Posts by Shane Handler

Scott Tournet has recently let his hair down again: in more than one way. After 13 years with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals as a founding member and lead guitarist, Tournet is now exploring a place rhythmically and lyrically that would never have appeared had he not made a change. While Grace Potter and the […]

“We call this the greatest hits part of the show, even though we only have two albums,” stated a sweaty Paul Janeway halfway through his sold out show on September 15th at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix. The Paul of St. Paul and The Broken Bones has the pipes to make any song a wower, so […]

Don Gallardo’s new album Hickory might sound a tad familiar if you appreciate the good stuff- the stand by artists and albums that never let you down: Wilco, Beatles, The Band, Neil Young, Bob Dylan. There is enough complicated listening out there and our ears deserve something that’s righteous, honest and ballsy in just the […]

 For a full 11 days in July, downtown Québec City plays host to the biggest, most eclectic and hands down the greatest value festival in all of North America (11 Days for $75 USD)  This year’s edition of Le Festival d’été de Québec (aka Quebéc City Summer Fest) will feature 300 shows taking place in 10 venues […]

Over the last ten years the Quebec City Summer Festival (Le Festival d’été de Québec) has grown into an international success, attracting some of the biggest and most prestigious artists anywhere. When looking at most other festivals in North America, each lineup has begun to look like as identical as Walmart shelves. By examining past […]

Lakou Mizik may not sound familiar to U.S. ears, but the epic tragedy (2010 Haiti earthqauke) the band was formed in the wake of, will forever be recollected. Lakou Mizik is a diverse collection of musicians representing a cross section of generations, faiths and musical styles, that on April 1st released their debut album Wa Di […]

Following a crisp and honest take on the obscure original gem, “My Hometown,” four songs in to his performance at the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts on June 16th, Joe Jackson had a word with the sold-out room. Following the performance of this number from 1968’s Big World, Jackson realized his hometown of Portsmouth, England […]

If you haven’t seen the live event known as Royal Southern Brotherhood in a club near you – seriously, you are truly missing out. Sure most live bands can fire it up on the stage, but putting those songs on record and making the recordings sound as poignant and timeless? Royal Southern Brotherhood triumphantly pulls […]

Minneapolis’ We Are The Willows recently celebrated the double vinyl release of Picture (Portrait) parts 1 and 2 on March 25th. Fans of The National, Sufjan Stevens and Basia Bulat will appreciate the sounds of this collective that offers unique vocals and discrete arrangements on non traditional instruments. Derived from a series of 350 letters written by […]

Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits released their second full length Moon Son on May 13th –  11 songs of unadulterated rock that pushes boundaries of genre defintion while remaining experimental and exciting: on a plateau just below that of the great My Morning Jacket. Guitars, keys and synth fill the album and feature the give and go trade-off […]

In the time that passed since Todd Pasternack last recorded a new album, Facebook replaced MySpace as the number one community site, David Bowie was finishing up his last world tour, and a Bush was in the oval office. In other words… its been awhile for the former guitarist/vocalist of 90’s jam kingpins the Ominous […]

Banshee, the fifth album from Seattle’s Cave Singers might wrap you in with its rhythmic folk quite submissively. Front-man Peter Quirk rambles off rhythmic vocals that sound like a free-styling troubadour, atop lo-fi instruments that keep things natural and earthy in the most foreboding ways possible. Featuring former members of Murder City Devils and Pretty […]

The guys in Dublin Ireland’s Otherkin would like the word Britpop to not even be equated to their explosive sound – after all they are from Ireland- lets at least charm in a little Thin Lizzy, Bell X1 and maybe even The Frames if we’re going in that direction. Maybe its just wishful thinking of […]

Bronze Radio Return have just kicked off their U.S. tour in support of their acclaimed new album Light Me Up. The Connecticut based band’s tour includes stops in , Austin, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles (tour dates below).  The roots rockers offer a sound pretty much foreign to bands originating out of the New England […]

There might be those who want to easily disregard LANY as just another electronic combo, but the trio has been hitting on all pop cylinders since they uploaded some tracks to Soundcloud in 2014. What makes em hitting the right notes is their penchant for R & B – silky 80’s grooves and slinky notes […]

[rating=7.00] Phoenix based dance rockers Harper and the Moths have got a plan and it has nothing to do with being confounding or bland – however that doesn’t mean there isn’t some crypticness to their sound. Like the popular French band (Phoenix) that shares the name of their home city, Harper and the Moths deliver […]

The gritty urban sprawl of Phoenix, Arizona might not be your typical launching pad for a band sporting bluegrass instruments and four part harmonies, but Haymarket Squares aren’t romanticizing nothing. The city with an identity of many a political mishap,  is the ideal locale for a “punkgrass” band that sparks informative lyrics, fast tempos and […]

Finding unique, diverse inspiration was something Francesca Blanchard never had to seek out. She was born into a multi-cultural family who traversed the world doing humanitarian work. Her home base, for her first 10 years, was southern France, and the pointed influence of those delicate years can be heard very directly in her musical style. […]

Roots-reggae artist Cas Haley will be releasing his new album More Music More Family on Mailboat Records on November 6th, 2015. The new album celebrates Cas’ return to music after an injury-induced hiatus and explores the importance of family and positivity. Co-produced by Tubby Love and recorded in Kauai, Hawaii, More Music More Family is […]

Long before Donald Fagen, Herbie Hancock and Jan Hammer rocked out with their keytars, a performer was strapping his legless keyboard on top of an ironing board when performing. This marked the birth of stand up keys and so became the legend of Ironing Board Sam. Born Samuel Moore, the musician later to be known as “Ironing Board Sam” […]