Scott McDonald

According to a recent press release Win Butler, Will Butler, Regine Chassagne and Jeremy Gara of the Arcade Fire will be performing a free show this Sunday at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio in support of Democratic hopeful Barack Obama. Read more...

Fact: Mezzanine Owls are drawing larger crowds these days, and the indie-rock band certainly looked like they enjoyed playing new material to a packed house last night in Los Angeles. They also caught up with Buzznet after the gig. Read more...

Talk about bad luck. Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson was involved in a hit-and-run accident last night while walking on a London street. Obviously, the driver who hit Tomson never stopped and has officially earned the award for "Biggest Jerk of the Week". Read more...

Yo La Tengo are considered to be one of the most creative and influential indie-rock forces in the past fifteen years. Singer/guitarist Ira Kaplan creates screams of feedback and monstrous guitar squalls at any given moment, only to completely break down the song and build it back up into a structured melody. Read more...

My favorite gal on the Food Network, Rachael Ray, excels at cooking up a fourty-minute meal and listening to cutting edge indie tunes. Luckily for Ray there happens to be a place where she can enjoy both activities, it's called SXSW. Read more...

Animal Collective are not your average sounding band. They are an inventive quartet that mix the sounds of the Can, My Bloody Valentine, and bizarre tape loops/abstract sound ideas into something positive and uplifting. Read more...

Hey Ian, cheer up man. You’re in the new Converse “Connectivity” campaign! Wondering how a deceased rock icon like the late Joy Division singer endorses a brand of sneakers? Me too. Read more...

Frank Black is known for making comebacks — the alt-rock icon reactivated his legendary band the Pixies in 2004 and also revived his Black Francis moniker last year with a fresh studio album called Bluefinger. Read more...

Is it your first time? Mine too. The Hands have lots of “first times” that they’ve agreed to share with Buzznet. The band hail from Seattle and play fierce, blistering blues-rock and will remind rock lovers of Mick Jagger fronting the New York Dolls. Read more...

Death Cab for Cutie have been busy hunting Sasquatch, climbing narrow stairs, and applying sunscreen for this year's Coachella Festival. But before any of that takes place the Bellingham, WA. natives will release their new single, the eight-minute "I Will Possess Your Heart".. Read more...

There’s Malibu Stacy and then there’s Malibu Shwayze. The Southern California native drops a smooth jam with the help of friend, producer, and former Whitestarr member, Cisco Adler on guitar and backing vocals. Read more...
 

The Velvet Underground are icons and rock and roll hall of famers whose influence can be heard on bands like The Raveonettes, The White Stripes, and even Radiohead. Yesterday, the blog Dead Flowers posted a download link to a rare Velvet Underground live set in its entirety. Read more...

The Sasquatch! Festival has just announced their 2008 lineup of artists and will feature big guns like R.E.M., The Cure, Modest Mouse, M.I.A., Death Cab, and the mighty Flaming Lips. Read more...

One of last night’s most endearing Oscar moments was Glen Hansard’s acceptance speech for best original song and host Jon Stewart bringing back musical partner Markéta Irglová after she was cut off from delivering hers. Read more...

A Place to Bury Strangers is affectionately known as “the loudest band in New York”, at least that’s what the fans say. They’ve also dealt with early closures of their live performances thanks to the NYPD. Read more...

Enough Jack Johnson jokes already, the whining about the headliners, and the 107 degree heat, Coachella is one of the best things that has ever happened to Southern California. Read more...

While many of their critics claimed that album to be their best release to date (the self-titled "Green" album gets my vote), the group’s new full-length, Quarstice, is going to be very tough to beat. Read more...

Spiritualized front man Jason Pierce (J. Spaceman) is finally returning with a brand new album. It’s been over 5 years since the release of Amazing Grace, but the recent “acoustic mainlines" tour in England and the United States showed audiences that the ex-Spacemen 3 icon has been hard at work. Read more...

Hey seniors. Maybe it’s time you sent Brown University an email blast of your stunning S.A.T. scores. Brown has been getting some notoriety outside of academics for their "Spring Weekend" music series. Read more...

Last year indie-experimental rockers Polvo dropped a bomb of excitement when they announced a reunion show for the Explosions in the Sky-curated edition of All Tomorrow’s Parties. Now, the Chapel Hill natives are gearing up for more dates in North America. Read more...

Every year a massive ensemble of L.A. acts and solo artists make the trek to SXSW in beautiful Austin, Texas. The city is widely known for their helpings of barbeque ribs and brisket, but there's much more going on from March 12-16. Read more...

Death Cabbers everywhere, especially here on the west coast, can rejoice with news of a finalized tracklist and a slew of warm-up tour dates before rocking Coachella in April. The official release date for highly anticipated Narrow Stairs is May 13th (Atlantic) with the preceding single "I Will Possess Your Heart" (release date tba). Oh Death Cab, you already have.

So what does the new material sound like? “I hope this album is a bit of a surprise for those out there that think they have us all figured out. We can’t wait to share these songs with the world,” says bassist Nick Harmer on the band's official website. Excellent. Read below for a complete trackslisting and tour dates. ...Read more here

I may start posting a monthly blurb titled "I should have listened to Kevin Bronson." Mr Buzz Bands has been supporting this Orange, CA. quartet for quite a long time and I finally got to witness their live set the other night. The Echo was scarce on Tuesday, maybe about 20-30 people total. I'm guessing everyone in town were trying their hardest to get into The Smell to catch Beth Ditto and The Gossip. I certainly can't blame them.

Aushua were ferocious and filled up the spaces of the Echo with layers of overdriven delay and an extremely sharp rhythm section. Vocally, the band are as strong as most of the veteran rock bands you'll find in this fair (rain again?) city. I also like that they remind me of The Stills, only with more bite and soul, and Orange County neighbors Cold War Kids (emotive vocal delivery).

Lots of opportunities to catch the band:

2/22: Fullerton, CA. @ The Alley
3/4: Hollywood, CA. @ Key Club
3/26: Glendale, CA @ The Scene
4/7: Echo Park, CA @ The Echo
4/21: Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar