Tonight: Mel Gibson & The Pants At The Nomad

Download: Mel Gibson & The Pants - "Stress Fracture w/Mictlan"


While a band name like Mel Gibson & The Pants (Was something like The Helen Hunt For Red October too subtle?) may suggest goof-pop along the lines of Let's Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop, the dark, otherworldly sonic textures and minor-key guitar line of "Where It Hurts" suggest that Totally Gross National Product act Mel Gibson & The Pants aren't gunning for laughs. Furthermore, there are opening lyrics of the aforementioned song, taken from this year's Sea Vs. Shining Sea: "Life is never easy/life Is often hard/Life will knock you out, son/so put up your guard."

Then again, a band who titularly invokes Spinal Tap (hint: two-word review) can't be all doom and gloom, and MG&TP combination of glum electronic soundscapes, guitar, jittery, staccato hip-hop rhythms should prove to be a potent combination live. Find out for yourself when the band plays tonight at the Nomad. The Reveille magazine sponsored show starts at 9 p.m. and is free. However, the gig is also 21+, so only go if you are of age.

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(Jonathan Graef)

Reveille Magazine

In an age when good music journalism is hard to find, the new Twin Cities-based Reveille Magazine is a welcome endeavor. Reveille is the missing piece to the TC-Music scene puzzle and is fronted by an elite crew of renegade music critics: Rob van Alstyne, former music editor of the Pulse and Metro Magazine; Steve McPhereson, former music editor of the Pulse; Andrea Myers, editor of Howwastheshow.com; Kyle Matteson, editor of MoreCowbell.net (yeah, that More Cowbell); Tom Hallett, writer of a decade long column in the Pulse dubbed "Round the Dial"; and Jim Walsh, a journalistic veteran who has written for, well, everyone that matters.

This is lifted from their mission statement, it's pretty great:

"We didn't ask for this. We thought the pages of the glossies, the daily papers, and the alt weeklies were broad enough to allow us to write openly and passionately about the only thing that's ever meant enough to keep us going. But those pages couldn't hold us, so here we are. We are former editors, former columnists, former freelancers, and we have come to write without worry.

When mainstream media can't afford to cover the depth of music on offer in the Twin Cities and beyond, we're here to go deeper. When the internet seems like nothing but a glut of news tidbits and buzz, we're here to actually write about music. Original, insightful, informative, inspiring: This is what we seek to be."

Check it out at ReveilleMag.com

(Ian Anderson)