Posts by Jeremy Lukens

For its sophomore album, UK indie rock quintet Wet Leg ventures into new territory: love songs. That’s not to say the band known for snarky lines like “what makes you think you’re good enough to think about me when you’re touching yourself” has gone all soft and sappy. The Isle of Wight rockers are as […]

In the tribal world of metal music, the Danish rockers of Volbeat have carved out a niche by refusing to conform to any of the metal subgenres. Their idiosyncratic sound draws from rockabilly and other retro rock & roll styles as much as it does from thrash and groove metal.  God of Angels Trust, Volbeat’s […]

Back in 2008, Grace Potter took a break from her band, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, to record a solo album with producer T-Bone Burnett, but it never saw the light of day. Potter’s label was unhappy with the softer direction, which they saw as off-brand for the rock star persona they were building off […]

Singer-songwriter Amos Lee hit Orlando’s Plaza Theatre on May 1st on the last stop of the 2025 tour for a night of jams and sing-alongs. Half of the Washington duo Sway Wild opened the night. With Dave McGraw at home recovering from kidney stones, Mandy Fer played the set as a solo act. “Dave says […]

The Savage Imperial Death March Part II tour stopped in Orlando, Florida, on Friday for a night of crowd-pleasing, eclectic heavy rock from icons that have played sweaty clubs for decades. But before the rocking, the night opened with a strange set by Dark Sky Burial, a side project of Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury.  […]

A6, the sixth studio album from indie pop artist Lights, delivers an album’s worth of warm, introspective synthpop but never lives up to the high standard of her previous releases. The Canadian artist has consistently demonstrated a diverse range of talents, self-producing her albums while playing most of the instruments, and writing and illustrating accompanying […]

After a dozen albums, both as a band and as Will Toledo’s solo project, Car Seat Headrest has carved out a niche for lo-fi indie rock experimentalism. After the polarizing experiment with electronica on 2020’s Making a Door Less Open, the safe bet would be returning to something like 2016’s Teens of Denial or 2018’s […]

Face Down in the Garden is an apt swan song for Denver indie pop duo Tennis. After fifteen years and nine studio albums together, married duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley announced the retirement of this project to focus on other endeavors. “It became clear that we had said everything we wanted to say, and […]

New York indie rockers Sunflower Bean almost broke up after touring behind its experimental 2022 album Headfull of Sugar. All three band members spent time on other projects, and guitarist Nick Kivlen moved to California. Instead, Kivlen and bassist Julia Cumming wrote new songs on separate coasts and the trio reunited in Los Angeles to […]

Los Angeles indie rockers Cheekface brought its quirky music to The Social in Orlando on Monday night April 14th, celebrating oddball narratives and danceable grooves. Pacing, singer-songwriter Katie McTigue’s project, started the night with a thirty-minute set of eccentric folk rock. Backed by a drummer and a multi-instrumentalist, McTigue sang stories with a tongue-in-cheek delivery […]

A sold-out crowd packed into the House of Blues Orlando for a night of unique alternative metal led by Los Angeles singer Poppy. The duo House of Protection opened the show with a thirty-minute set of energetic Prodigy-influenced industrial. Guitarist Stephen Harrison and drummer Aric Improta jumped, flailed, and flipped onstage while serving up frenzied […]

While self-serious post-grunge and nu-metal bands dominated the rock scene in 2003, UK rockers The Darkness burst onto the scene with a glam rock revival that featured theatrical performances, flamboyant fashion, and a polished bubblegum sheen. Some thought the band was a joke, but if so, the band was in on it. The band’s first […]

Is, the tenth album by Louisville’s My Morning Jacket, continues the band’s pattern of inspired yet accessible rock music. The five-piece band has been unchanged since 2005’s Z, anchored by founding singer/guitarist Jim James and bassist Tom Blankenship, along with longtime guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick Hallahan, and keyboardist Bo Koste. Though every other My […]

For Coheed and Cambria’s eleventh album, the prog-rock veterans return to the Amory Wars saga while adding a new introspective flavor. All but one of the band’s albums are concept albums set during the fictional Amory Wars. This epic sci-fi storyline branches out into a series of novels and comic books by frontman Claudio Sanchez […]

On International Women’s Day, Ani DiFranco and Rainbow Girls brought protest anthems with beautiful acoustic melodies to the Plaza Live in Orlando. Though neither act made overt political statements, they spent the night venting their frustrations and grievances through the music while a couple of thousand fans commiserated and sang along. California trio Rainbow Girls […]

“Sometimes I forget it’s fun to play because sometimes it’s not,” Santigold told the crowd at The Beacham in Orlando Wednesday night, March 5th. “But we’re having fun tonight.” The Philadelphia indie artist was one of many artists who canceled tours in 2022 over the unsustainability of modern touring, especially post-COVID, as costs rise and […]

Progressive metal powerhouse Dream Theater is back with a new album of epic, expertly crafted melodic metal. With Parasomnia, the Boston rockers that helped pioneer the prog-metal scene reunite its best lineup for the first time since 2009. Founding drummer Mike Portnoy returns alongside founding guitarist John Petrucci, founding bassist John Myung, and James LaBrie, […]

Under the name Soccer Mommy, Nashville singer-songwriter Sophie Allison has built a following with honest, introspective lyrics, a soft croon, and a DIY aesthetic. On 2022’s Sometimes, Forever, she experimented with her production, creating a more polished pop sound with synthesizers and thick arrangements. The new Soccer Mommy album, Evergreen, returns to the rawer feel […]

After the surprisingly warm and soft Brighten in 2021, Jerry Cantrell returns to what he does best with I Want Blood. The alt-rock pioneer has always experimented with his sound, such as mainly going acoustic on Alice in Chains’ Jar of Flies, adding a bit of twang on Degradation Trip, and playing with various vocal […]

With Hurricane Milton bearing down on the gulf coast of Florida a little more than a week after the destruction of Hurricane Helene, fans of old-school rock and roll took a break from storm prep and packed into The Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg to see The Black Crowes. Nashville rockers The Sedonas kicked off […]