VON IVA SHEDS BASS PLAYER, GOES COUTURE by Bernadette Harris

Von Iva shouldn't be written off as another girl band: with fierce body-rocking beats, this powerhouse of the Bay Area scene is taking dance-punk to the masses. After an exuberant soundcheck at 12 Galaxies before their record release party Aug. 5, Von Iva chatted with The Owl Mag about bassist Elizabeth Davis Simpson's departure, and the band's current streamlined sound. Oh, and don't forget the clothes. They have a new album Our Own Island released last week, just in time for San Francisco's brief flirtation with summer - also in the works is a fashion line debut in the fall. The once-foursome, now-trio are gearing up for a tour that for the first time, includes the Midwest... Read On



RANDOM INTERVIEW: THE STARS OF SUPERBAD by Peter Crooks

When our writer, Peter Crooks, suggested that Superbad was a can't miss summer comedy, a la Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused, we were all ears. Then he presented us with an interview with the stars, and we couldn't pass it up. Sure it doesn't have much to do with music, but it's a good read and entertaining. So there.

All hail McLovin.

If you haven't heard of him, it won't be long now. McLovin, aka Fogell, is a high school senior uber-nerd in the new comedy, Superbad, opening in theaters on August 17. Played by newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse, McLovin/Fogell is one of the great breakout characters in recent movie history, in one of the funniest teen comedies ever. Superbad, written by Seth Rogan (the star of the year's other funniest movie, Knocked Up) and Evan Goldberg, produced by Judd Apatow (director of Knocked Up), and co-starring Jonah Hill (also in Knocked Up) and Michael Cera (George Michael Bluth from Arrested Development), offers a simple premise: high school buddies hope to score party booze to impress some hotties. Packed with adolescent angst, clever screwball comedy, and genuine heart, Superbad is smart, thoughtful, and (most important) consistently hilarious. It's over-the-top, but much more realistic than the John Hughes comedies of the 1980s...Read On