Recently in Q&A Category

When all is said and done, "Weird Al" Yankovic may well go down in history as the most insightful popular music critic of the past two or three decades. He certainly had the most honest reaction to Nirvana if nothing else, and Kurt Cobain himself considered him a genius for it ("What is this song all about/ Can't figure any lyrics out ... We're so loud and incoherent/ Boy this oughtta bug your parents.") And now, a newly compiled double-disc retrospective called The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic is making a definitive case for the legacy of his satires. Rhapsody recently talked with Al about the compilation, pop and rock in the '00s, how the music biz neglects nerds, and why R. Kelly is more parody-worthy than Radiohead.

She's been "Like a Bird," Folklore-ic and a "Promiscuous" girl to Timbaland's promiscuous beats. Yes, Nelly Furtado sure likes to keep us guessing. With album No. 4, she's upped the experimental ante, expanding her already-significant advances into the Latin world with the entirely Spanish-language Mi Plan, out today. The divine Ms. F is almost as famous for her diverse collaborations and influences as she is for her own musical promiscuity -- or, perhaps more accurately, the two are overlapping for this gregarious artist/music-lover. In other words, she has great taste. So we're super-excited that she put together a fabulous playlist of her current favorite songs, many of them by artists she duets with on Mi Plan. While in New York doing press for the release of the album, she sat down with Rhapsody to discuss what it was like to work with everyone from Latin alt-rocker Julieta Venegas to bachata king Juan Luis Guerra, as well as Mi Plan and her future plans (hint: you'll never guess who she wants to work with next!).

When your peers have last names like Cyrus and Jonas, pulling ahead of the pack might seem frustrating, if not impossible. But Demi Lovato seems poised to do just that. The young star scored quite an introduction with last year's Camp Rock and hasn't slowed her roll yet, following that mega-hit with more movies, her own Disney show (Sonny with a Chance) and a Jonas-helmed debut album. For her second album, Lovato upped the ante, working with idol John Mayer to create a record that really shows off her wide range and mature pop-rock vocals -- but still appeals to her young fans. Serious, driven and with just a hint of bad girl (or at least passionate artist) about her, the star discusses future plans (hint: Camp Rock 2!!!), musical goals and, of course, a few of her famous friends. Check out an exclusive playlist at the end of the interview that features Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Mayer and more, and click here to join Rhapsody and have unlimited access to high-quality versions of the newest tracks from all today’s top pop stars.

To discuss their latest effort Grey Britain, we caught up with Laurent Barnard and Lee Barratt, the noble guitarist and drummer of the U.K.'s fiery hardcore/ punk exports Gallows.

Alexisonfire’s latest release Old Crows, Young Cardinals, is a hardcore fan’s wet dream. The songwriting demonstrates exactly what this Canadian quintet has to bring to the table and is Alexisonfire’s most thought out and impressive release to date. Featuring 43 minutes of non-stop, explosive, rock ecstasy, Old Crows may very well be the all-around best release to come out of the hardcore genre this year. Combined with string-bending hammer-ons, backed by raucous drum fills, Dallas Green and George Pettit’s mixture of angelic and demonic vocal styles create an almost perfect collection of tracks that when performed live, will assuredly be fueling circle-pits around the globe. Alexisonfire might possibly be the best band you’ve never heard of. With four full-length releases behind them, two of which went Platinum in Canada, one of which went Gold and Old Crows, Young Cardinals, which peaked at #2 on the Canadian charts, it’s a mystery as to what has kept them from climbing to the top of US rock charts, until now. The guys recently sat down with Rhapsody to discuss the death of punk rock, how Nickelback has influenced their band and exactly what has kept them from exploding onto US rock radio.

Right before they departed for Wacken, we caught up with Italian goth metal outfit Lacuna Coil's leading lady Cristina Scabbia to find out what she listens to when she's not controlling crowds or giving advice in her Revolver magazine column. Says Scabbia, "It's definitely a question I'm sure every musician hates -- if you love music, just 10 songs are nothing!" But she happily obliged us nonetheless, and goes on to express her love of Faith No More, Muse, Alter Bridge and more. Check it out right here.

From left: Nathaniel Motte, Sean Foreman

Colorado krunk superstars 3OH!3 have been on a collision course for success since an unforgettable performance on the Denver stop of 2007’s Vans Warped Tour inked them a spot playing every date of the tour in 2008. The same year, they signed to Photo Finish Records and released their debut album, Want. In the past two months, they’ve headlined the entire Warped Tour, and most recently, their debut single, "Don’t Trust Me," has gone platinum, becoming the No. 1 single in the U.S. Behind the aggression of heavy bass drops and Lil’ John-influenced beats, 3OH!3 bring humor to the rap game with line after line of infectious, tongue-in-cheek rhymes that have people hooked from coast to coast. The band took a break from the chaos that is Warped Tour and sat down with Rhapsody to discuss rumors about touring with Barack Obama and what it is like to have a No. 1 single.

Moving from the center of the deathcore scene through the history of American death metal, Job for a Cowboy have embarked on an expansive journey in their so-far short career. With their top-100-charting 2007 debut, Genesis, and a celebrated, self-released 2005 EP in tow, they got the metal underground's attention. Now with their sophomore effort, Ruination, featuring new guitarist Al Glassman and new drummer Jon Rice, as well as the band's coveted slot in this year's Mayhem Festival, J.F.A.C. are expanding on their sturdy foundation and conquering new territory. We caught up with guitarist Bobby Thompson to find out more about their transition into death metal.

