Ohio seems to be fertile experimental ground these days. The ground that spawned bands as diverse as Pere Ubu, Ohio Players and Bone Thugs N Harmony now feeds off that creative energy by unleashing a stream of bands with a passion for experiment. Among those underground dwellers there’s a band called Sword Heaven. Two guys, Aaron Hibbs and Mark Van Fleet, banging on sheet metal, pounding on drums, contact mics in attack mode and volume way up higher than is healthy, causing a deafening ruckus amongst the United States’ underground touring circuit. Seeing how they pull this dirging noise off live has to be the ultimate experience for oldtime Swans fan looking for an extremer fix. Last year’s debut full length “Entrance” which came out on Load, condenses much of that power on a tiny disc but people everywhere talk about live is where it’s at with this band. Touring with Skinny Puppy, also last year, might have damaged more ears than they ever could imagine. .. feature :: by Joris Heemskerk

I really dig the Bay Area. Though, I have to admit I have never been there. I have no clue what it looks like. It's just an adolescent dream of mine. Listening to The Doors, Airplane and The Holding Company too much when I was a teenager, growing my hair, dressing up like a hippy. Ten years later not much has changed. People still think I dress like a hippy, and I still dance to psychedelic rock when nobody watches me. I picture something similar for at least half of the Wooden Shjips crew. When I discovered their Shrinking Moon for You 10" and Dance California 7" two years ago, for at least some weeks a third summer of love took place in my living room. That's how I fell in love with this brain-melting combo. Enough reasons to send Ripley Johnson an e-mail to confess my hippy love and ask him out about the band... feature :: by Steve Marreyt

Started in 2006, LA’s Penny-Ante has become one of the largest independent, underground art/poetry “mag/books” around. Made up of mostly musicians working in the field of art or poetry, Penny-Ante brings you into the artistic endeavors of some of the music world’s most interesting figures as well as interviews with select artists. Their newest book “Three” includes everyone from Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Joe Denardo (Growing), Phil Elverum (Mt. Eerie, The Microphones), Brian Turner (WFMU), and Jad Fair (Half Japanese), as well as submissions from members of Pocahaunted, Not Not Fun Records, Naked on the Vague, Silver Apples, The Urinals. MV + EE, Spires That In the Sunset Rise, Chrome, Live Skull, Sacred Bones Records, and about a million more. The new book also, for the first time, includes a bonus CD with music by The Chills, Jad Fair, Arrington de Dionyso, Robert Pollard, Chris Knox, Growing, Robedoor, and TV Ghost. I recently spoke with the woman behind it all, Rebekah Why. Here’s what she had to say:.. feature :: by Jon Lorenz