The great American music machine still maintains its twin capitals in New York City and Los Angeles, but its epicenter is inclined to shift as frequently and erratically as a tropical depression. Athens, Ga., was the regional rage just . . . well, was it yesterday? And there was Minneapolis only a few years back; before that it was Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis.
These days -- these moments -- it's Seattle. One band after another has sprung from the environs of the city's fast-lane bar scene onto the national charts. The lyrical metal band Queensryche has sold more than 2 million copies...