Under the Radar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Under the Radar cover featuring The Decemberists (Fall issue, 2006) |
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| Type | Music magazine |
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| Owner | Wendy Lynch and Mark Redfern |
| Publisher | Under the Radar |
| Editor | Mark Redfern |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Language | English |
| Price | $4.50 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, CA |
| ISSN | 1553-2305 |
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| Website: www.undertheradarmag.com | |
- This article is about the magazine. For other uses, see Under the radar (disambiguation).
Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution."
It is known for in-depth and characterized interviews, as well as their accompanying unique and stylistic photo-shoots. It offers intelligent, and sometimes humorous, articles that go beyond a band's major influences, often accompanied by exclusive photo shoots. It includes opinion and commentary on the Indie music scene and reviews on relevant books, DVDs and of course, albums.
It reviews its items based off of a unique rating system. Each album, book and DVD receives a numbered rating from 1 to 10. The editors have included a guide in each issue for reference, humorously representing each number with a socially sound explanation, supposedly used by the staffers themselves to rate the different items. In each issue, there are many exclusive interviews with artists from the Indie rock scene. The interviews are not presented in the standard "Q and A" format,rather, the question and answer is smoothly implemented among the article to give a realistic sense of context and flow as the article goes on.
The magazine has been in publication since late 2001 and is issued quarterly each year, with seasonal Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall editions. There have been 16 issues as of December 2006.
The magazine was founded by Co-Publishers Mark Redfern and Wendy Lynch and they still run the magazine to this day. The couple are due to marry in June 2007. Redfern is also the magazine's Senior Editor and has written many of the magazine's articles. Lynch is also Under the Radar's Creative Director and lays out each issue. She is also an accomplished music photographer and has conducted many photo-shoots for the magazine, including shooting many of its covers.
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[edit] Elliott Smith's Last Interview
In 2003 Mark Redfern and writer Marcus Kagler interviewed acclaimed singer/songwriter Elliott Smith for an Under the Radar cover story and Wendy Lynch photographed him for the cover. It was the first interview that Smith had done in a couple of years and at the time he was hard at work on his album From a Basement On a Hill. Unfortunately, Elliott Smith tragically took his own life later that year and the Under the Radar feature ended up being Smith's last ever interview and photo-shoot. Click here to read Elliott Smith's last interview.
[edit] The Protest Issue
In the summer of 2004 Under the Radar put out their Protest Issue, to coincide with the 2004 Presidential Election. The issue featured a huge special section on the intersection of politics and music, and included three big articles on the subject. To accompany the articles Under the Radar gave various bands poster board and paint and asked them to make their own protest signs. The bands were then photographed with their protest signs and the photos ran in the issue. The autographed protest signs were later auctioned off on eBay, with all the profits donated to the political action group Music For America. The protest section incorporated interviews and/or photo shoots with protest music legends and big indie musicians, including: Yoko Ono, Billy Bragg, Death Cab for Cutie, Badly Drawn Boy, Joan Baez, Devendra Banhart, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bright Eyes, David Cross, Cursive, The Decemberists, Ani DiFranco, Elbow, Faithless, Perry Farrell, The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Interpol, Iron & Wine, Ted Leo, Les Savy Fav, Le Tigre, Luna, MC5, Metric, Pedro the Lion, Radio 4, The Secret Machines, Pete Seeger, The Sleepy Jackson, Super Furry Animals, They Might Be Giants, and others. Click here for a detailed look at The Protest Issue.
[edit] Chris Walla Explains It All
Since Issue 7, The Protest Issue, Death Cab for Cutie guitarist and respected Indie rock producer Chris Walla has written a regular column for Under the Radar entitled Chris Walla Explains It All.
[edit] Under the Influence
From time to time Under the Radar has a special feature where a current musician interviews for the magazine a musical legend whom they admire and who has influenced them. Under the Influence features have included: Clinic vs. Can, Devendra Banhart vs. Donovan, The Dresden Dolls vs. Bauhaus, Love Is All vs. The Vaselines, Primal Scream vs. The Cramps, and The Thrills vs. Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys).
[edit] Britpop: A Decade On special section
Issue 10, the Summer 2005 issue, featured the Britpop: A Decade On special section. The section featured new interviews with key members of the following mid-'90s Britpop bands: Ash, The Bluetones, Blur, The Charlatans, Elastica, Embrace, Gene, Kula Shaker, Longpigs, Lush, Menswear, Pulp, Rialto, Sleeper, and Teenage Fanclub (plus Kaiser Chiefs and The Dears on Britpop). Click here for a detailed look at the Summer 2005 issue.
