Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks keep it light-hearted at Slim’s
Referenced in articles nearly as often for his irreverent wit as for being the frontman of Pavement, Stephen Malkmus is a riot. Last Thursday at Slim's Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks played to a sold-out show, addressed everyone as Stockton (the frontman's hometown), and somehow got away with it. Malkmus and his band of cohorts rely on discordant and unexpected moments, and never on an "aah baby, aaah, darling!!" kind of chorus. I had been introduced to their work when Mirror Traffic was released in 2011, and was so excited that the audience sing-along was "Senator". "I know what the Senator [...]
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks coming to Slim’s with Speedy Ortiz
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks released Wig Out at Jagbags shortly after the New Year, and the record (their sixth studio album and first since 2011's Mirror Traffic) has been warmly received by most publications, including some much larger media outlets. And the praise is undoubtedly deserved, as the former Pavement frontman and three partners in crime (bassist Joanna Bolme, keyboardist and guitarist Mike Clark, and newly initiated drummer Jake Morris) added yet another engrossing chapter to their discography, fusing old-school indie rock with prog and psychedelia like few others can. Now, for the first time since the release of [...]
Don’t miss at TIMF 2011: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks
While wading through the rather substantial catalog of both Stephen Malkmus and Pavement albums, I've learned it's ideal to simply sit back and follow the guitar. If you follow Malkmus' guitar riffs, from beginning to end, you'll find yourself understanding where the 1990s lo-fi rockers began, and where Malkmus finds himself now - because really, wherever he is now, that's where I want to be, but not without my memories of Pavement more or less intact. It's not always easy; Stephen Malkmus' solo songs (with or without the Jicks) run hot and cold. It's worth the wait for the good [...]