Over the past two decades, New York City's Unsane have become famous for three things: their music, a groovy and cruelly violent mixture of punk, hardcore, metal and noise; their gory album covers, notorious for their gruesome realism; and their commitment to a punishing touring schedule, which takes them around the U.S. and Europe for eight to ten months out of the year, every year. In truth, these three elements are facets of a single ethos, in which the casual brutality of life at the bottom of one of America's toughest cities and the sheer difficulty of life on the road inform a sound that is frightening and vitally expressive... (Unsane is playing 6/16/07 at The Proletariat, with 400 Blows, Mouth of the Architect, and Dizzy Pilot.) [more] || [Daniel Joseph Mee] || [6/15/07]

Tuesday night is pretty much the definition of an off-night for gigs, but nevertheless, your fearless reviewer braved the boho attic that is The Mink for some midweek hedonsim. Before the gig even started I managed to lacerate my thumb on something, proving that A. I am a special and unique snowflake, and B. aspirin really does make you bleed more than normal. No matter. The Papermoons pulled my attention away from triage and onto the stage. Matt Clarke managed to capably juggle guitar, vocals, a bass pedal, and a harmonica, which is no mean feat... [more] || [Simon Holcroft] || [6/1/07]