The Daily Vault Review Panel

The qualifications to become a member of The Daily Vault's reviewing staff are simple: love music, write well, keep your commitments, don't expect to earn a dime. If you're interested in being part of a team that writes about music for the pure love of it, e-mail us at editor@dailyvault.com.

Luke Adams Staff Writer la.vault@hotmail.com	BORN: In the year that Cyndi Lauper received a grammy for 'the best new artist' and Prince embarked on the 'Purple Rain' tour... and Michael Jackson was actually considered somewhat of a sex symbol... JOINED THE DV STAFF: June 2008 HOMETOWN: Melbourne, Australia NOW LIVING IN: Melbourne, Australia SPOUSE / KIDS?: Partner - Deborah FAVORITE ARTIST: Colin Hay OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Nick Cave, Radiohead, Damien Rice, Ben Folds, Kings of Leon, Eric Clapton, Travelling Wilburys, Bob Dylan, John Butler Trio, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, Butterfingers, Michael Jackson, Prince, Braindead Lovers, Ray Charles, Guns N Roses, The Beatles, Tori Amos, H*I*M, Crowded House, Incubus, INXS, Jeff Buckley, etc. BEER: Pure Blonde (The first beer in Australia to be marketed as low-carbohydrate...'it's full strength, great tasting and better for you'). OTHER HOBBIES: Writing, Travelling, Work (teaching) I love my job. PERSONAL MOTTO: 'If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door' -- Milton Berle I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...I can.
David Bowling Staff Writer sdbowling83@earthlink.net	BORN: The Truman Administration JOINED THE DV STAFF: May 2007 HOMETOWN: Woonsocket, R.I. NOW LIVING IN: Whispering Pines, N.C. SPOUSE / KIDS?: Susan/ Amy, Stacey and two grandchildren FAVORITE ARTIST: The Beach Boys OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Roy Orbison, Lou Reed, the Jefferson Airplane, Dire Straits, Dusty Springfield, Etta James, Pat Benatar, Mary Chapin Carpenter, early Santana, Bob Dylan. BEER: All OTHER HOBBIES: Reading and traveling PERSONAL MOTTO: Relationships are temporary. Vinyl is forever. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...it is a way to express publicly the interaction between myself and the music.
Daniel Camp Staff Writer Daniel_Camp@baylor.edu	BORN: 1989 JOINED THE DV STAFF: January 2008 HOMETOWN: Greenville, TX NOW LIVING IN: Garland, TX SPOUSE / KIDS?: No on both fronts, and I think keeping it that way is probably a good idea for a few years. FAVORITE ARTIST: The Beatles (I know, I’m a beacon of originality here) OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Relient K, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, MercyMe, Switchfoot, Nirvana BEER: No thanks; I’ll take a Dr. Pepper any day. OTHER HOBBIES: Following sports (Cowboys QB Tony Romo is my idol), playing guitar, doing crossword puzzles PERSONAL MOTTO: “Love is friendship set to music.” – E. Joseph Crossmann I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...I need something more constructive to do during first-period calculus.
Jeff Clutterbuck Staff Writer jeff25624@gmail.com	BORN: October 1985, year of the Ox JOINED THE DV STAFF: April 2004 HOMETOWN: Delafield, Wisconsin NOW LIVING IN: nisnocsiW, dleifaleD SPOUSE / KIDS?: Nope FAVORITE ARTIST: Simple answer -- Chicago OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Elton John, Yes, Boston, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Queen, Stevie Wonder. BEER: Corona and Spotted Cow OTHER HOBBIES: Sports, sports, sports, and yes, more sports. PERSONAL MOTTO: I’m surrounded by ignorant people. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: …someone has to defend Tales From Topographic Oceans!
Duke Egbert Staff Writer xgrundy@gmail.com	BORN: Pre-Let It Be JOINED THE DV STAFF: September 1998 HOMETOWN: Ottawa, Illinois (Population 17,000. Salut.) NOW LIVING IN: Austin, TX SPOUSE / KIDS?: Married, three kids. FAVORITE ARTIST: Alan Parsons in all his various incarnations. OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Great Big Sea, Nickel Creek, Kate Bush, Dan Fogelberg, Spock's Beard, Howard Jones, Wang Chung, Natalie McMaster, Sting, R Carlos Nakai, Moxy Fruvous. BEER: I'm a beer geek. Iron City, Sapporo, Kronenberg, or anything malty. OTHER HOBBIES: Writing, cooking, baseball, Pagan activism, going back to school at a late age to get a long-belated degree. PERSONAL MOTTO: Why not? I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: …Rolling Stone pissed me off at an early age.
