Dan Epstein

All right, trivia fans, which R&B act has actually scored a chart hit in each one of the past five decades? Here’re a few clues for ya: Their songs have been covered by everyone from the Beatles to Whitney Houston; they‘ve been sampled by everyone from Ice Cube to Destiny’s......

”Where are all the young bands?“ asks Jigsaw Seen lead guitarist Jonathan Lea, laughing as he scans the L.A. Weekly Music Awards’ ”Best PopRock Band“ nominations. ”The Negro Problem, the Januaries, Sugarplastic, Candypants -- they‘re all like late 30s, early 40s.“ ”Of course, we’re in our late 20s,“ deadpans vocalist......

”We get pegged as a happy pop band,” says Candypants guitarist George Baby Woods, “but there’s, like, one happy song on our record. The rest of them are all kind of obnoxious, or negative, or just kind of sad and bumming.” “Never-ending bliss loses its pull,” adds Candypants keyboardist Danny......

“There’s worse things than being known as the guy who had the biggest band since Led Zeppelin,” laughs Alan McGee, reflecting on his tumultuous life in the record business. “There‘s worse things you could put on your gravestone, you know?” Indeed there are. Though largely unknown in the States, McGee......

THE RUTLESAll You Need Is Cash (Rhino DVD) Eric Idle’s humorous assessment to the contrary, the legend of the Rutles has now lasted considerably longer than a lunch time. Originally televised in 1978 to abysmal ratings, All You Need Is Cash is now rightly hailed as one of the funniest......

Photo by Sasha Eisenman It’s late afternoon at El Chavo, the gaudy Mexican joint just down Sunset from the Tiki-Ti, and Darren Rademaker and I are talking records and sinking drinks under a giant autographed photo of Dolly Parton. I’m trying to get the lowdown on Once, the gorgeous new......

Photo by Jack Gould “My grandfather was a fuckin’ loony tune,” says Warlocks leader Bobby Hecksher. “He owned the first radio station in Fort Myers, Florida, and the only thing that mattered to him was that station. He was really weird, too; if he bought something he liked, he’d have......

Photo by Bleddyn Butcher Enlarge image “I haven’t talked to anyone in the States for ages,” says Sean O’Hagan, speaking by phone from his South London home. “I seem to get a lot of calls from Japan these days, but we really haven’t done much American press.” The founder and......

Ask most musicians about recording, and they’ll stress the importance of finding a studio with the ”right vibe,“ a place whose character and surroundings are especially conducive to creativity. Many of today‘s studios have a readily identifiable ”sound“ (not to mention snack machines, video games, pool tables and attractive receptionists),......