Built to Spill back in the day.
Our new profile and Q&A with Built to Spill's Doug Martsch, whose band headlines this Saturday's Westword Music Showcase (click here for more information), are built on a sturdy foundation -- an interview conducted with Martsch back in 1997, shortly after his band, then a three piece, released Perfect From Now On, an album that's achieved classic status in the indie-rock universe. Plenty of things have changed since then, not the least of which is Martsch's son,
In the world of heavy metal, lead singers are as indispensible as riffs
and distortion--that is, except for when they get used up and thrown
away like yesterday's drumsticks. While frontmen are the face and voice
of many bands, they seem particularly prone to quitting, dying or
getting fired, leaving groups in the strange position of having to find
an entirely new public image. Some bands, like AC/DC, have managed to
make the most of replacement lead singers. Others, like Van Halen,
haven't.
