. Where is the best place to drink and what’s their specialty or happy hour?
Brothers Lounge. It’s a punk rock/rock bar with an old school jukebox (most 21 year olds can’t seem to figure it out). And everything is cheap. That is the special. But there is a cocktail menu, and drinks made from home made simple syrup with different herbs, depending on the time of year. The vibe and the genuine owners really top it all off.

11. Who has the best jukebox (and what’s in it)?
Ha. Again. Brothers Lounge. There’s Nick Cave, Brian Eno, Cursive, Ladyfinger, Capgun Coup, CSS, My Bloody Valentine, Souxsie and the Banshees, and Man Man. Lots of local/regional faves. Obviously, more than I can list.

12. Do you play music there? If so, where is your favorite place to play?
It really is a tossup. I enjoy The Slowdown and The Waiting Room. If we are in the mood for a more intimate show, usually Brothers or O’leavers.

13. Does where you live influence your music?
Definitely. And more than anything, I think that the music scene here influences us to strive to be better. There are a lot of heavy hitters in a relatively small city. I wouldn’t say we are competitive, or at least I am not, but we see people who live here doing great things, and we strive to do great things, too. 

14. What is your favorite place to see live music and what was your favorite show there?
Bright Eyes actually played my favorite show in Omaha at Memorial Park a few years back. The band was definitely going all out on stage, and behind the stage the sun was setting. The sky opened up and exploaded with rain on all of us. It was suddenly freezing, and my paper thin summer dress was sticking to my body. I felt naked, and my phone got destroyed. Bright Eyes music tied the whole scene together. It took me over and I stood by myself, shivering in the crowd until the whole thing was over. It was just the kind of beautiful disaster that you never forget. After that, I would say Godspeed! You Black Emperor at the Music Box (a venue that doesn’t exist anymore) was a particularly important show for me. I feel seeing that show really shaped me as a music patron, and as an artist.

15. What is your favorite local band?
Do I have to only have one? I just can’t do it. Cursive, Gus & Call, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship, Icky Blossoms, InDreama, Honeybee & Hers, Millions of Boys, Little Brazil, The So So Sailors, Dim Light, Neva Dinova, UUVVWWZ….. Can’t I just love everybody? Because I could keep going.

16. What is your favorite diner or restaurant and what is their best dish?
Vietnamese Asian Restaurant on 72nd street is definitely my favorite and most frequented eatery. We actually have our band meetings there, now. If you aren’t vegan, I would recommend Pho with chicken or tofu. If you are, the vermicelli with tofu. I actually spent our entire month long tour with Cursive trying to find pho that was just as good, and it never happened. I had pho five times on tour.

17. What is your favorite record store and what was your best find there?
The Antiquarium is my favorite record store. I haven’t bought records there in some time. I lost my record player in a breakup, and haven’t picked one back up. My last purchases there were CD’s. I do remember getting my Electrelane CD, there, upon a friends request. That was a pleasant surprise.

18. What is your favorite local publication (alternative weekly, zine, website or blog)?
Lazy-I.com would be my top. Tim McMahan has been leading that shit for years. I am really happy about the startups that have popped up over the last couple years – Omahype and Hearnebraska. These are all music based websites/blogs.

19. What is your favorite local shop?
I’m really a thrift store girl (I bet you knew that I was going to say that), but as far as local goes, I’m a big fan of Second Chance in the Old Market. Also, there are a few Antique Stores on Leavenworth St. that I am kind of fascinated by. 

20. If you could live anywhere else, where would that be?
I’ve always wanted to live in either San Fran or NYC, but was never sure I would be able to get on my feet there. However, in the last couple of years, I have visited friends in Austin a lot and I really dig the general vibe there. It seems like it might be more my speed, with just enough culture to hold me over.

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.

With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.

In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and  activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces.  In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985’s Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds  disbursed to the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.

Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including  “So Whatcha Want,” “Intergalactic,” “Body Movin” and “Ch-Check It Out.” Under his own name, Yauch directed last year’s Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for “Make Some Noise” from Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.

Yauch’s passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy,  Oren Moverman’s The Messenger,  Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.

Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.”