[edit] The Canada Issue
For Issue 11, the Fall 2005 issue, Under the Radar ran a big 36-page special section on Canadian Indie-rock. The section included interviews with such notable Canadian bands as Apostle of Hustle, Bell Orchestre (Arcade Fire side-project), Black Mountain, Broken Social Scene, Constantines, The Dears, Feist, Final Fantasy, Hank, The Hidden Cameras, Hot Hot Heat, k-os, Metric, The Most Serene Republic, The New Pornographers, Pony Up!, Stars, The Stills, Tegan & Sara, Wolf Parade, and more. Click here for a detailed look at the Canada Issue.
[edit] Other Notable Bands Interviewed by Under the Radar
Other notable bands also interviewed by Under the Radar over the years include: !!!, Add N to (X), Air, AK-Momo, The Aliens (ex-Beta Band), All Night Radio, Ambulance LTD., The American Analog Set, Arab Strap, The Arcade Fire, Architecture in Helsinki, Art Brut, Richard Ashcroft, Asobi Sesku, Badly Drawn Boy, Basement Jaxx, Beck, The Bees (aka: A Band of Bees), Belle & Sebastian, The Beta Band, Beulah, Bis, The Black Angels, Frank Black, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Bloc Party, Blonde Redhead, Blue States, Tim Booth (ex-James), Brian Jonestown Massacre, Bright Eyes, British Sea Power, Broadcast, Ian Brown (ex-Stone Roses), Built to Spill, Buzzcocks, David Byrne, Calexico, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Camera Obscura, Candy Bars, The Cardigans, Caribou, Cat Power, Chapterhouse, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Clearlake, Clinic, CocoRosie, Coldplay, Comets On Fire, The Concretes, The Coral, Billy Corgan, Graham Coxon, CSS, Cursive, The Dandy Warhols, Danielson, Dean & Britta, Death In Vegas, The Decemberists, Deerhoof, Depeche Mode, The Delgados, Desert Sessions (Josh Homme of Queens of the Stoneage), Destroyer, The Divine Comedy, Dntel, Doves, The Dresden Dolls, The Duke Spirit, Dungen, The Earlies, Editors, Eels, Elbow, The Elected, Electrelane, Electric Six, Emily Haines, Engineers, Enon, Envelopes, Extra Golden, The Faint, The Fiery Furnaces, Fischerspooner, The Flaming Lips, Fort Lauderdale, Franz Ferdinand, The French Kicks, The Futureheads, Mark Gardener, Girl Talk, Gorillaz, Richard Hawley, Howe Gelb, Goldfrapp, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, The Go! Team, Gram Rabbit, Grandaddy, Grizzly Bear, Ed Harcourt, Headlights, The High Llamas, Hope of the States, Idlewild, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness, I'm From Barcelona, Innaway, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Iron & Wine, Irving, Kasabian, Kris Kristofferson, Ladytron, Lambchop, Lansing-Dreiden, Sean Lennon, Jenny Lewis, Jamie Lidell, Lift to Experience, Lone Pigeon, Love Is All, Low, Luna, Lupen Crook, Lupine Howl, Lush, M83, The Magic Numbers, Magnetic Fields, Stephen Malkmus, Marjorie Fair, Johnny Marr (ex-Smiths), McAlmont & Butler, Mellowdrone, Mercury Rev, Mew, Microphones, Midlake, Midnight Movies, Moby, Modest Mouse, Mogwai, Juana Molina, Moonbabies, Muse, My Barbarian, My Morning Jacket, Mugison, Mystery Jets, New Order, Joanna Newsom, The New York Dolls, Now It's Overhead, Of Montreal, Christopher O’Riley, Beth Orton, Pas/Cal, Pedro the Lion, Peter Bjorn and John, Pilotdrift, The Pipettes, Placebo, The Polyphonic Spree, The Postal Service, Puffy AmiYumi, Quasi, The Raconteurs, The Raveonettes, The Research, Ride, Rilo Kiley, Rogue Wave, Ulrich Schnauss, The Secret Machines, Serena Maneesh, The Shins, Sigur Ros, Simple Kid, Sing-Sing, The Sleepy Jackson, Slowdive, Snowden, Sonic Youth, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, South, Sparklehorse, Sparks, Spiritualized, Spoon, Starsailor, Stereolab, Sufjan Stevens, The Streets, Suicide, Super Furry Animals, Supergrass, Swervedriver, Swirlies, 22-20s, thebrotherkite, The Tears (Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler formerly of Suede), Teenage Fanclub, The Thrills, Tilly and the Wall, Tindersticks, Martina Topley-Bird, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, TV On the Radio, Underworld, UNKLE, The Veils, The Velvet Teen, The Vines, Viva Voce, Voyager One, The Walkmen, M. Ward, White Whale, Patrick Wolf, Wovenhand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yo La Tengo, Zabrinski, Zero 7, and The Zutons.
