Music I Liked in 2020

Certainly there was a lot not to like in 2020…  To avoid making a series of gross understatements, I’ll just leave that there. But along with a very positive development in my family life that should be arriving on The Scene in early 2021, there was a lot of great music that came out in… Continue reading Music I Liked in 2020

Your Bandcamp Friday Wishlist: The August 2020 Edition

Boy howdy, was the underground music scene excited when we heard that bandcamp was extending their very popular Bandcamp Friday promotion for the rest of the year!  It’s almost as if bandcamp cares more about people than the federal government of the United States… But that’s a whole other column.  In case you’ve been escaping… Continue reading Your Bandcamp Friday Wishlist: The August 2020 Edition

Listening Lately: Vestal Claret (Again!) and Drainbow

It’s gettin’ hot in the late July blogosphere….  Today we’ve got Vestal Claret’s just-released remix of their 2011 debut album Bloodbath and Drainbow’s upcoming LP The Tower of Flints blaring from the laptop speakers. Vestal Claret is a band that pushes boundaries; they were doing occult metal before its trendy resurgence, as early as 2006. … Continue reading Listening Lately: Vestal Claret (Again!) and Drainbow

Alternative Control’s July 3rd #BandcampFriday Wishlist

Tomorrow, July 3rd, is another bandcamp Friday!  The website is waiving its revenue share to help support artists during the COVID-19 pandemic — and it’s the final “bandcamp Friday” that’s been announced thus far, so now is the time to shell out the bucks.  Here are Alternative Control’s humble suggestions of bands to check out,… Continue reading Alternative Control’s July 3rd #BandcampFriday Wishlist

Listening Lately: Good Things to Come From Atavistia, QOHELETH, and Vestal Claret

Covering the underground of the underground isn’t as glorious as it looks… But I love to do it because even if I deleted the promo of “the new Blood Incantation it’s so sick have you heard it,” I do come across gems that won’t be unknown for long, or works that show pockets of dedication… Continue reading Listening Lately: Good Things to Come From Atavistia, QOHELETH, and Vestal Claret

Listening Lately, the Delivery Jams Edition: Corrosion of Conformity, Kings and Liars, Myrkur, and BCAD

There’s a new feather in my side hustle cap: pizza delivery girl.  You know what the best thing about delivering pizzas is?  The tips.  And the second-best thing?  The fact that you’re getting paid to drive around listening to music. The first burned disc to go into the CD player this Saturday was Seven Scrolls… Continue reading Listening Lately, the Delivery Jams Edition: Corrosion of Conformity, Kings and Liars, Myrkur, and BCAD

Interview with Simon Tuozzoli of UP Recording and Vestal Claret

I first came across Simon Tuozzoli’s work through my friend Rob’s project The Danbury Lie.  Rob sent the first album to Alternative Control for review — an unusual collection of songs, with sparkling recording quality and a few really ear-catching basslines. “Who played bass on this?” I asked him. “This guy Simon,” he said.  “The… Continue reading Interview with Simon Tuozzoli of UP Recording and Vestal Claret