Kaitlyn Maria Filippini

While in line for food at an over-the-top reception hosted by a defense contractor during a week-long science conference isn’t the place I’d have expected to meet a musician. But Omaha’s Kaitlyn Maria Filippini, a trained violinist who studied at Berklee School of Music before completing a degree in neuroscience at the University of Nebraska Omaha, isn’t your typical science nerd either. When she isn’t rubbing elbows in the science and technology world, she is building a mind-boggling performance resume that includes everyone from Gladys Knight to Michael Buble, Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher, Mannheim Steamroller, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Mary J. Blige, Josh Groban, The Big Deep, and Skypiper. She is completing singles for release later this year.

Ghettoblaster caught up with Filippini to discuss the highlights of her homebase, Omaha, Nebraska. Here’s what she had to say…

1. What’s your town’s nickname?
Home-aha

2. What’s your nickname for your town? Home ? Why do you live there?
Omaha has a low cost of living, nice people, American Gramaphone Records, talent, and my family.  ?

3. Did you grow up there? If not, what brought you there?
I didn’t grow up here, but it is the only place that has ever registered as “home” for me. The reason we moved here was because  of my sickness as a child. Omaha had the best medical center out of all the cities that my father was offered a job through First Data.  Who knew?

4. What’s the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you there?
Let’s just say that there is a lot of fun to be had in Omaha, and what happens in Omaha…will likely end up on Facebook. One of the weirdest things that has every happened to me was that I managed to crash the huge New Years Eve GOO dance party at the Slowdown last year (2011). Through just a few contacts, I ended up getting past the bouncers with my violin case, meeting the DJs for the first time, plugging into their mixer, and jamming out all night. It is probably my most favorite memory of playing with DJs, since their DJ collective was the original reason why I wanted to get into the scene.

5. What is your favorite local attraction (monument, park, etc)?
I love the Old Market. It’s a section of downtown Omaha that has brick streets, horse drawn carriages, great food, and great music. There are usually musicians playing on the sidewalk, and around Thanksgiving time there are Christmas lights everywhere. I’m a sucker for Christmas lights. ?

6. What is your favorite local event or festival?
Absolutely the Winter lights festival. There are white Christmas lights everywhere downtown and all over the Gene Leahy mall. I know it’s probably a wasteful use of electricity, but it’s my most favorite thing in town.

7. What is the best time of year to be there?
Either the time period between Thanksgiving – New Years for the Winter Lights Festival, or during the College World Series games (baseball).  We just got a new stadium for the College World Series downtown, so that should be especially great this year.

8. Who is your favorite local celebrity? Warren Buffett. I’ve played a few gigs with/for him, and he can play a mean Ukelele.

9. Where is the best place to drink and what is their specialty or happy Hour?
I am allergic to alcohol, but I always hear that Krug Park is where it is at. It’s a new bar that was just owned by the owners of The Waiting Room. They specialize in craft beers and specialty drinks.  Fun fact: I’ve performed with Conor Oberst there. ?

10. Who has the best jukebox (and what’s in it)?
The Sidney has a jukebox! It’s electronic, so everything and anything. Usually that means that you’re going to hear new club hits as well as hits from the 90s.

11. Do you play music there? If so, where is your favorite place to play?
Honestly, I’ll play music anywhere. My favorite venues are The Slowdown, The Waiting Room, The CenturyLink Center, and House of Loom. I also frequently play at places that don’t normally have live music such as Sushi Blue, Rehab, and Capitol.

12. Does where you live influence your music?
Of course! There are so many talented people here that I feel that my music has become a sort of melting pot. I grew up listening to Mannheim Steamroller and movie scores, but in my twenties I have gotten more into progressive rock and the DJ scene. My music is a mesh of all these things. I blame my synesthesia.

13. What is your favorite place to see live music and what was your favorite show there?
My favorite place to see live music is The Slowdown. Hands down, my favorite show there is when a local DJ collective (GOO) throws it down on their annual New Years party.  It was one of their New Years shows that inspired me to want to perform with DJs, and completely changed my life (musically, and personally).

14. What is your favorite local band?
I really have a hard time with this question because there are so many talented people. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to perform with every single one of them:

Singer/song writers: Conor Oberst and All Young Girls Are Machine Guns

Bands: Skypiper, The Big Deep,  Filter Kings.

