BY JONATHAN HOULON I figured I’d shoot a few Wires from the Bunker out to you, my loyal and multitudinous Phawker readers. We’re hunkered down here in the Houlon house. Practicing pop and lock and any other dance moves we can get our feet on. We’ll be ready whenever the winds shift. 45’s been talking about coming back with a bang. Of course, Saint Strummer said: It’s not Christmas time. It’s Armageddon Time. And He was pretty astute. No matter. When the doors open, the Houlons’ll be ready to pop, lock, and ease on down the road. But while you’ve […]

ROLLING STONE: When Bob Dylan‘s five concerts in the San Francisco Bay Area were scheduled in December 1965, the idea was proposed that he hold a press conference in the studios of KQED, the educational television station. Dylan accepted and flew out a day early to make it. He arrived early for the press conference accompanied by Robbie Robertson and several other members of his band, drank tea in the KQED office and insisted that he was ready to talk about “anything you want to talk about.” His only request was that he be able to leave at 3 p.m. […]

RIP John Prine – Some Humans Ain’t Human by Neil Nathan “I feel blessed to have seen John Prine on his last tour for The Tree of Forgiveness record. It was a joy to witness him dancing around, happy as a clam, doing what he loved. Some Humans Ain’t Human encapsulates a lot of what I love about John Prine songs, hard truths spoken plainly, laced with that uniquely dark sense of humor, which makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time. He also has a gift for making the personal political and vice versa. In the […]

? When The Dream Syndicate emerged in the early ’80s, front man Steve Wynn declared, “We’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it.” He added, “I’ll compromise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.” Both were true, and although their template of Velvet Underground meets Crazy Horse may seem commonplace today (and let’s not forget, the Syndicate spawned many imitators), their raw twin guitar, bass and drums approach was not common during an era when slick, polished MTV bands ruled. Thirty years later The Dream […]

Today, the Los Angeles-based production house American Primitive debuted “Invasion Night,” the official music video for The Rentals’ newish single. Created by former Buddyhead founder Travis Keller and his partners at American Primitive, including cinematographer/editor Jacob Mendel, “Invasion Night” is a fantastical slice of Armageddon-inspired science fiction. The short film takes place just moments after a vengeful alien adversary instantly and effortlessly brings near total annihilation to our unsuspecting, naive planet. In the aftermath of this global apocalypse, a connection forms between the last two living beings on Earth, a lone woman and a small dog… “Invasion Night” is their story. “Shortly after Travis and […]

  In the five years since she’s released an album, Grimes’ public image has transformed from burgeoning indie star into love interest of everyone’s favorite billionaire Elon Musk. In the interim, Grimes sated listeners thirst for new material with a one-off single called “We Appreciate Power” with her collaborator Hana. The song was exciting and metallic, and it had the most transcendent bridge of her career to date, only furthering the upward trajectory of Grimes’ artistry since 2012’s Visions. Her next studio effort, 2015’s Art Angels, was the strongest collection of songs she had released up to that point. All […]