California punk band No Use for a Name's frontman Tony Sly has gone solo and acoustic. Sly has reached back to his pre-punk roots to create a new album of a dozen songs that bear the influence of classic '60s rock, like the Beatles and Bob Dylan, on his music. He took some time out of his busy schedule to answer interview questions from Spinner ...

The Living Things are a politically provocative alternative band who go out of their way to question authority and complain about the sorry state of the world. The St. Louis natives also know how to rock. Bassist Eve Berlin told Spinner that fellow gateway citizen Chuck Berry was a big influence. Berlin also offered suggestions on surviving this ...

Austin's Los Texas Wranglers play celebratory Conjunto music meant to get audiences in the party mood. Led by bandleader and drummer Julian L. Fernandez, the musicians put on a show as well as sing and play. Fernandez spoke with Spinner about his love of the people of Texas and what beer they'll be drinking at SXSW. Describe the Los Texas ...

Liturgy are a controversial four piece black metal band who believe in the transcendent power of its music. The group plays loud, fast, and hard, and reject the negativity frequently associated with metal. Prior to their gig at SXSW, lead singer, guitarist, and founder Hunter Hunt-Hendrix told Spinner that the band's music is like "childbirth: ...

British punk rock combo Kasms makes a lot of noise. The band is known for the intensity of its live shows and its ability to involve the audience. Spinner caught up with Gemma Fleet (bass, vocals) and Rory Brattwell (drums, guitar) in advance of the four-piece's trip to SXSW. Describe your sound. Gemma Fleet: Bass-y. Rory Brattwell: We're an ...

Austin, Texas seven-piece band Alpha Rev, who signed with Hollywood Records in 2008, meld classical instrumentation with rock -- with six vocalists to boot. The group will release the album 'New Morning' on April 20, and make an appearance on the ABC Family program 'Greeks.' Bass player Alex Dunlop spoke to Spinner ahead of Alpha Rev's SXSW ...

South Carolina native and resident Chaz Budnick performs under the moniker of Toro y Moi. The 23-year-old one man band uses keyboards and a mixing board to create dense, danceable, atmospheric music. He fuses lo-fi and high tech sounds together to make what some call Chillwave, but what he calls just "pop music." Toro y Moi succinctly answered ...