Marissa Monson

In the music industry, second chances are like flying saucers, so rarely seen that they beg the question “Do they really exist?” And yet, on very rare occasions, a once-promising musician or group, seemingly vanished, will resurface, bigger than ever. Before British folk singer Vashti Bunyan became matriarch to the “New Weird America” musicians, she […]

CD EXCHANGE: With R. Kelly busy basking in the glow of his mesmerizing car wreck of a miniseries, Trapped in the Closet, the R&B world has hit a bit of a drought when it comes to male singers. However, this week an album emerged that may have fans of the soulful sire saying, “TP who?” […]

I like American music, and not just the Violent Femmes’ tune, either. This weekend, Taste of Downtown’s American Music Show presents a tiny slice of our vast music scene to entertain the masses. Vinyl Static wants to help you like American music, too — or at least enjoy the out-of-town roots rockers who will be […]

GOODBYE, OLD FRIEND: The news was posted, and Vinyl Static heard the line of dominoes fall — furious message-board posts, the rat-a-tat-tat of stunned bloggers, and a collective gasp — as the short and sweet announcement sank in: Sleater-Kinney is calling it quits. If you aren’t familiar with the Olympia, Wash., trio of punk rioters […]

SINGLES ONLY: Most alternative genres only have a few good years. The success of an insular subgenre can quickly turn free-spirited tunes into novelty tracks for tacky compilations churned out a few years down the road. But in the case of the variety of music often labeled “freak folk” or “the new weird America,” the […]

SINGLES ONLY: A chat is long overdue concerning Nelly Furtado’s feverish new single “Promiscuous.” Remember Nelly? She unleashed the ballad “I’m Like a Bird” from the successful album Whoa, Nelly in 2000. It wasn’t a club hit, but plenty of waiting-room occupants bobbed their heads to it on the way to root canals. The Canadian […]

HIGH FIVES: Desk Vinyl Static is what the Dubya’s dad might call a “kinder, gentler music critic.” When the message floated in that Jurassic 5 was finally dropping the follow-up to Quality Control and Power in Numbers, this fan wanted to like “Work It Out,” the lead single, bad. The song kicks off in perfect […]

JUNEBUG: Rip the month of May off your calendar quick — the painfully slow month for shows and new releases has finally been put to rest, and not fast enough. Can you say, “American Idol season 5 encores”? Glad that’s over. Sure, we had some memories, those tasty musical morsels such as Gnarls Barkley’s St. […]

O CANADA! Let me reintroduce you to a little country I like to call Canada, the place where draft dodgers used to go and where everybody gets to see a doctor. But there’s so much more to our neighbor to the north, which has become a hotbed of experimental rock. Music devotees know the sounds […]

SHOWS A-GO-GO! Champaign-Urbana band Shipwreck ventures our way for a show at the Underground City Tavern on Saturday, May 20. If anyone can bring the rock, it’s Shipwreck. This year alone, the band has plans to release an ambitious four — count ’em, four — EPs, and if the 2005 release “Origin” is any indication, […]

SHOWS-A-GO-GO! Is a party ever really over? The Smoking Popes certainly thought so when they recorded their final guitar-fueled romp, Party’s Over, in 1998, much to the disappointment of their legions of loyal punk minions. But nothing brings a band back together better than nostalgia. When Chicago booking institution Flower Booking turned 15 in 2005, […]