einstürzende neubauten

In 1996, Your Punk Professor interviewed the Clash’s distinguished lead guitarist Mick Jones for a proposed Alternative Press piece on punk’s original guitar heroes. Though it remains unpublished, I asked in the course of it what he thought of Rancid. Jones waxed effusive, noting he’d met the Berkeley punk traditionalists in the course of a […]

When it initially blasted into the world from New York’s Lower East Side almost concurrently with punk in 1977, it was dubbed no wave. Village Voice critic Robert Christgau referred to it as “skronk,” an onomatopoeia based around the general guitar sound. He uncharitably dubbed its ’80s practitioners “pigfucker” bands. This writer’s personal name for […]

In recent years, massive gatherings and festivals such as Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella have become destination events that draw thousands. However, the roots of these cultural juggernauts are far humbler. That honor goes to Desolation Center, an early-’80s DIY venture that booked concerts in off-the-grid locations. And they were only promoted word-of-mouth. These gigs […]

The Unsemble The Unsemble Bassist/synth op Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), guitarist/keyboardist Duane Denison (the Jesus Lizard) and drummer Brian Kotzur (Silver Jews) are the Unsemble, whose eponymous instrumental debut sounds nothing like their previous career-defining outfits. It’s an arc of moods and musicianship, ranging from dynamic jamming (a series of five numbered “Improvs”), inspired cinematic […]