The sound of L.A. group Sa-Ra Creative Partners is hard to pin down. Their brand of psych urban music straddles the line between funk, soul and hip-hop. It references Funkadelic, Prince, Sly & the Family Stone and J Dilla, but ultimately the music manages to sound like nothing you've ever heard. It's jerky electro, ethereal hip-hop and secular gospel. It's beautiful music that is, at times, difficult to listen to. Consisting of (from left, in photo at left) Om'Mas Keith, Taz Arnold, and Shafiq Husayn, the group became darlings of the underground in 2005 with a series of 12-inches and remixes. They released their debut album, The Hollywood Recordings, in 2007, and followed up this year with Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love. In that time, an entire echo-system of psychedelic soul acts sprang up, but Sa-Ra remain at the forefront. Even if you haven't heard of the group, it's likely that your favorite artist has. The trio has worked with Erykah Badu, Kanye West, Dr. Dre and John Legend, among many others. In fact, Keith is currently serving as Diddy's musical director.

We recently caught up with Om'Mas Keith. By chance, we spoke with him on the afternoon of June 25, just when the news of Michael Jackson's death was reported. We discussed Jackson's influence on the group, as well as a wide range of subjects including Thelonious Monk's funeral, Keith's father, the group's future, and the influence of Sly and the Family Stone.

Not too many 27-year-old DJs can boast a career as long and influential as A-Track. The Montreal-based turntablist first rose to prominence in 1997 when he captured the DMC championship (the Super Bowl for DJs) at the age of 15. He spent the rest of that decade wracking up titles and accolades. When turntabalism begin to fade in the first half of this decade, he switched gears, experimenting with everything from ITalo disco to Baltimore Club Music. Somewhere along the way, he also became the tour DJ for one Kanye West. Many site him as a primary influence on West, who would soon began adopting a more electronic-friendly sound. Recently, A-Track formed the Fool’s Gold label along with NY scenester Nick Catchdubs, and has continued to play to sold out crowds around the globe. In this exclusive Rhapsody interview, A-Track discussed the Fool's Gold philosophy, his approach to live performance and his latest mixtape, Infinity +1.

Part II of the interview after the jump.

Jordin Sparks is, in many ways, the epitome of the American Idol dream. In the two short years since winning, she's released a successful debut that spawned two Top 10 hits (including "No Air," her smash duet with Chris Brown), toured with big-name acts like Alicia Keys and the Jonas Brothers (with whom she's currently on the road) and even performed for two presidents! Now she's releasing her sophomore album, Battlefield, which premiered on Rhapsody last Tuesday and drops everywhere else next week. When she recently sat down with us to talk about how far she's come, we discovered that, despite her success, Sparks is still very much the sweet Arizona girl she was before she became a household name.

We're pretty sweet on Deer Tick's new album around the Rhapsody compound, which Justin Farrar recently shared some thoughts on. Additionally, we caught up with lead singer John Joseph McMcauley III back in March at the South By Southwest music festival down in Austin. He gave us some insight on how Deer Tick came to be and talked about a few songs from the band's debut War Elephant. Then he told us what kind of beer he enjoys. Give it a viewing right here, then mosey on over to Born on Flag Day and give those ears of yours a treat.

From left: Tim Sult, Dan Maines, Neil Fallon and Jean-Paul Gaster

Nearly 20 years since their inception, roots rockin' stoner metal outfit Clutch may have grown, but they have never wavered. Beginning in 1991 with groove-oriented funk 'n' roll, fast-forwarding to 2009's blues-based ninth album Strange Cousins from the West, Neil Fallon and co. have run the gamut between rock and metal, but have always done exactly what they wanted to do. Explains Fallon, "This is a band that ... made music for music's sake and wasn't interested in anything else other than improving itself and being sincere while doing it." As a further testament to that, Clutch have even formed their own label imprint as a vehicle for exercising their creativity, which -- in addition to Clutch's most recent releases -- has also spawned an instrumental project called the Bakerton Group. To learn about Fallon's philosophical take on his musical output and humble fascination with rock history, plus the inner workings of Clutch's latest record, stay tuned right here.

Dan Palmer (left), Efrem Schulz

For California skate punk outfit Death by Stereo, it's been a tough journey through the darkness, but they've found their way back. Formed in 1997, D.B.S. took hardcore mentality, punk ethics and metallic tones; injected their outspoken swagger; and made a name for themselves with incredible live shows all across the country. As they gained momentum and their sound turned more aggressive, the band found themselves stricken by tragedy and at the center of some unwanted controversy in 2003 when a fan was killed at one of their shows -- a memory that frontman Efrem Schulz recalls as "one of the most awful things I will probably ever see in my lifetime."

Bouncing back from the misfortune was not easy, but Death By Stereo persevered and continued writing and releasing music. Then, after parting ways with Epitaph Records, Schulz explains, "the planets were aligned to end our band." But in trying to do it on their own, D.B.S. found an ally in System of a Down's Serj Tankian, who took the band in under his Serjical Strike imprint to release their Jason Freese-produced fifth album, Death Is My Only Friend. To learn more about the new record and how far Death by Stereo have come since 2005's Death for Life, read what else Schulz had to say in our interview (click below).