Chip Midnight cut his music journalist teeth as a journalism student at the Ohio State University in the early ’90s where his first interview was a phoner with Joey Ramone. Throughout the decades, Chip has contributed to local and regional publications and websites (The Ohio State Lantern, Columbus Alive, Moo Magazine, Donewaiting.com) and national print publications (Skratch Magazine, Wonka Vision Magazine) as well as running his own sites (Swizzle-Stick.com, AtomicNed.com). Chip joined the Big Takeover staff in 2007 after having been a long-time reader. Check out chipmidnight.com to read interviews Chip has done over the years with the likes of Jason Isbell, Rage Against the Machine, Sparklehorse, Veruca Salt, Gary Numan, Mojave 3, Weezer, Juliana Hatfield and more.
Everything Will Be Ok Eventually is the perfect title for an album written, recorded and released in the midst of a global pandemic. Jason Singer reveals Michigander’s origin story, his thoughts on Spotify, and best and worst tour experiences.
Not many artists wait until their late 30s to start their music career, but that’s exactly what Andy McFarlane did when he released 2017’s Oh What An Honor, Oh What A Drag. In this conversation, we talk about his late start, what took him so long, and his new album, There Be Monsters.
With the latest Death From Above 1979 album, Is 4 Lovers, Sebastian Grainger and Jesse Keeler took on the production responsibilities for the first time. In this conversation, the duo talk about how that went and how the delay in release due to the pandemic allowed them a second chance to get things right.
Singer/guitarist Jack Underkofler says his band, Dead Poet Society, tries to keep things fresh and never write the same thing twice. The band’s debut, – ! –, defies categorization – it’s modern rock with elements of many different genres throughout the songs.
The Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum trio, which includes actor Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under), keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie) and drummer Peter Yanowitz (Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant, Morningwood), shares how Hedwig and the Angry Inch brought them together and how they went about writing their debut album, Thanks for Coming.
Chris White (writer/director) and Daniel Smith (songwriter) discuss the inspiration behind both the Electric Jesus movie and the soundtrack which is loaded with ’80s Christian hair metal original songs.
Singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan shares how he avoids the trappings of being easy to classify, how moving to Nashville was one of the best things he’s ever done, and has some fun answering questions about the “Thank You” credits on his new album, Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan!.
Marshall Gallagher and Anthony Salazar provide some insight into the new Teenage Wrist album and how a lineup change gave the duo a chance to bring new musical ideas to the table.
For an artist who spends a lot of time on the road and whose songs are written while traveling, it seems a bit unfair that with a recently-released debut album to promote, Lilly Winwood is stuck at home due to the global pandemic. The young singer-songwriter discusses how it’s both a blessing and a curse
Dale Crover (Melvins / Redd Kross) talks about his new release, Rat-a-Tat-Tat!, shares how he wound up being in multiple bands with bassist Steve McDonald, and how he’s discovering new music while spending time at home, rather than in a tour van.
With a surprise January 1 new album drop, Ben Kweller has delivered a perfect 8-song, 28-minute pop masterpiece. He shares the reason why Circuit Boredom clocks in under half an hour as well as spilling some Spotify playlist secrets and the magic of email marketing in this engaging and entertaining conversation.
If there could be an official soundtrack to 2020, Activity’s debut, Unmask Whoever would be a worthy submission as it’s dark, cold, paranoid and, at times, creepy. Travis Johnson shares how the band formed, what they are trying to accomplish, and what the future holds.
Emma Swift discusses how it took a global pandemic for the world to hear her interpretations of Bob Dylan classics and deep cuts, shares what it’s like as a touring artists to pivoting to singing into her laptop camera, and gives her thoughts on another singer with the same last name.
Bob Forrest talks about how Thelonious Monster reunited for the outstanding Oh That Monster, how the songs came together, and how “Sammy Hagar Weekend” will forever be the band’s most well-known song.
In Part 1, Bob Forrest of Thelonious Monster shares his thoughts on the current state of rock music and how the internet has enabled a culture that he isn’t particularly fond of.
With day gigs in other bands, Andy Platt and Shawn Lee have found a creative outlet for their “yacht rock”-inspired smooth rock sounds in Young Gun Silver Fox. The duo discuss their new album, Canyons, and how the pandemic laid waste to 2020 tour plans.
The Findlay sisters share how their parent’s music collection is directly responsible for shaping Stonefield’s heavy, classic rock sound.