Jake Smith

Satan has been increasingly generous with his musical offerings. Followers were first force-fed the not-too-worshipful Beatles, then the nonblasphemers Led Zeppelin. Before hope was lost, Ozzy emerged with Black Sabbath, and Lucifer led us to new and darker music. Sabbath, with Satan’s help, inspired bands ranging from Iron Maiden to...

Most singer/songwriters wind up ending their solitude and dupe some people into joining them so they can rock harder and push their limits. Bob Dylan joined up with the Band, Neil Young put together Crazy Horse, and Conor Oberst has left a half dozen backup bands in his wake. South...

For too long have the mainstream gods of music bestowed their blessings upon the highly polished heads of the Justin Beibers and Lady Gagas of the world. We remember when metal had its own days: when you could hear Megadeth and Slayer on the radio and when it was trendy...

In the '90s, bands like Three Doors Down, Creed, and Godsmack emerged alongside skateboarders and bikers to start their own Olympics of extreme, post-grunge fury. These bands -- plus Seven Mary Three ¯ adopted grunge, but they all chopped out that wussy sensitivity. This alteration helped make some of them...

Most local bands, especially punks, stopped trying to have any sort of stage presence over the last decade. As musicians worried about being the next Marilyn Manson, New Found Glory, or Miami Sound Machine, they focused on getting famous and ignored the audience. Well, Saturday at the Monterey Club, the...