Baltic Cousins hail from Bellingham, Washington, a town I've been familiar with from time to time. Comprised of members of Black Eyes and Neckties and The Russians, two bands that have passed into punk rock heaven, BC strike a slightly mellower tone, but not by much.

Bolstered with noisy violin riffs and battering drums, Bradley Lockhart leads the crew in a twangy take on punk (I'm not hyphenating anything to describe these guys) or a noisy take on Americana, however you want to put it. I asked Brad five questions in preparation for their show at the High Dive tonight.

NadaMucho.com Interview – Dengue Fever
Q&A with Zac Holtzman 

In preview of their new album and return to The Crocodile, T Basa polled Dengue Fever guitarist/vocalist  Zac Holtzman about cannibals, Cambodia, and the Khymer Rouge.

Oh...and the band's joyous live performances.

NadaMucho.com: I’m excited for your upcoming album Cannibal Courtship. What can rabid fans like me expect?
Zac Holtzman: It has a darker vibe. Nimol’s English has improved so about half the songs are in English. One tells the story of her family’s escape from Cambodia. They got split up from her sister en route to Thailand and didn’t know if she was alive until they heard her singing on the radio. Nimol was a little girl and couldn’t figure out how her sister “got in to the radio." 

Never Trust a Genius
Interview with Jason Hartley

Ever wondered how Lou Reed could release a double album of nothing but guitar noise and feedback and still have it advance his career? “What the hell was Bob Dylan thinking doing a television spot for Victoria's Secret?” Or, “what would motivate Brian Wilson to release a rap song entitled ‘Smart Girls’ in the late 80’s?”

Your immediate reaction might be something like "most artists occasionally create work that sucks, and don't always make the best decisions." I too, felt this way for many years.

Now what would you say if I told you there was a theory that would allow you to appreciate all of the work by your favorite artists? Twenty years ago, Jason Hartley came up with one. 

NadaMucho.com Interview
Q&A with Monotonix

Anyone who hasn't seen Monotonix is missing out on one truly inspired rock show.

The trio consists only of a singer, guitarist and drummer... not the prototypical rock ‘n rol line-up, but believe me, they will prove all doubters very, very wrong.

Not only does their music send a surge of raw power through the audience and bind them in the band’s powerful grasp, it unifies everyone through clapping, fist pumping, and hosting band members on shoulders. When I saw them a couple years ago at the Comet, lead singer Avi Shalev even took my pitcher of beer and dumped the entire thing over his head. The whole thing is like one big happy riot.

Monotonix bring this explosive, confrontational live show to Fremont's High Dive on Saturday, July 10. In preparation of this momentus and potentially controversial event (the band's 2008 Bumbershoot set was cut short when the fire marshall deemed them "too dangerous"),  I asked frontman Yonatan Gat a few questions.

NadaMucho.com: What was it like growing up in Tel Aviv?
Monotonix: Fun!

NM: What groups or types of music helped influence your sound?
Yonatan Gat: We've all listened to alot of rock 'n roll since we were kids, so mostly that. But we like different stuff and different styles. Too much to list.

NM: Tell me about the new release Fun Fun Fun / Try Try Try.  How was it recorded?  What did you do differently on this release?
YG: Both songs were recorded live with Steve Albini in Chicago in April, in one of the three sessions that will make our next record. The main difference is that we just gave each other more freedom. The earlier records had a lot of ideas and weird twists that were different than the show.  We tried to talk less and play more, this time around, so it's definitely the most liberated thing we've ever recorded. This time around it's just like our show.