The summer of 1989 was when the Grateful Dead got big. I mean really big. The success of 1987’s In the Dark lead to an influx of new fans —…
Ben Wiser
67 Articles
Test of the Boomerang is an in-depth exploration of some of the best material found on the Live Music Archive.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
This week in Test of the Boomerang, Ben Wiser wishes a happy 70th birthday to Dead legend Phil Lesh.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Twenty years after it was released, Ben Wiser says Peter Murphy’s Deep still cuts you up.
Ben Wiser
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By the mid 1980s, many of hardcore’s old guard were outgrowing their three chord attack. A lot of bands found a new identity in the commercially viable crossover of thrash…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Relix editor Toni Brown discusses her long history with the Grateful Dead — as well as her own musical career — in an interview with Ben Wiser.
Ben Wiser
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My copy of Lord of the Logos arrived just after the monstrous snow storm hit. While the snow drifted six feet up my stairs, some mysterious messenger braved the winter-choked…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Skullflower: Strange Keys to Untune God’s Firmament (Neurot) Strange Keys to Untune God’s Firmament is the latest offering from cult noise band Skullflower – one of several ongoing projects of…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Ben Wiser interviews Heavy Metal Cookbook author Annick Giroux in an unusually delicious edition of the Chronicles of DOOM.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Well met, knaves, rogues, and scoundrels. I’ve been a fan of the Chicago band Pelican since I first heard Australasia on a late-night drive about six or seven years ago. …
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I’m sure by now everyone is aware that Ronnie James Dio was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November. He is currently recovering from chemotherapy at home and recently posted a…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Hey gang, sorry it’s been so long since we last rapped, but things have been way hectic. I finally cut my hair and got myself a respectful 9-5. Actually more…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I watched a documentary on KISS recently. It was a pretty in-depth affair. Paul and Gene, talking openly, candidly about their long and fabled history. They talked about how the…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
I used to frequent a seedy bar on Market Street called The Top Hat. I don’t think it’s there anymore, but I would get $2 bourbon and Cokes while I…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Start off your Thursday with punishing chunks of doom from some of the best new metal releases, including brand new Yoga, Baroness, and WRNLRD.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
At four songs, Om‘s God is Good feels less like a whole album than a brief and tantalizing glimpse at what is yet to come. Om is a band that…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
In the spring of 1971, Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten, along with the band Touchstone, produced and performed the music for an off-broadway show at the Circle in the Square…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Since 2002, Nadja — the Toronto-based duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff — have released over 40 full length LPs, split records, singles, CD-Rs and a live DVD. Nadja…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Phish is back with their first album in five years, and Ben Wiser thinks it might be their best yet. Also: A list of potential candidates for Phish’s 2009 “Halloween costume.”
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
MONOLITH OF DOOM AND DESTRUCTION UNLEASHED UPON THE POPULACE – BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED The Black Box (Flingco Sound System) The box had been devised long ago by an evil wizard….
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
II. Kromrod the Fierce wiped the blood from his massive broadsword. The chill fog of the Northern Wastes cleared the fetid dungeon air from his senses. He adjusted his loin…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
“But there was something else tugging at Garcia as 1964 turned into 1965. For one thing, like half of America under the age of 25, Jerry had been seduced by…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Nick Cave has spent the better part of the past decade reasserting himself in his role as true rennaisance man. After the subdued and stately The Boatman’s Call (1997) and…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
My colleague John Hughes has graciously let me take the wheel today for this edition of Lost in the ’80s. Fields of the Nephilim were the gothedelic deathrock cowboys of…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Meet James Perry, whose debut solo CD arrives after 20 years spent playing in Bay Area bands. Perry speaks with Ben Wiser about the eclectic new album, titled Now You’re Gone.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
For this week’s edition of Test of the Boomerang, Ben Wiser sat down for a chat with author J.J. Colagrande to discuss his new book, “Headz.”
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Jerry Garcia would have been 67 on Saturday, and to celebrate his birthday, Ben Wiser has delivered another fine Test of the Boomerang mix.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
In the first part of a multi-week look back at the double album, Ben Wiser revisits the birth of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
The 2009 Dead made their last stand on July 4th at Rothbury. The second year of the Michigan festival was a rousing success and the Dead’s solid show was a…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Babatunde Olatunji – Drums of Passion (Legacy Edition) Columbia/Legacy has just released a glorious two-disc edition of Babatunde Olatunji’s 1959 masterwork, Drums of Passion, one of the most profoundly influential…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Hey gang, welcome back to another edition of Test of the Boomerang.Á‚ Happy summer solstice. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy these long summer days with some…
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