Category: Interviews

Uncle Kracker is back for more! We chat with him about his latest record 72 & Sunny. This record leans more toward country—what inspired it? It’s just traditional songwriting. I love pedal steel guitars. Even when I was doing more of the rap stuff there was still pedal steel guitars on there. There is always…

Unapologetically original. Unabashedly in your face. Avril Lavigne’s 2002 debut Let Go gave young women a defiant voice and set it to music they could rock out to. Fourteen million albums and eight Grammy nominations later, the Canadian chanteuse returns with Under My Skin but if you’re expecting a whole lot of the same, you’ve…

Remember when Faith Hill was an unknown? Jump on the Julie Roberts bandwagon now because she’s poised to become the biggest star in country. How much of an advantage did you have by working at a record label and then getting signed? I think it was a big advantage in being a new artist because…

For New Found Glory, it’s not just a matter of having a chance banner year or fluke popular album that has kept the act at the forefront of the pop-rock scene. It’s more like a banner career – built through the efforts, determination and talent within the band. Two years ago, the quintet released their…

Skye Bubbles Up by Colleen Maree Quill While on my way to interview Skye Sweetnam on her tour bus, I encountered a venue security guard who jokingly told me the show was cancelled. Skye’s tour bus is purple covered with her image and stick figures she drew for her website. Amidst rumors of freaking out…

Don’t Call it a comeback—they’ve been here for years. With the release of their self-produced album Underneath, Hanson is restating their claim to be at the forefront of popular music. We get the scoop from Zac! Hip Online: You must be excited to get the record out. Zac: Very pumped up. The single is out,…

In spite of the appealing name, the Nicetown area of Philadelphia is not a pleasant place to grow up. It’s a dangerous neighborhood full of drugs, gangs and poverty that drains the spirit out of nearly everyone who lives there. Which makes the story behind the Young Gunz moniker all the more astonishing. Despite the…

“There are a lot of people out there who think music isn’t speaking to them anymore,” says James Otto. “People who grew up on Bob Seger, James Taylor, The Allman Brothers Band or Hank Williams Jr. — those are the artists I love, so I hope what I’m doing speaks to their audience.” His remedy…

There’s a world of difference between pop stars who sing other people’s songs, and female singer/songwriters who truly touch your soul. With a voice that’s powerful, passionate, endlessly expressive, and full of contagious energy, Toby Lightman is just that type of artist—one who will undoubtedly surprise and captivate those who listen to her Lava Records…

Cee-Lo Green holds certain truths to be self-evident. That music has the power strike that, the obligation to enlighten, entertain, educate and elevate. That music can liberate and celebrate humanity. That music rules the world. Those truths and the undulating messages that Cee-Lo imparts are loud and soulful on his sophomore solo manifesto Cee-Lo Green…