Laura Elise Staff Writer laura-elise@lycos.com	BORN: November 1987 JOINED THE DV STAFF: July 2008 HOMETOWN: Ithaca, NY NOW LIVING IN: Ithaca, NY SPOUSE / KIDS?: Never! FAVORITE ARTIST: The Doors OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses/50 Foot Wave, Radiohead, Neutral Milk Hotel, Animal Collective/Panda Bear, Pixies, Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket, Devendra Banhart, Midlake. BEER: AmberBock OTHER HOBBIES: Writing/playing/recording music PERSONAL MOTTO: If anyone ever tries to convince you that life isn't all sunshine and flowers, don't believe them, because they are wrong and very sad. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...all I think about is music and everyone I know is sick of hearing me talk about it.
Paul Hanson Staff Writer prhmusic@hotmail.com	BORN: December 1969 JOINED THE DV STAFF: October 1997 HOMETOWN: Cedar Rapids, Iowa NOW LIVING IN: North Liberty, Iowa SPOUSE / KIDS?: Wife, Karen, married on 8/7/93. Two children: Megan, born 8/96, and Alex, born 10/98. FAVORITE ARTIST: Don't have one. I can go from saying Brand New Sin to Disarray to Postman Syndrome to Engine to TenFootPole to Black Sabbath to Metallica to Supafuzz to Tool to Brand New Sin in a single conversation. OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Offspring's "Americana" has found a new home in my player. Also, bands on Kung Fu Records, like the Ataris, Useless ID, and bands on Victory Records like TenFootPole. About the only 'bands' I can't stand are Meat Loaf and Linkin Park. BEER: Bud Light in a bottle. OTHER HOBBIES: PRO WRESTLING!! I like the athleticism of the wrestlers. BLOG: PRHmusic PERSONAL MOTTO: "There is no try. Do or do not." - Yoda I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: …I retired from playing drums in bands. Yet, I don't want to be away from the industry. I like writing and I like music so it seems a fit made in heaven.
Vish Iyer Staff Writer wish_1979@hotmail.com	BORN: March 1979 JOINED THE DV STAFF: September 2003 HOMETOWN: Mumbai, (Bombay) India NOW LIVING IN: Pennsylvania SPOUSE / KIDS: Nope. FAVORITE ARTIST: Morrissey OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Cure, Smiths / Morrissey, Catherine Wheel, Cocteau Twins, Curve, Tears For Fears, Nine Inch Nails, Sneaker Pimps, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Mission UK, Faith No More, Massive Attack, Electronic, Grant Lee Buffalo, Jeff Buckley, Jesus Jones, The The, Manic Street Preachers, etc. BEER: I am a teetotaler. I wouldn't like to be a toper. I am happy drinking just plain lemon juice. It is much healthier. OTHER HOBBIES: Writing poetry, watching documentaries of all sorts, reading books (PG Wodehouse, J D Salinger, Albert Camus, etc.), and a little bit of guitar-playing and music-mixing. PERSONAL MOTTO: Don't worry too much about life. It will depress you anyway. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...it gives me a great sense of satisfaction by writing them and sharing my thoughts on music with other cognoscenti, like myself.
Melanie Love Assistant Editor staropt13@aol.com	BORN: 1990 JOINED THE DV STAFF: December 2005 HOMETOWN: Los Angeles NOW LIVING IN: Los Angeles SPOUSE / KIDS?: Nope FAVORITE ARTIST: Queen OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Okkervil River, Elliott Smith, Neutral Milk Hotel, Death Cab For Cutie, U2, Band Of Horses, Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Sparklehorse, Bob Dylan, Guns N' Roses, George Michael, Jeff Buckley BEER: Nah. I'll pull a Freddie Mercury instead and request champagne. OTHER HOBBIES: Reading, writing, and other general mayhem PERSONAL MOTTO: "Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." - Berthold Brecht I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...I like to think it justifies all the money I spend on CDs.
