Music interviews! | Metromix Chicago

Music interviews!

February 4, 2008

Two Adams for the price of one

Two Adams for the price of one

Friends and fellow rockers Maroon 5 and Counting Crows team up for a summer tour

Zooey sings!

Zooey sings!

Actress Zooey Deschanel is turning heads as one-half of breakout folk-rockers She & Him

Vanessa Carlton, piano girl

Vanessa Carlton, piano girl

She’s signed to a hip-hop label and loves Gershwin. Meet the future of piano-pop.

We’re feeling the Faint

We’re feeling the Faint

Todd Fink talks about his synth-rock crew’s new album—and why he changed his name to ‘Fink’

Q-Tip: ‘Renaissance’ man

Q-Tip: ‘Renaissance’ man

With A Tribe Called Quest’s latest reunion and a long-awaited solo disc, the rap legend is keeping busy

'Not Motley Crue'

'Not Motley Crue'

Members of local outfit Bound Stems embrace their geeky sides and their day jobs

The Kid Sister smackdown

The Kid Sister smackdown

Chicago’s hottest female rapper calls us out for our lack of wrestling knowledge

Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution

Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution

Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution tour promises plenty of hard rock and (maybe) flying surfboards

No Age doesn't want your money

No Age doesn't want your money

Los Angeles art-punk duo wants to launch a vegan-friendly empire—one free party at a time

Wolf Parade drives us crazy

Wolf Parade drives us crazy

Canada’s indie supergroup explains its Fine Young Cannibals connection

Alkaline Trio: transcendental punks

Alkaline Trio: transcendental punks

Meditation, ‘The Hills’—have these Chicago punks gone totally L.A.?

'Venues beware'

'Venues beware'

Unassuming singer-songwriter Samantha Crain destroyed one local bar, and she’d do it again

Katy Perry crashes the boys’ club

Katy Perry crashes the boys’ club

Is Warped Tour ready for the girl-kissing pop provocateur?

Crying it out

Crying it out

No matter how sunny Maria Taylor sounds, her tunes still make Mom tear up

Keeping it faux

Keeping it faux

Catching up with New York’s original fake French band, Les Sans Culottes

So you wanna be an air guitar star

So you wanna be an air guitar star

Bjorn Turoque explains the joys of rockin’ out on an invisible six-string

Earning their stripes

Earning their stripes

Midwest rockers the Republic Tigers prepare for their mainstream close-up

Jamie Lidell rises and shines

Jamie Lidell rises and shines

To be the world’s most soulful Englishman, you have to get up early

Sloppy on purpose

Sloppy on purpose

Welsh indie rockers Los Campesinos! prefer drunken fun to coherent live performances

Panic breeds clarity

Panic breeds clarity

Ex-emo poster boys Panic at the Disco are cool if they don’t hang on your wall

Sing for the Submarines

Sing for the Submarines

How does this husband-wife team make such catchy indie pop? It’s not as easy as it looks

'Cue up the blues

'Cue up the blues

Blues musician and barbecue vet Jimmy Burns really knows how to cook

Death Cab for Cutie will possess you

Death Cab for Cutie will possess you

Ben Gibbard talks about eight-minute singles, headlining festivals and outlasting ‘The O.C.’

Augustana’s rock star moment

Augustana’s rock star moment

The band behind the hit ‘Boston’ isn’t quite living in the fast lane...yet

The Robyn revolution

The Robyn revolution

Sweden’s hottest export this side of IKEA is here to jumpstart modern pop music

DeVotchKa: tubas, accordions and sexy acrobats

DeVotchKa: tubas, accordions and sexy acrobats

Denver’s global pop band brings their circus-like show to town

David Ford, the polite rocker

David Ford, the polite rocker

Meet the British singer who’s a one-man band—and a one-man cleaning crew

Roots on the rise

Roots on the rise

Hip-hop’s leading live act likes to keep them guessing

Cute and delicious

Cute and delicious

Singer Kate Nash invents her own flavor of Brit-pop

‘The option to zigzag’

‘The option to zigzag’

The Mars Volta provides the soundtrack to your wild, swerving road trip

Freedom fighter

Freedom fighter

Rapper-poet Saul Williams and his ‘Niggy Tardust’ alter ego tackle some tough issues

Lemony fresh

Lemony fresh

Indie hip-hop duo Atmosphere’s rhymes—and jokes—are pretty damned juicy

Troubadours of metal

Troubadours of metal

Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine leads his latest troupe of headbangers out on the third Gigantour

So sue him!

So sue him!

If Bon Iver’s music literally bowls you over, singer Justin Vernon will take the blame

Pedal to the metal

Pedal to the metal

R.E.M. is back and louder than ever. Michael Stipe explains why his band needed to ‘Accelerate.’

Catching fire

Catching fire

Pop-punk underdogs the Matches broaden their fan base, with a little help from...Ashley Dupré?

‘Old people’ target me

‘Old people’ target me

That and other quirky confessions from Swedish pop master Jens Lekman

Anti-aging advice

Anti-aging advice

Canadian rockers Black Mountain suggest screaming

Beer-guzzling prog-rock

Beer-guzzling prog-rock

Protest the Hero brings humor and hangovers to metal’s most serious offshoot

Song and dance girl

Song and dance girl

Avril Lavigne livens up her latest tour with uptempo songs and—backup dancers?

The ‘Forest Whitaker’ of hip-hop?

The ‘Forest Whitaker’ of hip-hop?