15. What is your favorite diner or restaurant and what is their best dish?
O Dining. I frequent their curry and dumplings , but they have so many amazing dishes that it is hard to pick just one. I also enjoy this restaurant because you can get both great drinks and great espresso. I can’t drink alcohol, so this is one of the few legitimate bars that I can sit down and have a drink with friends. Their staff is like a family, and I enjoy performing there frequently.

16. What is your favorite record store and what was your best find there?
Drastic Plastic is the local record store in town that most everyone frequents. My best find there was not music, but I’ve found several friends there. That’s kind of normal for Omaha.

17. What is your favorite local publication (alternative weekly, zine, website or blog)?
The Reader. They cover all the creative news going around Omaha. They are a huge supporter of the music scene, and I enjoy their reviews. 

18. What is your favorite local shop?
Caffeine Dreams! It seems to be the hub for the creative scene in Omaha. Every day you will find musicians, artists, web developers, designers, and whatnot just hanging out. Also, it is a “go to” spot for first dates. There is art from local artists all over the walls, so I suppose you have something to talk about no matter what.

19. If you could live anywhere else, where would that be?
I’d have a house in L.A and an apartment in NYC that I would use for business trips, but I think I’d always want to have our home base in Omaha. It’s a great place to raise a family, and I plan on doing so some day. You can’t beat it.

 (For all the latest on Filippini, visit her website here: www.KaitlynMariaFilippini.com.)

Ed Schrader's Music Beat

In March, Load Records released Ed Schrader’s Music Beat’s Jazz Mind, a wild and chaotic post-punk offering that recalls Swans and Joy Division, showing former Wham City member Ed Schrader’s fruitful collaboration with bassist Devlin Rice.  Though the Baltimore-based duo is packing for an East Coast trek with Future Islands later this month, Ed Schrader took some time to answer our questions about his stomping grounds.  Here’s what he had to say about Baltimore:

1. What’s your town’s nickname?
Charm City

2. What’s your nickname for your town?
Baltimore, I honestly just call it that.

3. Why do you live there?
I visited in 2006 and fell in love. There were 10 people at a dance party way dorkier than me and they were unabashedly cutting loose and just being themselves without the cold restraint that I found in the hard core and indie rock scene, this was Wham City!

4. Did you grow up there? If not, what brought you there?
No, essentially the cheap rent and wonderful music scene filled with folks who actually wanted to see you get ahead were what brought me. Wham City was the key stone in that though, I wanted so bad to be in Wham City, I thought these guys have really tapped into something, and their energy and enthusiasm was infectious, it is a family that I am honored to be part of, they saved my life!

5. What’s the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you there?
A man once yelled “hey!!” I responded “What?” and he said “You want your dick sucked.” I said “no thanks” then he said exasperated “for free!!?” I repeated “no thanks, I’m flattered but no thanks” to which he replied angrily “FUCK YOU!!!” I ran home, it was raining.

6. What is your favorite local attraction (monument, park, etc)?
I really love Camden Yards, it is truly one of the most beautiful baseball fields in America, and for $8 you can pretend to go to the picnic area and then actually sneak into the $150 box seats, and security doesn’t care. Seriously do it!

7. What is your favorite local event or festival?
Whartscape baby!

8. What is the best time of year to be there?
I’ll tell ya The Spring is fricken gorgeous here, lots of those pink flower trees, and Mount Vernon with her miniature parks and beautiful cobble stone roads along the Washington Statue is about as good as it gets!

9. Who is your favorite local celebrity?
The folks at Boone Street Farms, Brian Eliza, and my girlfriend Cheryl.  With little to no budget they set up a flourishing community garden working hands on with the kids and folks in the area to put together something really special that has had a very positive impact in an area void of healthy food options (i.e. food desert).  It is really amazing to watch people do something that monumental in a completely anonymous way/opposite of me (a big show boat ha ha). That to me is a real local celebrity.

10. Where is the best place to drink and what’s their specialty or happy hour?
Java Moon Cafe, in Penn Station, between 5 and 8 there are $1.50 Millers, and $1 mini Pizzas.

