My first encounter with the Tape Op universe happened when I picked up a magazine that was laying around Mike Pack’s studio, Revolution Sounds, in Chattanooga, TN. This was twenty-plus years ago. Listening to LANDLORD track “More Trouble” on Beneath the Wheel, and being frustrated that they didn’t do the ending phrase twice. I was […]
Read full "Making Music: Conversations with Record Producers" review
For a band that released exactly six songs while they were an active concern (more or less from 1975 to 1978), the sheer amount of archival MARS material that has surfaced in the 21st century is head-spinning. In the last fifteen years alone, we’ve gotten LPs of two different live sets, a 3xLP (!!!) of […]
Read full "Live at the Village Gate LP" review
Before today, I only knew of NO DIRECTION from Rapid City, South Dakota, so it is exciting to hear new bands from that state! OK, OK, OK, OK. I didn’t know what to expect and I know a lot of folks would say that this harkens back to the angular and danceable post-punk hits of […]
Read full "Can You? LP" review
Toronto trio ICHI-BONS play ’50s rock’n’roll the old-fashioned way, pulling from early rock, surf, and rockabilly. For this 45, they brought in Spencer Evoy, who leads London’s MFC CHICKEN, to blow the horn. The A-side is “Little Lil,” a 1959 rockabilly number originally cut by MEL DORSEY, and the flip is “The Witch,” the SONICS’ […]
Read full "Little Lil / The Witch 7″" reviewOn this week’s MRR Radio, Jennifer plays some new gems!
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Last Night at the Lusty: Remembering San Francisco’s First Unionized Strip Club is a fascinating expose of North Beach’s most notorious haunt. Filled with shocking twists and urban legends (but are they?), Janelle Blarg’s most recent comic also highlights the risks, the racism, and the management’s reluctance to address many of the employee’s workplace concerns. […]
Read full "Last Night at the Lusty: Remembering San Francisco’s First Unionized Strip Club" review
While working on the Murray Bowles photo book, I found myself in an early ’80s Bay Area punk frenzy, gobbling up old photo books, zines, and newsprint rags of the day, and digging into internet rabbit holes left and right. Along the way I came across this gem, self-published in 2021, which I immediately needed […]
Read full "Alternative Voices: 1980’s Punk San Francisco" review
Far from any major cities and never a convenient spot on a touring route, the seemingly sedate neighbouring seaside towns of Falmouth and Penryn are an unlikely setting for a growing punk scene. However, over a long period of time, a local punk community has thankfully become a regular presence here. Cover photo: Dee Loraine […]
Read full "No End in View: A Falmouth & Penryn Scene Report" Article
Alrighty, here it is—the fourth and final installment of our YETTs. Here are parts one, two, and three, if you missed those. Also, be sure to scroll all the way down to see our Top Ten 2025 YETTs! D. Gregory D. Gregory has been a reviewer for Maximum Rocknroll since 2024. He has been culturally […]
Read full "2025 Year End Top Tens, Part Four" Year-End Top Ten