Show Reviews

Four decades in and the Canadian triumvirate known as Rush are no less relevant today than they were at the height of their success. Their lengthy tour – simply called R40 – is a celebration of the last forty years as perhaps the best-known progressive rock band on the planet. Austin’s sold out show on […]

A festival on the beach breeds lax dress code standards. Nobody was nude at Hangout Fest but they left little to the imagination by way of flashy outfits and minimal thought to the conventions of fashion. Or common decency. The bigger topic of discussion seems to be the ban of the selfie stick, whose consequences […]

After being pummeled by rain earlier in the week with a final blow hitting just as the gates opened on Friday afternoon, the organizers behind Levitation aka Austin Psych Fest were forced to make sacrifices. This meant frantically reconfiguring the site layout of Carson Creek Ranch by moving the main stage as well as the […]

Although it probably wasn’t intended as such, The Fifth Annual Grateful Dead Meet Up at the Movies on May 4 served as a dry run for the theatrical streaming of the Fare Thee Well shows scheduled for late June and July Fourth weekend. Though those performances will no doubt carry much more of an emotional […]

Last week a band of musical brothers rode into New Orleans and slammed their fists through the theory that rock & roll was dead, buried and rotting in it’s grave. Heating up an already hot and humid city, Slash, Myles Kennedy, Todd Kerns, Brent Fitz and Frank Sidoris put the rock right back into the […]

There’s just no one like Sufjan Stevens making music right now. Who else combines such fundamentally religious doctrine into indie-emo pop, and has crossed over so successfully with the hipster community? He’s a rarity, to be sure, but not in any contrived quest for fame: It is a testament to this earnest hybridization and ingenuity […]

Water Liars are a mystery. They’re one of the most incredibly talented, tightest bands around with three records of powerhouse songs that read like intricate Southern literature, yet they still somehow fly under the radar. While their albums tend to be a little quieter overall than their live shows (where they rock out with loud […]

The 2015 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has locked up the gates, cleaned up the grounds & sent all the musicians off to other cities. But the memories are going to last a lifetime for many fans, for one reason or another. Or should I say, for one artist or another. The second weekend […]

Jessie Baylin is a most compelling artist and live performer. She’s adorably shy on stage, but also seems to truly enjoy performing. At a recent show that brought her back to her old stomping grounds in New York City, Baylin filled the Bowery Ballroom with adoring fans and the sounds of her honeyed voice and […]

Dopersmokers mingled in the darkness at the ACL Moody Theater on Friday night, getting nice and toasty before what may be the most quintessential stoner metal band of all time hit the stage. In Sleep’s twenty-five year existence they have played selective gigs, so the opportunity to see them live is one to be savored. […]

The velvet-voiced Andrew Combs is a force of nature when it comes to his music. His new record All These Dreams is sweet, smooth, seventies-inspired alt-country, with just the right amount of grit, darkness and romance. At a recent performance at NYC’s Mercury Lounge, though, the soft-spoken Combs did not exude the confidence to match. […]

Who else but the good Dr. John could strut onstage with two canes each adorned with all sorts of gris-gris? The legendary New Orleans musician moved slow when he emerged from the darkness at Austin’s Paramount Theater on Tuesday night, but as soon as he took a seat at his grand piano his age (74!) […]

In celebration of the Boston opening of Converse’s World Headquarters, the shoe company sponsored five nights of live music at the Cambridge club The Sinclair.  Dubbed the “Converse Rubber Tracks Series ” tickets were only available through internet lottery. Given the opportunity to see the legendary Replacements in a five hundred-seat venue the line was […]

Friday night’s sold-out show at Stubb’s saw rain, dim stage lighting, and an annoying audience. In short, it was the perfect atmosphere for a Father John Misty show. Everything seemed to reflect the satire and sarcasm of Josh Tillman’s brand of folk-rock, who is currently touring on his sophomore release, I Love You Honeybear, proclaimed as a […]

MerleFest, which took place April 23-26, wrapped up its 28th year of bringing “Traditional Plus” music to Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The festival started in 1988 as a tribute to the memory of Merle Watson, the son of music legend Doc Watson. Its focus is on bluegrass and old-time music from the Appalachian tradition, as well […]

Mac DeMarco’s Tuesday night show at Cozmic Pizza in Eugene was sandwiched between sold out shows at The Independent in San Francisco and The Crystal Ballroom in Portland. The chance to see Mac in such an intimate venue did not go unnoticed, selling out by the time most had even heard the announcement, much to […]

Now in its 28th year, music lovers from Central Texas and beyond flocked to Driftwood just outside Austin for Old Settler’s Festival. As always, the lineup featured a range of acts big and small falling within the genres of bluegrass, folk, Americana and rock and roll. The rain that fell on Friday and Saturday did […]

There are several constants that we as humans have grown accustomed to in life. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Jennifer Aniston continues to churn out trite, similarly focused rom-com fares. And how the San Antonio Spurs always muscle their way to 50-plus regular season wins. In a similar fashion, […]

Lincoln Hall in Chicago has become a common haunt for Brooklyn-based band and purveyors of fun Rubblebucket.  On Friday April 3rd the group took to the venue for the third time in as many years in support of their stellar fourth full length released in late 2014- Survival Sounds. Lincoln Hall suits Rubblebucket ideal with […]

Columbia filled The Blue Note on Saturday night to see Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors for their first visit to mid-Missouri. Holcomb and company are currently on tour in support of their latest album Medicine which released on January 27. A blend of folk, bluegrass, and soul known as Humming House began the night. This […]