Bair Witness: Final Drive (and the Entire Scene!) at Cherry Street Station on April 14th, 2016

It’s not every day that Connecticut’s beloved home of heavy music, Cherry Street Station, hosts a band from St. Louis, Missouri; one that plays straight-up, down-home, southern-fried metal. An even less likely occurrence is that said visitors are bringing home a wandering vagabond minstrel from our very own Constitution State! On his second national tour… Continue reading Bair Witness: Final Drive (and the Entire Scene!) at Cherry Street Station on April 14th, 2016

Bair Witness: Deathwish Collective on January 2nd at Cook’s, Dammit! Or, Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey

For those of you who may not have known (or noticed), I’ve been away for eight months. Not just away from Alternative Control in the throes of Lazy Writer Syndrome, not just away from The Scene, skipping everyone’s shows and sitting on the couch complaining about no good local music; I’ve been working abroad since… Continue reading Bair Witness: Deathwish Collective on January 2nd at Cook’s, Dammit! Or, Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey

Yes Virginia, There is Metal in Connecticut: One Virginia Dude’s Ode to Nightbitch and the CT Metal Scene

Editor’s Note: Virginia-by-way-of-Connecticut metalhead Mike Wilcox, a.k.a. “Vest Bro” to Alternative Control readers, recently began writing for a well-respected music blog.  Imagine his surprise and delight to see a band from his ol’ home state on the the review list: Nightbitch.  Mike’s editor decided not to run the short piece he wrote because there was… Continue reading Yes Virginia, There is Metal in Connecticut: One Virginia Dude’s Ode to Nightbitch and the CT Metal Scene

Journey to the End… Of the Show?

By Jessie May, Matt Mullarkey, and Christopher Baldwin If you’re friends with local musicians on Facebook, your news feed is probably filled with posts about “coming early and staying late” and “supporting all the bands.” But how many bands actually live by what they post? Alternative Control writers are often in the audience at local… Continue reading Journey to the End… Of the Show?

We All Get Along: An Interview with Agrippa of Metal Cyndicate of Connecticut

Alternative Control closed our week of interviews by chatting with Agrippa, one of the founders of the Metal Cyndicate of Connecticut.  What began as a public access TV show has, through Agrippa’s dedicated shaping, grown into a huge presence in the Connecticut metal scene.  He and Alan Selavka host weekly podcasts with local bands, photograph… Continue reading We All Get Along: An Interview with Agrippa of Metal Cyndicate of Connecticut

Interview with Paul Spak

Earlier this week, bassist Paul Spak was kind enough to answer some questions about his musical endeavors and the Summer Rock and Metal Fest he is hosting at Waterbury’s City Limits on 6/27.  Bringing in midwestern metal outfit On My Six and also featuring a diverse roster of locals, Spak’s organizing efforts will surely result… Continue reading Interview with Paul Spak

On the Record with Promoter Town: “Get Out to a Show and Stay Off Your F***ing Couch!”

There’s nothing I love more than a long, contentious comment thread about other people.  So after reading a couple posts that not-so-subtly referred to what local booking and promotions collective Promoter Town was doing in “the scene,” I thought, “Why not sit down with these guys and hear them explain what they’re trying to accomplish?”… Continue reading On the Record with Promoter Town: “Get Out to a Show and Stay Off Your F***ing Couch!”