Posts by Shane Handler

In a musical landscape where many bands tend to blend together, it’s refreshing to hear a vocalist whose voice instantly defines their band. That’s the case with Geese, whose frontman, Cameron Winter, sounds unmistakably like himself. Winter evokes an early echo of Patti Smith — lanky, sardonic, poetically dark, and effortlessly bridging punk energy with […]

When Howe Gelb, M. Ward, and McKowski were in the same place at the same time at a wedding in Tucson, Arizona, none of them imagined that a spur-of-the-moment collaboration would blossom into something else: Geckøs. Each had long histories of collaboration—Gelb best known as the restless spirit behind Giant Sand, Ward for his work […]

The idea of “putting yourself out there” has become a casual suggestion for people to throw around, although when broken down, it is a bold and terrifying move for some. It is easier said than done to lay yourself bare and vulnerable, allowing others to judge with nothing to shield yourself with other than your […]

Talking about a festival’s weather is about as cliché as it gets—something we’ve read a thousand times and probably could do without. But when a city goes nine months without significant rain, and then a storm rolls in during a festival weekend, maybe that’s worth mentioning. Such was the case at the M3F Festival in […]

The life of a touring musician can be tumultuous and troubling. Being on the road for long stretches of time tests a band’s genuine relationship, and some just aren’t cut out for it. On the other hand, some thrive and cherish being slammed into a van and popping up at venues, saving every ounce of […]

It’s a continually on-again message that certain records need repeated listens to earn the full reward of an artist’s creative intentions. There is so much it’s not even worth mentioning, but we already just did, so here goes another one… On Mariam The Believer’s new album, Breathing Techniques, which was released October 4th, a spacious […]

There is an expression “if you know, you know.” In the case of Phoenix’s The Dirty Drummer, for those who know, this venue has quickly become one of the most respected venues in America and one of the most genuine Phoenix bars/eating places: both past and present. Resting ordinarily in a stucco plaza near a […]

While just the words “steel pan ensemble” might conjure a “hard pass” from most wisecrackers, perhaps a few things to consider about Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band: They do a mean cover of “Nuthin But A G Thang,”  and they are from Germany, where there are no sunny escapist tropicales that might influence a Caribbean […]

In a long list of probable bands, there is probably no safer choice than Wilco to open a new concert venue. They don’t attract a wild drinking fanbase, their lyrics are relatively curse-free and the Chicago band can knock over the casual listener with catchy melodies. So what if they are “dad rock”? They have […]

It’s hard to believe that it was only a few months ago that Les Imprimés introduced himself to the world. After signing with the illustrious Big Crown Records, the multi-hyphenate, Norwegian-bred artist immediately began winning over our hearts.  His debut single for the label, “I’ll Never Leave”, introduced us to the cosmic soul of Morten […]