The Warning • Rock n Roll Lives!

The naysayers have been predicting the death of rock ’n’ roll for decades, but I’ve never understood that way of thinking. Rock music has always reinvented itself.

In the ’60s, there were the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. In the ’70s, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and the Clash. The ’80s brought U2, the Cult, and Guns N’ Roses. The ’90s had Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Nine Inch Nails. The 2000s gave us the White Stripes, the Killers, and the Strokes.

And there are so many others – ranging from Blondie to 4 Non Blondes, and from Talking Heads to Radiohead. Which of these bands wasn’t really rock? Which one marked the end of the era? From Howlin’ Wolf to Wolfmother to Wolf Parade, rock doesn’t die – it shifts, morphs, and is born again and again.

When people say rock is dead, what that really means to me is that they’ve given up. There are countless bands that could fit into this lineage, but here’s one example of a throughline that shows the genre’s resilience and regeneration: Scorpions to Iron Maiden to Metallica to Muse to… The Warning.

The Warning is a three-piece band from Monterrey, Mexico, made up of three sisters: Daniela (Dany) on guitar and vocals, Paulina (Pau) on drums and vocals, and Alejandra (Ale) on bass and vocals. They first came to public attention when their cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” went viral—when they were just 9 to 14 years old.

You can look up the lore and history of The Warning – and the fervor of their fan base, known as The Warning Army – anywhere. The point is this: rock ’n’ roll is still a living, breathing force, and this band of sisters from Mexico isn’t just carrying that legacy forward – they’re injecting it with new life and showing exactly how to fucking kick ass for another generation!

To that end I present “Dust to Dust/Dull Knives (Cut Better)” from the band’s second album, Queen of the Murder Scene, from 2018. These two songs, played back to back, are everything I’ve loved about rock music since bands like Queen, Rush and Aerosmith grabbed me by the ears over 50 years ago:

Next up is “Hell You Call A dream” from the band’s most recent album, Keep Me Fed, from 2024. This song features an absolutely ferocious vocal performance from Daniela.

Finally, here is the song that brings it full circle. 10 years after their viral debut, The Warning reimagines “Enter Sandman” for a sold out audience at the Pepsi Center in Mexico city.

Welcome to The Warning Army!

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory

We’re only in February and I already know this new album by Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory will be high on my 2025 year-end list. The album, the first of Van Etten’s to be credited as a full band effort, is bookended by two five minute-plus songs (“Live Forever” and “I Want You Here”) that build slow and finish big. In between are a set songs that draw influences as wide as the post punk of early New Order/Joy Division (“Somethin’ Ain’t Right), to the pulsing neo-rock-disco of Masseduction era St. Vincent (“I Can’t Imagine”). And they pull these influences together in a way that makes it their own. Even with 10.5 months to go this year, this will no doubt be a top album on my 2025 Spotify Wrapped!

Imagery Machine • San Diego Indie Rock

There are so many talented bands in San Diego playing original music and Imagery Machine has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. While their lineup has changed since the first time I saw the band back at the Art on Adams Street Fair back in 2016 (only singer/songwriter/guitarist Jennie Shimkus and her husband, Tyler on drums, remain) they still play a captivating blend of indie rock combined with a host of other influences. They are now joined by Adam Schumann on lead guitar and Victoria Argimon on bass.

Here’s the track “Time Traveler” off of their excellent 2021 album, Reflections of Reality. This “indie-prog-rock” song starts softly and then builds gradually as new instruments and musical ideas are introduced. The song keeps evolving and growing in intensity until finally the guitars take over with big riffs supporting an electrifying, melodic guitar solo. The song then transitions back down into a dreamy haze until it eventually fades away.

Imagery Machine also released two singles in 2024, “My Energy” and “Zombies”. Give them a spin!

Imagery Machine: website •  instagram • facebook • spotify • youtube

English Teacher – This Could Be West Yorkshire

English Teacher, a 4-piece indie rock band from Leeds, England, was one of my favorite discoveries of 2024. (more on them on my 2024 Top-20 page). I remember discovering this band quite by chance as I was going down yet another YouTube rabbit hole. I found myself watching a few bands on Later… with Jools Holland when this performance of English Teacher’s latest single, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, started playing. That was it; that day’s search for new sounds was over as I had found what I didn’t even know I was looking for…

Of course when the video ended I clicked on another link for English Teacher and was taken to a live in the studio version of “Mastermind Specialism” off of the same album. While the first song was full of energy and momentum, this next number was much more of a slow burn that builds intensity as it goes along. Both songs are fantastic and display English Teacher’s musical agility and singer Lily Fontaine’s wide ranging vocals and clever, evocative lyrics.

I won’t recreate the entire 90 minute English Teacher binge I then went on but I will share this imaginative video created for “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”

Ekko Astral – pink balloons

Here’s Ekko Astral, a punk/indie band from Washington DC that has a lot to say if you’re ready to listen. Also, they seriously rock the fuck out!

Here’s “baethoven” off their 2024 debut album, pink balloons

This band goes well with Amyl and the Sniffers and Mannequin Pussy, though if they ever shared a bill I’m not sure the audience would survive, or at the least have any hearing left!

Here’s the same song played live in Austin for a Stereogum showcase event. This simultaneously snarling, defiant, noisy and incredibly catchy song becomes a different animal when played on stage.