Show Reviews

Less can certainly be more, and that is definitely the case with two-piece rock band, The London Souls, at BSP Kingston in Kingston, NY on 1/30/16 whose minimalist approach yields big results. Tash Neal, guitar/vocals, and Chris St. Hilaire, drums/vocals, both rely on technique rather then technology. Neal’s hollow body guitar is run through only a few […]

Inside the dark confines of the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan on 1/30/16, Protomartyr managed to fight off the sweltering conditions to perform to a full audience packed wall to wall. Opening the night were two local Michigan bands Deadbeat Beat and Rebel Kind. Deadbeat Beat, a three piece garage/pop punk band with simple […]

“I don’t think I’ve ever played in Austin before. I honestly don’t remember — does anybody here know? No? Ok great, it’s your first time. It’s my first time too — really!” Vanessa Carlton was tentative in her assessment. She didn’t want to damage anyone’s memories. Really, it’s weird to think that she hadn’t ever […]

Soulful, stylish and sexy, Grace Potter is a force of nature. Her aura and music exude resilience and strength, and her soaring vocals are nothing short of awe-inspiring. While Grace’s musical DNA seems to be based in the pain and loss of blues and outlaw country, she is not one to shy away from exploring […]

Railroad Earth came through Austin on a chilly Saturday with the sole purpose of using their music to bring smiles to the faces of those who had gathered at Stubb’s for their show. Nearly three hours of music over the course of two sets would find the jamgrass band successful in stirring up both smiles […]

DeVotchKa has a fascinating story that, in many ways, makes them the perfect band to play with a symphony. Formed in Colorado, they got their start as a backing band for burlesque shows (including those of former Marilyn Manson girlfriend Dita Von Teese), and they gained a broader following as their music was noticed and […]

“This is the first time I’ve played alone, ever! And you’re the first to see it.” Prince used these words to address the limited number of ever so lucky fans in attendance at Paisley Park on January 21st for an event one might refer to as History/Herstory in the making. Two sets of “Piano – […]

A large crowd gathered at the historic Fonda Theater in LA, January 19th to hear Americana singer songwriter Josh Ritter. The 39 year old smiley fresh faced singer from Idaho has been recording his own songs for nearly twenty years, but is now reaching a wider audience on the strength of his new, more rock […]

In a recent interview with this very publication, Mike Gordon described the term “jam band” – a term he will be forever linked to from as a member of Phish – as “horrible”. The bassist may have been referring more to implication of the term, which most associate with jolly, frolicking songs that seemingly never […]

Want to go to Brooklyn without spending money on airfare? Go to East Austin. Sixth street, east of I-35, has earned the moniker ‘Little Williamsburg’, mainly because its plethora of bars are chock full of patrons with facial hair, skinny jeans, obscure music interests, and particular diet preferences. So when a Brooklyn band like Tanlines […]

Who are the Yawpers? These young fellas hail from Denver, Colorado and unbeknownst to many they have been criss-crossing the US of A, laying waste to one venue after another with scorching sets of the good stuff, rock and roll. Last year the trio released American Man, their debut album on Bloodshot Records and one […]

Nashville band Bully, still basking in the glow of their debut album, Feels Like, hit the road again and landed in the sleepy upstate town of Hudson, NY to open their US tour. Club Helsinki is a very cool performance space with a vintage nightclub feel with tables on multiple levels that enhances the live […]

As news of David Bowie’s passing spread throughout the globe, Jam Cruise 14 gradually crept closer back to shore following a five day adventure that neither photo galleries or daily recaps can fully encompass. Needless to say, hearing of the loss of the Starman first thing back to port was a hard way to rejoin […]

As the Dave Rawlings Machine neared the end of a lengthy tour in support of their latest studio album Nashville Obsolete, they found themselves in Austin, Texas on a chilly Saturday night. The quintet took the stage at the ornate and historic Paramount Theater to a near capacity crowd of fans both new and old, […]

Having seen Gregg Allman play many times over the years with his solo band, there was something very noticeable about their performance recently in Baton Rouge: the total connectivity of the players to music that has been around long before any of them were a part of the group. These songs – which make up […]

Pickup line of the night: “So how long have you been a Jedi?” Sometimes when you get too much sun, you pass out early. On Jam Cruise, when you finally come to about a quarter past midnight, things are just getting into full swing. After a day on the beaches of Cozumel, Mexico, the MSC […]

Covers sell: After a day on dry land in Costa Maya, Mexico, we once again set sail as the Infamous Stringdusters served their Pool Deck crowd a hearty serving of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” by The Band. Later that evening, under a star-filled sky, Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath invited both Skerik and […]

2:18AM EST – Black and White Lounge, MSC Divina: The drums are getting tuned up, the bass levels seem to be feedback free and things in the Jam Room are about to kick off. There’s no scheduled end time but it’d be surprising if the house lights came back on any time before sunrise. What […]

Rocky waters ahead? Before embarking on the MSC Divina for Jam Cruise 14, a few updates to the event had many-a-Cruiser a little less optimistic about the trip to come. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the cruise line itself unilaterally ruled against our coveted port stop at Belize City in place of Costa Maya, Mexico (last […]

Is there a more important venue to Phish and their fans than MSG?  What started with one show in 1994 continues in 2016 as the band has now played 35 memorable shows at the world’s most famous arena. This most recent run of four shows wrapped up a stellar 2015, with the last show of […]