11. Who has the best jukebox (and what’s in it)?
I’d say The Club Charles by far, between The Clash, Wire, Future Islands, Dan Deacon, Patsy Cline, and The Santa Dads, you can hear it all!

12. Do you play music there? If so, where is your favorite place to play?
No, hands down Floristree!

13. Does where you live influence your music?
My room influences me to drink my town influences me to rage against the dying of the light!

14. What is your favorite place to see live music and what was your favorite show there?
Floristree, when I saw Doomsday Student , it was EPIC.

15. What is your favorite local band?
The Ram Ones

16. What is your favorite diner or restaurant and what is their best dish?
Mount Vernon Stable: The Twiced Baked Potato!

17. What is your favorite record store and what was your best find there?
The True Vine : REM’s first EP Chronic Town.

18. What is your favorite local publication (alternative weekly, zine, website or blog)?
The City Paper, well since I stopped writing for them it’s gotten so much better, all joke on the side after touring the country and reading many alt weeklies, I honestly have to say we got a real gem here. Bret McCabe is one of my favorite writers, and I had the pleasure of working with him when I did book and music reviews (don’t laugh), though he does not work there any more he really established  a level of integrity and quality that is unsurpassed by any other alt weekly in America .  The political reporting is also in depth and pretty damn edgy for a little scrappy weekly , seriously give it a gander.

19. What is your favorite local shop?|
Calvin’s baby!   It’s across the street from my house! Bacon, beer and batteries.

20. If you could live anywhere else, where would that be?
The apartment building in Brooklyn New York that has (no joke) DJ Dog Dick for a super! How rad is that?  He’s also an electrician! And rumor has it he sports an orange jump suit when he collects the rent! Pumped to hear his new album!

Toys That Kill

Mike Watt painted the name of his hometown on his bass and everybody started calling him “Pedro.”  It is apparent when talking to Toys That Kill singer/guitarist and Recess Records founder Todd Congelliere that he carries the same sense of pride in his San Pedro, California roots.  The California punk heroes will depart from Pedro later this month when they begin a series of live dates in support of their forthcoming record, Fambly 42, which drops via Recess Records on May 15.  Check out what Congelliere had to say about the town before perusing upcoming live dates below:

1. What’s your town’s nickname?
Speedro

2.What’s your nickname for your town?
Pedro (pronounced Peeeeee-Dro).
 
3. Why do you live there?
Because it’s the ghetto by the sea

4. Did you grow up there? If not, what brought you there?
I grew up in Torrance. Chachi was born and raised here. Me and Sean have been here for almost 20 years. I opened a record store here and ended up having to move into it, sleeping in the back room. Pedro mornings were soooo nice I had to stay for good.

5. What’s the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you there?
Something weird happens to me every day here.

6. What is your favorite local attraction (monument, park, etc)?
Sunken City. It’s where a portion of the city fell into the Pacific Ocean. We take out of towners there. Broken up sidewalks right on the beach.

7. What is your favorite local event or festival?
Wailing of a Town-Craig Ibarra’s fest.

8. What is the best time of year to be there?
It’s Southern California. Always. I like winters though. Cos I like jackets a lot. I have five of them. Ok maybe 15.

9. Who is your favorite local celebrity?
Mike Watt.

10. Where is the best place to drink and what’s their specialty or happy hour?
My living room. $1.78 Guinness.

11. Who has the best jukebox (and what’s in it)?
For me to say there is a “best” jukebox in Pedro, or even a decent one for that matter, would be criminal. I “almost” convinced Reagan over at Godmother’s Bar to let me redecorate their jukebox, but they we’re too attached to that one Indigo Girls song.

12. Do you play music there? If so, where is your favorite place to play?
Yes. Cali Mucho.

13. Does where you live influence your music?
Totally! Pedro inspires creativity. We have a close knit of friends always creating stuff. Whether it’s art, music, crafts, skateboards there’s always inspiration from friends.

14. What is your favorite place to see live music and what was your favorite show there?
Babe’s Warehouse. Just on the outskirts and closed but by far the best place to play and see bands.

