Punchout: Andrew Bird’s Break It Yourself
Andrew Bird: annoying whistler or amazing tunesmith? Matt Gonzales and Chris Overpeck are singing like canaries. Continue reading →
View ArticleIs This The Shins?
"Most of the tracks here find Mercer doling out everything from earnest blue-eyed soul to peppy, slickly-produced adult-oriented rock. It's like he's been listening to Crowded House circa 1994 for the...
View ArticleFrom Slowcore To Cock Rock: A Conversation With Alan Sparhawk Of Low And...
"Well, we're loud, but it’s the kind of loud you can get away with without it killing your brain. We're loud for a reason. Matt Gonzales sits down with Alan Sparhawk Low and Retribution Gospel Choir....
View ArticlePunchout: Beachwood Sparks’ The Tarnished Gold
It's been a long time since we've had a Punchout--and even longer since we've had an album by Beachwood Sparks. Matt Gonzales and Chris Overpeck are too mellow to duke it out. Continue reading →
View ArticlePunchlist, Week of 2/6/12
"Let's face it: had the Pats won, it would have been QUITE the turd in the punchbowl of what has been one fantastic week." Continue reading →
View ArticleTo Cellist Helen Money, After Her Opening Set For Shellac At Radio Radio In...
"I’m not saying I got off on watching you or anything creepy like that. I’m just saying there’s something strangely arousing about watching an artist expose herself in such a fearlessly emotional way."...
View ArticleSt. Johnny’s Speed Is Dreaming
Rediscovering a fuzzed-out alternative guitar-rock gem from a time when Kurt Cobain was alive and grunge was the only music that mattered (to A&R guys). Continue reading →
View ArticlePunchlist, Week Of 10/1/12
Why has Matt Gonzales stuck with Turntable.fm? "Because I love discovering music by bands that, for whatever reason, are so lost to obscurity they don’t get press, aren’t talked about by anyone, and...
View ArticleA Love Letter From The Indiana Pacers To Its Estranged Fan Base
"I made some bad calls. Quasi-abusive stuff. And trying to fix things by bringing in stiffs like Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy wasn’t any good, either. Then later, extending Jim O’Brien’s contract—it...
View ArticleP.S., Indianapolis: That Was For You
"I did it for you, Indy. The smothering defense, the torrent of net-ripping jump shots--it was all for you." The Indiana Pacers (aka Matt Gonzales) prove their love is strong. Continue reading →
View ArticleTake This Horseshoe and Shove It
"I saw the best Colts team of my generation destroyed by madness. Or if not madness, then hubris. Hubris, and piss-poor judgment." The thrill is gone for Matt Gonzales. Continue reading →
View ArticleFiction Writing, With Strings Attached
"This Friday, Mary Robinette Kowal will arrive in Indianapolis to do something you’ve almost certainly never seen before: She’ll teach writing techniques with puppetry." Matt Gonzales talks with our...
View ArticleCandy Says
"I was 20 years old and I was having a bad trip. For those who’ve never had one, I’m afraid that phrase woefully undersells the experience." Why Matt Gonzales loves "Candy Says." Continue reading →
View ArticleWhy I Hate, Hate, Hate the Grateful Dead
"I hated the Grateful Dead as a young man, and, all things considered, I still do. But the white-hot, wholly unreasonable hatred I harbored toward the band in my youth has mellowed and grown more...
View ArticleJust Like Ronnie Sang: A Music Snob’s Confession
"Ghastly skeletons—skeletons with names that should never be uttered aloud by a self-respecting, reasonably intelligent adult. Names like Breathe, Richard Marx, Mr. Big, But Seriously-era Phil...
View ArticleTen Years Later: The Pacers-Pistons Brawl
"The TV screen replayed the scene again and again. Slowly, it began to sink in. This was bad for my Pacers. This was very, very bad." Matt Gonzales relives his favorite team's darkest day. Continue...
View ArticleBill Simmons, Can We Be Your Rebound Hook-Up?
Today ESPN announced that it’s ending its 15-year relationship with pioneering sports blogger and Grantland founder Bill Simmons. It’s not wholly clear who initiated the break-up, although ESPN...
View ArticleDear Peyton Manning: Save Yourself (and the Colts While You’re at It)
"I'm asking—no, begging—you to retire next year and become the next general manager of the Indianapolis Colts." Matt Gonzales makes his case to Peyton Manning. The post Dear Peyton Manning: Save...
View ArticleHow to Not Watch Star Wars: A Guide for Grown-Ups
"Sorry to piss in the midi-chlorians, but Star Wars is cosmically overrated. More overrated than The Beatles. More overrated than Ronald Reagan, the Olympics, sarcasm, bike lanes, and living past 75."...
View ArticleThe NFL and Donald Trump: America’s Beast Mode Brands
"To become more than successful—to become invincible—a brand must occupy a position in the consumer’s soul." Matt Gonzales explores two of modern America's most unbreakable brands. The post The NFL and...
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