Show Reviews

Cass McCombs has long been something of a shapeshifter. Over more than two decades, he has continued to evolve his sound while always occupying a niche in the indie rock scene. Case in point is Interior Live Oak (REVIEW), which was surely one of the better albums of 2025 and finds McCombs moving toward a […]

This past Saturday, April 4th, Zakk Wylde’s Berserker faithful infiltrated Boston’s MGM Music Hall as if it were a Viking war party, turning the room into a pressure cooker of sweat, BLS T-shirts, and denim. This wasn’t just another stop on the circuit; it was a scorched-earth revival. Black Label Society was back, hauling their […]

Springtime in the Pacific Northwest tends to feel like the scene in the film Pleasantville when everything goes from black and white to color. The months-long gloom is replaced by blossoming and new life, the feeling of fresh energy and awakening. Here in Portland, Oregon, the crowds were out on an absolutely stunning Saturday, April […]

Keyboardist, vocalist, and bandleader Cory Henry won a Grammy in 2025 for his Church album, which contains a collection of songs inspired by his church upbringing and experiences in Brooklyn, NY. He has created a monthly concert series based on that musical inspiration. The series takes place on the last Sunday of each month at […]

The 2026 edition of Big Ears Festival once again turned downtown Knoxville into a dense, choose-your-own-adventure listening experience spanning four days, dozens of venues, and a lineup of almost 250 performances that leaned heavily into contrast. Across the sets from Flying Lotus to David Byrne, Reggie Watts to Dirty Three, John Scofield Trio to MJ […]

On March 27, the Free Jazz Collective Irreversible Entanglements released Future Present Past, their moving and daring new LP. The spellbinding ten-song album successfully balanced the band’s dark experimentation and refreshing takes on spiritual jazz traditions with an urgent message meant to uplift and alarm, featuring a tracklist that ranges from risk-filled cacophonies, like the […]

On Thursday, March 26, LANY was met with a sea of iPhones in a half moon of red fluorescent light, nothing visible except the silhouette of lead vocalist Paul Klein’s body and the microphone cord dangling below him. The lights emerged to reveal his hair, sopping wet, and his dark tattoos, the guitar humming as […]

The Lumineers brought their Automatic World Tour to Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 25, 2026. For a band built on simple acoustic textures, earnest lyrics, and communal energy, the challenge of filling a nearly 10,000-seat venue could have diluted their charm. Instead, the night proved why they remain one of the most reliable […]

Forget the sanitized, corporate-sponsored “rock shows” you’re used to; Gogol Bordello just blew the minds and tore the collective throats out of the sold-out Royale Night Club’s attendees in Boston this past Wednesday, March 25th. The undisputed kings of gypsy punk didn’t just show up; they staged a hostile takeover crowd with the momentum of […]

Meditation is an ancient practice that allows one to enter a deep state of blissful solitude. There are the practices of Shamatha, which stabilize the mind, and Vipassana, which help one uncover a path to understanding the true nature of reality. Meditation requires an all-encompassing focus on the present moment, clearing the mind to enhance […]

The past year has been something of a comeback for The Barr Brothers, who have long been one of the most underrated bands of the indie folk scene. Late last year, the Brothers released Let It Hiss, their first studio album since 2017 and a collection of songs that come from a place of mental and […]

Detroit rolled out the red carpet, welcoming The Hives back to the Motor City with an energetic crowd at The Fillmore on March, 24th,2026. The Swedish garage rockers continued their victory lap in support of last year’s The Hives Forever Forever the Hives, with strong support from Australian punk outfit The Chats. Here are five moments […]

On March 16, Joyce Manor brought its eclectic punk tour to the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida, for a night of intense rock, protest, and crowd surfing. Four bands brought different punk flavors to the festivities, starting with Baltimore quintet Combat. Led by singer and guitarist Holden Wolf, Combat played a short, frenetic set […]

As you walked past the flashing lights and dinging slot machines and into the Mystic Lake Showroom outside Minneapolis, MN, on March 13th, it felt like you were traveling back in time. The year is 1973, and Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Who are dominating the live music scene.  The year is 1973, and […]

Saturday, March 14th, was the penultimate show of this year’s “Unbroken Chain” tribute shows in Port Chester, now in its second year and led by his son Grahame Lesh. The event started as a tribute to the late Phil Lesh, held on his birthday, March 15. The Capitol Theatre show last night ran so long […]

Since forming in 2020, The Third Mind has been on something of a bender with the kind of prolific output that puts bands decades younger to shame. It feels fair to call them a supergroup of sorts, with the combination of Dave Alvin, Victor Krummenacher, Jesse Sykes, Mark Karan, and Michael Jerome manifesting their psychedelic […]

Esther Rose is on the verge. Though the folk songstress has been chugging steadily along for damn near a decade, she seems to be hitting her stride with her newest album Want (REVIEW). From her beginnings in the New Orleans folk and country scene cultivated by peers like the Deslondes, Rose has continued to evolve […]

Any time Tortoise is on tour, the show becomes the destination. With their acclaimed album Touch hitting the scene in late 2025, the instrumental post-rock outfit is back on the road, giving fans a taste of these new tunes as well as plenty of older material. As part of their West Coast jaunt, Tortoise hit […]

When Foxy Shazam takes any stage, the atmosphere shifts from a standard rock show to something resembling a manic religious revival led by a circus ringmaster, and with Eric Nally leading the charge this past Sunday, March 1, at Boston’s Brighton Music Hall, they did just that. On their current 2026 tour supporting the tenth […]

It was one, two, three nights you’re out at the ole Innings Fest. Taking place at Tempe Beach Park in Tempe, AZ, from February 20-23, 2026, the grand slam line-up drew in people from all walks of life, offering a mix of performances across genres such as rock, alternative, punk, and folk. Known for mixing […]