[edit] Current Issue
Under the Radar's Fall 2006 Issue is currently on stands. The issue features exclusive interviews with: The Decemberists (cover story), The Aliens (ex-Beta Band), Badly Drawn Boy, The Cardigans, Darkel (Air side-project), The Divine Comedy, The Dresden Dolls vs. Bauhaus, Girl Talk, I'm From Barcelona, Kasabian, Sean Lennon, Love Is All vs. The Vaselines, Midlake, Joanna Newsom, Peter Bjorn and John, Sparklehorse, Viva Voce, Wovenhand, and Yo La Tengo. The issue also includes over 180 reviews. Click here for a detailed look at the Fall 2006 issue.
[edit] Other Info
Has gained a large Myspace following through its group by the same name, as well as by hosting various groups dedicated to the many artists popularly featured in the magazine.
Has twice been nominated for the Plug Awards as Magazine of the Year.
Was the first American magazine to interview the following non-American bands: The Aliens, The Dears, The Duke Spirit, The Earlies, Editors, The Go! Team, Hope of the States, I'm From Barcelona, The Long Blondes, Love Is All, Mew, Mugison, Mystery Jets, The Pipettes, The Research, Serena Maneesh, The Sleepy Jackson, and The Thrills.
The following bands have appeared on Under the Radar's covers: Grandaddy, The Divine Comedy, The Flaming Lips (with Beck on the back cover), Elliott Smith, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Rilo Kiley, Interpol, Bright Eyes, Super Furry Animals, Death Cab for Cutie, O Canada! (featuring members of Broken Social Scene, The Dears, Feist, K-os, Metric, The New Pornographers, Stars, and Tegan & Sara), Belle & Sebastian, The Raconteurs, The Dears, and The Decemberists.
The magazine has interviewed the following notable actors and film directors: Casey Affleck, Anton Corbijn, Matt Damon, Jonathan Glazer, Crispin Glover, Michel Gondry, Mark Romanek, Stephane Sednaoui, and Gus Van Sant.
The magazine has also interviewed the following notable record producers: Tony Doogan, Dave Fridmann, Robin Guthrie (ex-Cocteau Twins), John Leckie, Mike Mogis, Stephen Street, Mark Van Hoen, and Tony Visconti.
Has presented Indie rock concerts.
Often has a day-party at the South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival each year in Austin, Texas.
Wendy Lynch, soon-to-be-wife and partner of co-founder Mark Redfern, is the main photographer.
Is sold in most record stores and book stores: Barnes and Noble, Borders, Virgin Megastores, Amoeba Records, and the like.
Under the Radar is published independently by a soon-to-be-husband and wife partnership.
Has reviewed the music festival Coachella every year since the magazine's inception.
Under the Radar's regular staff writers/contributors include: Bryan Borzykowski, August Brown, Bob Canning, Matthew Christoffersen, Chris Drabick, Laura Ferreiro, Matt Fink, Jumana Farouky, Cory Frye, Ryan Gillespie, Tim Grierson, Nick Hyman (also the DVD Reviews Editor), Marcus Kagler, Gary Knight, Shannon McCarthy, Dave Obenour, Jason Pace, Joseph Ragusa, Mark Redfern, Michelle Salzman, Justin Sohl, John Srebalus, Paul Sikes, Chris Tinkham (also the Online Cinema Editor), Frank Valish (also the Book Reviews Editor), and Chris Walla.
Under the Radar's regular photographers include: Crackerfarm, Mike Lum, Wendy Lynch, Sean McCabe, Derrick Santini, and Andy Willsher. The following photographers have also conducted exclusive photo-shoots for the magazine: Christophe Collete, Steven Dewall, Autumn de Wilde, Aubrey Edwards, Hugo Morris, David Redfern, Drew Reynolds, Nicky Sims, Jayme Thornton, and Celeste Wells.
Under the Radar's regular copy-editors, proof-readers, and line-editors include: Heidi Antocicco, Zeenat Burns, Nathan Daly, Allison Jacobson, Ahmi Ko, Kate Mercier de Vriend, and Mandy Willingham.
Under the Radar's advertising sales are handled by Robert Gleim and Micah Issitt.
The magazine also posts web-exclusive interviews and reviews on their website from time to time.
