All posts tagged: Whigs

Afghan Whigs don’t sound like the ’90s anymore

Afghan Whigs don’t sound like the ’90s anymore

Published by Sam Flores

Greg Dulli and his Afghan Whigs are back with “Soft Control.” The new Whigs record is a strong collection of material that stands solidly amongst the existing catalog of v2 Whigs albums, with big rockers, piano ballads, and tape loops neatly nestled against guitar feedback. It also brings stellar guitar work, a new drummer and features Dulli’s vocals in a way you haven’t heard them previously. 2026 is also being claimed as the 40th anniversary for this particular band of brothers, and it is indeed 40 years since the original ensemble first formed: Dulli alongside bassist John Curley (still present and accounted for), guitarist Rick McCollum, and a succession of drummers across the decades. The current lineup features Dulli, Curley, musical Swiss Army Knife Rick T. Nelson, guitarist Christopher Thorn and new drummer Bryan Lee Brown.  As the principal songwriter, what you hear on any Greg Dulli record is where he is at that moment in time.  The Afghan Whigs were in official existence until 2001, when they amicably parted ways. The ensemble with the …

The Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli on keeping it “fun” after death of a beloved bandmate

The Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli on keeping it “fun” after death of a beloved bandmate

Published by Sam Flores

Low-key kings of ’90s alt-rock, the Afghan Whigs have been on a tear since reuniting in 2011. The band’s two post-reformation albums — 2014’s “Do to the Beast” and “In Spades,” which arrived in May — seethe with R&B-saturated roars, distortion-fuzzed guitars, and antique-sounding orchestration. “In Spades” especially is haunted by macabre-sounding vibes: Strings and horns dart and quiver through many songs, including the elegiac “Toy Automatic” and spare “Oriole,” while the elegant opening salvo “Birdland” has stuttering arrangements that sound like chamber-jazz. As anyone who’s seen the Afghan Whigs in recent years will testify, this ever-present studio ferocity comes directly from the band’s stunning live shows. In late June, however, the group suffered an emotional blow. Guitarist Dave Rosser, who also played alongside Afghan Whigs vocalist Greg Dulli in groups such as the Gutter Twins and the Twilight Singers, passed away less than a year after being diagnosed with inoperable colon cancer. To honor his memory, the Afghan Whigs recently recorded and released a cover of a song called “You Want Love” originally recorded by …

Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli: “Writing songs is the greatest gift I could give myself”

Afghan Whigs’ Greg Dulli: “Writing songs is the greatest gift I could give myself”

Published by Sam Flores

Greg Dulli has a thing about cars. In his songs with the Afghan Whigs in the 1990s and with the Twilight Singers in the 2000s, the Cincinnati-born, New Orleans-based songwriter always has a ride waiting outside. “I’ll get the car, you get the match and gasoline,” he instructs a lover on the Whigs’ “Going to Town,” promising great conflagration. On the Singers’ “Follow You Down,” he sings, “Get the wheel, let’s go for a ride. If you’re trouble, then I’ll follow you down.” That car — presumably a sinister muscle car circa ’72, painted oil-slick black and with tinted windows, growling in idle — sometimes offers salvation, but more often it’s a vehicle to damnation. It’s a powerful metaphor, simultaneously menacing and reassuring, and it’s the first thing that connects the Afghan Whigs’ first album in 16 years with that band’s revered catalog. The opening song — one of the heaviest in Dulli’s catalog — is called “Parked Outside,” while another, “Can Rova,” includes what might be a kind of mission statement for the singer/songwriter: …