Sean McCarthy Staff Writer smccarthy55@hotmail.com	BORN: 1974 JOINED THE DV STAFF: March 1997 HOMETOWN: Lincoln, NE NOW LIVING IN: Omaha, NE SPOUSE / KIDS?: Nope FAVORITE ARTIST: The Clash OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Morphine, Tori Amos, Radiohead, Liz Phair, Lucinda Williams, Public Enemy, Eminem, The Pixies, Husker Du, Mos Def, Bjork, Cowboy Junkies, Tool, Bob Dylan, Blur, The Chemical Brothers, Buddy Guy. BEER: Guinness, but for health reasons, I had to switch to vodka. OTHER HOBBIES: Mountain biking, reading, cooking, X-Box vegging, basketball and tennis. PERSONAL MOTTO: "I'd rather be lucky than good any day" H.R. Dobbs I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: …you need to read them. (come on, admit it, most music snobs are arrogant).
Kenny McGuane Staff Writer kenneth.mcguane@gmail.com	BORN: 1983, the same year MJ wins "Album of the Year" for his masterpiece Thriller. JOINED THE DV STAFF: February 2008 HOMETOWN: Redlands, CA. NOW LIVING IN: Los Angeles, CA. SPOUSE / KIDS?: None/none. FAVORITE ARTIST: Elton John OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Morrissey, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Tears for Fears. BEER: Gulden Draak, Becks, and Bass. OTHER HOBBIES: Active musician. BLOG: Pop Music Matters WEBSITE: myspace.com/kennysean PERSONAL MOTTO: I never find out 'till I'm head over heals. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...it makes me feel cool.
Ben McVicker Staff Writer moinkerfunk@yahoo.ca	BORN: 1984 JOINED THE DV STAFF: June 2007 HOMETOWN: Halifax, N.S. NOW LIVING IN: Soon to be Toronto SPOUSE / KIDS?: Nope FAVORITE ARTIST: Frank Zappa OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Black Sabbath, Buckethead, John McLaughlin, Kate Bush, The Dixie Dregs, Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Primus, Jeff Beck, Miles Davis, Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, Zakir Hussain, Bill Laswell...the list goes on. BEER: Propellor Pale Ale, or London Porter. Black Wych is also tasty. OTHER HOBBIES: Outside of music and writing, I'm addicted to all things Russian: Soviet history, dissident literature and deep-fried black bread with garlic cheese are among my favorites. PERSONAL MOTTO: "A pessimist says that things can only get worse. An optimist says that things couldn't possibly be worse." I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...it's what I crave.
Mark Millan Staff Writer elmacho@bigpond.net.au	BORN: October 1979 JOINED THE DV STAFF: June 2008 HOMETOWN: Melbourne, Australia NOW LIVING IN: St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia SPOUSE / KIDS?: No / no FAVORITE ARTIST: Tina Turner OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Bob Dylan, Blondie, Renee Geyer, Marianne Faithfull, The Rolling Stones, Prince, Cher, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cold Chisel, Divinyls, Alice Cooper, Emmylou Harris, Icehouse, James Reyne, Free, David Bowie, Little Richard, ELVIS...this is the list that never ends... BEER: Carlton Draught or Carlton Cold. OTHER HOBBIES: Reading, AFL, Movies, Gigs. PERSONAL MOTTO: Step to the left. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...my parole officer says it's "productive."
Bruce Rusk Staff Writer brucerusk@gmail.com	BORN: 1962 JOINED THE DV STAFF: February 2004 HOMETOWN: Berkeley, CA NOW LIVING IN: Lison, ME SPOUSE / KIDS?: 3 kids FAVORITE ARTIST: Pink Floyd OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Rush, Yes, Kansas, Jethro Tull, B.O.C., Beatles, Who, Iron Maiden, Genesis, Black Sabbath, Primus, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, SRV (if you need to ask...don't), Chris Duarte, Robin Trower, Bela Fleck, Talking Heads, Creem, Porcupine Tree, Spocks Beard, The Flower Kings, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Foo Fighters, Korn, Staind, Everclear, System of a Down BEER: Redhook E.S.B. OTHER HOBBIES: Film, herpetology, travel, anime PERSONAL MOTTO: Turn what down? I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...I have no musical skills myself, so I have no preconceptions about how it should be played.