15. What is your favorite local band?
Cabrillo Beach Boys

16. What is your favorite diner or restaurant and what is their best dish?
Rex’s Cafe. Eggs Cabrillo (English muffin, Eggs, Avocado and special sauce-named after Cabrillo Beach)

17. What is your favorite record store and what was your best find there?
Williams Book store. SSDecontrol Get It Away.

18. What is your favorite local publication (alternative weekly, zine, website or blog)?
Rise and Fall (of the Harbor Area)

19. What is your favorite local shop?
Sunken City Skates, Union War Surplus, Mcthrift but they all closed!! Hey consumers!! Get with it!!

20. If you could live anywhere else, where would that be?
Pt. Fermin (South Pedro)

(Catch Toys That Kill live at one of these upcoming shows:
May 25th Oakland,CA at the New Parish (1234go Records Fest)
May 26th Sacramento,CA at Luigi’s Fun Garden +
May 28th Las Vegas,NV at Punk Rock Bowling
May 29th Albuquerque,NM at the Gasworks
May 30th Denton,TX at Rubber Gloves
May 31st Austin,TX Chaos in Tejas at the Parish $
June 1st Austin,TX day off at Chaos in Tejas
June 2nd Las Cruces,NM at the Trainyard
June 3rd Phoenix,AZ at the Meat Market
July 15th Los Angeles, CA at The Fonda *
July 26th-29th Hawaii (TBA)
October 26th – 28th Gainesville, FL at The Fest

+ = w/ the Bananas, Ennui Trust and RAD
$ = w/ Pierced Arrows,Tenement,Gun Outfit,Teenage Cool Kids and more!
* = w/ Screeching Weasel and The Queers)

Ohio lost a huge asset to the heavy music scene here when Jeff Lohrber, formerly of Harlots, Trap Them, Shai Hulud and a buttload of other bands, packed his bags and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Thankfully, the band’s upcoming tour, during which they’ll preview material from forthcoming album All Hail The Void (for Southern Lord), brings them back to the heart-shaped state for a handful of dates. 

Ghettoblaster caught up with the guitarist of the punk/grind/hardcore quartet recently to ask him a handful of questions about Brew City.  Here’s what he said.

1. What’s your nickname for your town?

I don’t really have one, but Brew City is the popular one. Milwaukee love’s beer.

2. Why do you live there?

I came up here to play drums in a band about five years ago, said band broke up, and I moved back to Ohio. I came up to play a last show with them a few months later and decided to not go back to Ohio.

3. Did you grow up there? If not, what brought you there?

I grew up in Greenville Ohio. The main thing that made me stay in Milwaukee is my current girlfriend and also bassist of Enabler Amanda Daniels. She’s rad.

4. What’s the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you there?

Watching my friend sleepwalk into his living room and piss all over his TV and movies on the 4th of July.

 5. What is your favorite local attraction (monument, park, etc)?

I do love living next to Lake Michigan, and Reservoir Park is pretty cool, it’s the highest point in Milwaukee and has an awesome view of the skyline.

6. What is your favorite local event or festival?

Robot Mosh Fest was sick, unfortunately it hasn’t gone on for 4 years and I dearly miss it.

7. What is the best time of year to be there?

Summer and Fall are awesome. The lake is beautiful around those times of the year. Spring however is usually miserable here.

8. Who is your favorite local celebrity?

Andy Hurley, haha.

9. Where is the best place to drink and what’s their specialty or happy hour?

My house. My specialty is a bottle of cheap wine and I get to pick what I listen to and what volume it should be played at. I hate going to bars…

10. Who has the best jukebox (and what’s in it)?

Last jukebox I looked at was at Riverhorse and I remember there being Dead Kennedys and Black Flag records in there.

11. Do you play music there? If so, where is your favorite place to play?

The place we play most frequently is The Borg Ward, which is a pretty cool D.I.Y. spot. I really loved playing shows at The Eagle’s Nest while it lasted, and for bigger shows I love playing at Miramar Theatre. Another honorable mention is Cactus Club, perfect sound every time we play.

12. Does where you live influence your music? 

Most definitely. While living in Ohio, the Mouth of the Architect guys and pretty much every band they were in previously (Twelve Tribes, Rune, Dead Blue Sky) made a huge impact on me growing up. In Milwaukee, it’s a little different. Punk and DIY elitism have been at an all time high, and a lot of what I have to say is a definite fuck you to their mentality. Music is for everyone, not just a select few.