Brother Ali is not your average rapper—in more ways than one

‘Distortion,’ unplugged

‘Distortion,’ unplugged

Magnetic Fields are doing quiet shows to promote one very noisy album

Less than literal

Less than literal

British band Working for a Nuclear Free City is not working for a nuclear-free city

'Not just a bunch of drunks'

'Not just a bunch of drunks'

Bang Camaro’s 20-member dude choir is taking sing-along rock to new extremes

Sia's colorful world

Sia's colorful world

Why we want to get invited to the Starbucks-backed singer’s next party

‘Superstar’ in the making?

‘Superstar’ in the making?

Lupe Fiasco collaborator Matthew Santos breaks out on his own

The Irish are coming!

The Irish are coming!

Counting the days ‘til St. Patrick’s Day with Celtic folk-punks Flogging Molly

Heidi sings!

Heidi sings!

Heidi Montag, foxy villainess of ‘The Hills,’ makes a bid for pop music stardom

‘A great sleeping pill’

‘A great sleeping pill’

Keren Ann doesn’t mind if her often-quiet folk-pop makes you pass out

Friendship bracelets for all!

Friendship bracelets for all!

Brooklyn up-and-comers Yeasayer will buy you jewelry if you buy their album

Alive and kicking

Alive and kicking

Cheating death and knocking over amps with the Whigs

London calling...again

London calling...again

Gallows are putting U.K. punk rock back on the map

Enough with the comparisons!

Enough with the comparisons!

Editors are not ‘the British version’ of your favorite band

Ready to reciprocate

Ready to reciprocate

If you send the love, Ra Ra Riot will crank the crazy

'The greatest show ever'

'The greatest show ever'

Steel Train frontman Jack Antonoff loves 'Sex and the City'

He wants Candy

He wants Candy

White Williams puts a personal touch on a much-covered tune

Silently swearing

Silently swearing

Jazz-pop duo The Bird and the Bee says their colleagues are also profane—but in secret

Stolen moments

Stolen moments

The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer seeks youth, balance, a solo career and a new bike

No blimps needed

No blimps needed

Spoon has arrived—without any flashy New Year’s Eve promotions

Risk, reward and records

Risk, reward and records

Thrill Jockey founder Bettina Richards puts her "life on the line" to release albums

This band will be huge!

This band will be huge!

Well, maybe. Indie rockers Vampire Weekend handle the hype

A foolproof Plan

A foolproof Plan

Injuries and lineup changes can’t slow down metal cult heroes Dillinger Escape Plan

Soulja of fortune

Soulja of fortune

Hip-hop upstart Soulja Boy makes the most of the “Crank That” craze

A killer Soundtrack

pick A killer Soundtrack

Motion City’s Justin Pierre talks relationships, sort-of duets and natural hair products

Story time!

Story time!

Identical twin pop-rockers Tegan and Sara prefer onstage banter to backstage booze

Half-naked ambition

Half-naked ambition

Chicago’s The Academy Is confronts success and clothes-devouring fans

Deck the Hall & Oates

Deck the Hall & Oates

John Oates tells us why he and Daryl Hall like singing holiday tunes

Let Sondre open the door

Let Sondre open the door

Meet Sondre Lerche, ‘Dan in Real Life’ composer and incurable romantic

Getting into character

Getting into character

Polka dots help British pop gals the Pipettes turn back the clock

Who’s Winehouse?

Who’s Winehouse?

Sharon Jones had the old-school soul long before Amy arrived

Don't call them sellouts

Don't call them sellouts

Against Me! are more punk and political than ever, major labels be damned

Your granddaddy’s homeboy

Your granddaddy’s homeboy

Down home, dirty history lessons from rapper Buck 65

Ghost, the machine

Ghost, the machine

Is Wu-Tang’s Ghostface the hardest working man in hip-hop?

The human touch

The human touch

Some call them futuristic, but Battles' frontman insists they’re not robots

All in his head

All in his head

Forget scary movies--thoughtful Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco scares himself

Straight outta Alaska

Straight outta Alaska

Portugal. The Man brings crazy blues-rock jams out of the wilderness

There’s a 'Riot!' going on

There’s a 'Riot!' going on

Paramore is young, crush-worthy and taking the pop-punk world by storm

Coming clean

Coming clean

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba opens up about his new album, Counting Crows and Hilary Duff

Grease is the ... cure

Grease is the ... cure

The Weakerthans frontman discusses hangover relief and, uh, sonnets

House, techno or disco?

House, techno or disco?

Whatever they are, Justice will make you move it

Back off, Blunt!

Back off, Blunt!

Josh Rouse is a laid-back guy, but his fans are up in arms over James Blunt’s latest

Patrick Wolf: magic man

Patrick Wolf: magic man

Brit-pop’s enfant terrible makes noise and meets his idols

Size doesn't matter

Size doesn't matter

Seven-piece Chicago pop group The 1900s can squeeze onto any stage

Promotion time!

Promotion time!

Chicago popsters Office pursue stardom like it’s their job

Ex marks the spot

Ex marks the spot

No longer a couple, New Zealand pop duo the Brunettes pushes on

Renaissance man

Renaissance man

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner moonlights as a juggler and scarecrow

Safety first!

Safety first!

Bloc Party looks out for Beyonce—and seeks protection from Madonna

What's so funny?

What's so funny?

Eccentric rockers Minus the Bear ditch the jokes and get serious—sort of

Mustaches and lipstick

Mustaches and lipstick

Despite his love for 'Magnum, P.I.,' Marilyn Manson says a ’stache just wouldn’t work for him

No more cupcakes!

No more cupcakes!

Brooklyn pop trio Au Revoir Simone gets its priorities in line

'A ridiculous idea'

'A ridiculous idea'

The Swell Season has a hit musical on its hands, despite one star's doubts

Natural born rocker

Natural born rocker

Years after 'Natural Born Killers,' actress Juliette Lewis gets even wilder