Julia Skochko Staff Writer jskochko@gmail.com	BORN: During the brief, terrifying time period between the launch of MTV and the formation of Metallica. JOINED THE DV STAFF: July 2008 HOMETOWN: South Jersey NOW LIVING IN: Philadelphia and environs SPOUSE / KIDS?: Partner (Tim) / Mini-Me (Jacob) FAVORITE ARTIST: The Hold Steady OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Electric Six, Flin Flon, Girls Against Boys, Hot Chip, Moby, Morphine, Pavement, Soul Coughing, TV on the Radio, Van She, Warren Zevon. BEER: St. Ides Special Blend. It's not beer, but it is Ice Cube-approved. OTHER HOBBIES: Running, cooking, acquiring college credit as cheaply as possible, urban exploration, rabble-rousing. PERSONAL MOTTO: "There's only one rule that I know of, babies — God damn it, you've got to be kind." -- Kurt Vonnegut I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...I can't and I don't and I won't stop.
Michael R. Smith Staff Writer michaelsmith180@comcast.net	BORN: July 1969 JOINED THE DV STAFF: October 2006 HOMETOWN: Hyannis, MA NOW LIVING IN: Hyannis, MA (The Gay Marriage State) SPOUSE / KIDS?: No, and happily single FAVORITE ARTIST: Madonna OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Eurythmics, Prince, Depeche Mode, Peter Gabriel, Blondie, Sinead O'Connor, Bee Gees, Olivia Newton-John, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, ELO, OMD. Basically anything from the Osmonds to Nine Inch Nails. BEER: No thanks, but I do like Zima. Do they still make Zima? OTHER HOBBIES: I've written and published books on music and movies under the alias of Randolph Michaels. Also, I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm addicted to reality television competition shows. PERSONAL MOTTO: Be Prepared. Once an Eagle Scout, always an Eagle Scout. I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: Music has been my true passion for 30 years. It's also a form of protest now that Tower Records is out of business. Grrrr...
Jason Warburg Editor editor@dailyvault.com	BORN: when Pete Best was still a Beatle JOINED THE DV STAFF: October 1997 HOMETOWN: Ross, CA NOW LIVING IN: Sacramento, CA SPOUSE / KIDS?: Karen / Josh, Sarah & Eric FAVORITE ARTIST: Bruce Springsteen OTHER ARTISTS I LIKE: Montrose, Yes, the Beatles, Switchfoot, Gin Blossoms, Ben Folds, AC/DC, Jet, U2, Shawn Mullins, the Who, Fountains Of Wayne, Counting Crows, John Mayer, James Taylor, Led Zeppelin, Semisonic, John Hiatt, Jimi Hendrix, the Jayhawks, Ian Hunter, Mary Chapin Carpenter, etc. BEER: Occasionally (a cold Molson on a hot day). OTHER HOBBIES: Writing, softball and the San Francisco Giants. BLOG: The Open Road WEBSITE: Warburg Communications PERSONAL MOTTO: "I don't know.  I'm making this up as I go!" -- Indiana Jones I WRITE MUSIC REVIEWS BECAUSE: ...Rock'n'Roll Jeopardy said no.

Contributing Writers: Elizabeth Crowder, Eric E5S16, Corwin Egbert, Ben Ehrenreich, Michael Ehret, Roland Fratzl, Cory Galliher, Chris Harlow, Herb Hill, Mark Kadzielawa, Paul King, Darren Paltrowitz, Christopher Thelen

Alumni: George Agnos, Eric Atwell, Benny Balneg, Alison Bellach, Brian Birnbaum, Andrea Callahan, Tammy Childs, Steve Cooper, Graham Drennan, Mark Feldman, Scott Floman, Gordon T. Gekko, Sandra Gilraine, Denise Henderson, JB, Tommy Johnson, Emily Kinsella, Tom Lancing, Shane M. Liebler, Loznik, Riley McDonald, Adam Mico, Alfredo Narvaez, Candy North, Hansen Olson, Casey O'Lear, Mark Phillips, Benjamin Ray, Dan Smith, Jon Southwood, Alicia St. Rose, Jason Thornberry, Matthew Turk, Eric Warburg, David Welsh, Larry (Duke) Williams, Bill Ziemer