13. What is your favorite place to see live music and what was your favorite show there?

My favorite show I’ve seen in Milwaukee was Slang (from Japan) at The Outhouse. I had never heard the band before, and they looked like they would be a Japanese street punk band, but when they started it was some of the best hardcore I had heard in years. Close runners up are Today is the Day / Keelhaul / Sweet Cobra show at Cactus Club, The Killer at The Eagle’s Nest, Torche at The Borg Ward, and Wormrot at Mad Planet. They were all so fucking good!

14. What is your favorite local band?

Northless and Protestant. I love both bands equally. Get Rad is a close runner up.

15. What is your favorite diner or restaurant and what is their best dish?

Riverwest Co-Op. BBQ Tofu or Seitan Philly is the jam, with the Chikn fried Tofu as a close runner up, just depends on what I’m in the mood for.

16. What is your favorite record store and what was your best find there?

Halo of Flies Records distro. It’s obviously not a record store and he only puts up shop at select shows. It’s a toss up on best find. Martyrdod “Sekt” LP (awesome Swedish crust), Integrity “To Die For” 10?, Propagandhi / Sacrifice split 7?.

17. What is your favorite local publication (alternative weekly, zine, website or blog)?

Shepherd Express is the only one I really see on a regular basis. Didn’t That Hurt was an awesome site for years, but things have kind of died down with it in the past few years. Zines pop up here and there, but nothing consistent.

18. What is your favorite local shop?

Again, Riverwest Co-Op. They meet all my needs as a vegan.

(Here is the full-list of Enabler’s upcoming tour dates:

5/6 St. Louis, MO @ The Foxhole w/ Neon Warship

5/7 Denver, CO @ Blast-o-mat

5/8 Albuquerque, NM @ Gasworks

5/9 Phoenix, AZ @ Wallstreet

5/10 San Deigo, CA @ Bar 11 w/ Griever

5/11 Los Angeles, CA @ The Joint w/ Wizard Rifle

5/12 San Jose, CA @ House of the Dead Rat w/ At Our Heels

5/13 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock Tavern w/ At Our Heels

5/14 Portland, OR @ The Know

5/15 Seattle, WA @ Highline

5/16 Boise, ID @ The Shredder

5/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Medusa w/ Northless)

If you like, let’s see… Orange Goblin, or The Black Keys, or Spiritualized, or The Magnetic Fields, or the Dirty Three, or Cursive, or Damien Jurado, or Blonde Redhead, well this just might be the issue for you. It’s full of kick-assery and good shit and everything.

If you’re interested, head on over to the In Print page to order this issue, or perhaps a whole year’s worth of print issues! Do it!

Welcome to the 2011 Winter issue of Ghettoblaster Magazine! This time around we’ve got all sorts of goodness, including our cover piece on Ghettoblaster faves Guided by Voices, interviews with DJ Shadow, RJD2, Mastodon, Russian Circles, Wolves in the Throne Room and many more. And, of course, all the requisite album, book and movie reviews.

As usual, you can order Ghettoblaster #30 it by sending us an email. Or you can subscribe to our quarterly issues for a whole year to keep the good times rolling.

Readers of Ghetto Blaster Magazine will know that Creature is not a new comer to the hustle. The grind is Creatures’ ethos and it is no surprise that he summons the name of Chester Himes for his EP title. Chester Himes was a man who amidst an extreme amount of adversity and prejudice never gave in to his grind. Listening to this project in the last few days has been hitting me like bricks from the temple of hip hop. Creature takes command of the pulpit to give us his sermon of hip hop gospel! Don’t be fooled though he’s not here to be a savior – he’s here to make it clear…people we need to get off of that bullshit!!! His latest offering an EP alongside beat smith, Prefuse 73, is a testament that we can still Embrace the Day. The duo, complement each other impressively. Prefuse’s malleable production sets an ominous aura that Creature regulates throughout the 5 track mini opus. Creature’s subject matter is raw – no chaser. While 85% of hip hop today consists of materialistic, disingenuous jargon Creature bridges the gap with the truths of a seasoned lyricist. If you’re looking for shortcuts in hip hop keep it moving, cause’ Creature takes no shorts in crafting and showcasing his skills as an MC.