More Great Music Zines

Zines are a great way to keep up with what’s happening in music. They feature artists not seen in a lot of mainstream music magazines, and zines have a personality. They are generally written an edited by only a few people, sometimes even 1 person, and have an attitude and personality you just don’t find very much anymore. This is the latest in a continuing series of articles about non-mainstream music magazines. I encourage you to visit the magazine’s web site, and if you like what you see, order a copy or subscription of the printed version. These zines are run on a shoestring, and support by readers and serious fans is needed for them to keep publishing.

The magazine to go to first to find out about zines is Zine Guide. It’s available at Tower Records and other stores, and is a guidebook of zines. All different types of zines are reviewed, and contact info is given so you can get a copy. They don’t have a website, but you can email Zine Guide for more info: mailto:zineguide@interaccess.com

Ballbuster

Ballbuster is the bible of hard music zines. It’s packed with interviews, reviews and information about all styles of metal and hard rock. The latest issue features interviews with Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Testament, W.A.S.P., and many more. There are also profiles of unsigned bands, music news, and reviews broken down by genre. It’s a terrific read, and my only complaint is there is so much information they have to use really small printing, which makes it hard to read. Ballbuster is available at most Barnes & Noble stores. It’s published twice a year, but their website is updated regularly.

Grindstone

If you like rockabilly music, Grindstone is right down your alley. It has interviews, profiles and reviews of rockabilly and rock artists. Many of the magazine’s writers are musicians, too, including Skip Heller and Billy Vera. The magazine writes about artists such as Blazing Haley, Chris Isaak and Jesse Dayton.

Grindstone is available at Barnes and Noble, Virgin Megastores, Tower Records and Borders. It’s published quarterly and a subscription is $13 per year.

Instant

Instant is a nice combination of style and substance. The layout of the magazine is uncluttered and easy to read, and the content is excellent. There are music reviews, many one page interviews and band profiles, some very humorous non music content such as weird news, and even a few pages of random facts. It is a very professional publication, but with an irreverent and fun attitude that makes for a very enjoyable read. Some of the bands you can expect to read about in Instant include Deftones, Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Nine Inch Nails, Kittie, Henry Rollins, Bloodhound Gang and Nashville Pussy.

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