Show Reviews

Imagine sitting around a living room with a handful of your closest friends. At the same time, one of the most influential songwriters of this generation regales you with a seemingly endless supply of breathtaking performances and engrossing stories for an entire evening. This idyllic scenario played out Saturday evening at the historic Warner Theater […]

As a band in the mainstream for multiple decades, Green Day holds a particularly interesting place. They first broke out with the slacker punk intensity that spoke to a certain time with albums like Kerplunk, Dookie, and Insomniac before switching gears to a more pop-leaning, arena-rock-ready style of music that appealed to the masses. Some may argue that their […]

When IDLES snuck in between the shadows and sauntered onto the stage at Boston’s Roadrunner on September 24th, the tension that filled the room made it clear that this would be more than just your ordinary, run-of-the-mill concert. It became a communal experience, a cathartic release, and a testament to the power of the band’s music and its […]

Music, sunshine, and bourbon, what more could a woman want? And Louisville, Kentucky’s Bourbon and Beyond provided barrels of all three. This four-day festival (September 19-22) spread over the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center gives you 117 bands performing across five stages, over two dozen distilleries offering their best riff on a […]

 It was perhaps one minute into my brief interview with Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival co-founder John Way when the first interruption occurred. An incredibly polite middle-aged woman, adorned in a lime green sequined dress and a psychedelic array of face paint, excitedly approached Mr. Way to express her gratitude for the past two days. “This […]

If ever there was a musical artist who blazed his own trail, following his muse down every side road and back alley from which it beckoned, it’s Sturgill Simpson. Being true to his own vision has led to a storied career that’s earned widespread acclaim along with six Grammy nominations and a role in a […]

After two consecutive days of scorching temperatures, the skies opened up for the final day of Riot Fest, bringing a soaking rain to Chicago Sunday morning and most of the early afternoon as well. But, of course, that did nothing to dampen the spirits of the scores of fans who came pouring (pardon the pun) […]

Another equally toasty day greeted the masses who descended upon Chicago’s Douglas Park Saturday for a new day of action-packed music and attractions at Riot Fest. After a fun-filled Friday highlighted by legendary hip-hop groups, Saturday promised to be equally memorable, with some fantastic artists and bands from the world of alternative rock scheduled to […]

If any two acts have proven to be consistently reliable in the realm of Texas music over the last decade, it’s Hayes Carll and the Band of Heathens. Both acts – Carll as a serious Texas troubadour and the Heathens as purveyors of groovy alt-country – deliver the goods with each album and live performance. […]

In a world packed with homogeneous festival lineups, a few still deliver on original billings and relish in delivering worthwhile reunions and staring far away from anything Pop, EDM, or trendy.  Big blue skies, sunshine (perhaps overly abundant), and borderline sizzling temperatures greeted the masses for the inaugural day of Riot Fest in Chicago’s beautiful […]

The Double-Headed Beast Tour, a collaboration between the legendary Clutch, the blues-rock powerhouse Rival Sons, and the stoner-rock icons Fu Manchu, was a sonic spectacle that left audiences in awe. Held at the iconic House of Blues in Boston this past Tuesday, this concert celebrated heavy rock music at its finest. These three established bands delivered a buffet of sonic […]

Sea Hear Now 2024 in Asbury Park on September 13 and 14th, 2024, started with a lot of fuss and commotion. For the first time, tickets went on sale after the lineup was announced. With Bruce Springsteen on the lineup, tickets sold out in seconds, and many long-time attendees were shut out in one of […]

It’s fun to witness what happens when great friends who make great music hit the road and support each other in collaboration. This collaborative spirit was evident at Portland, Oregon’s Wonder Ballroom on Thursday, September 12th, when Circles Around The Sun (CATS) and Grateful Shred stopped in to Shred The Sun. Mikaela Davis was even […]

For nearly three decades, Craig Minowa’s musical project, Cloud Cult, has been a supremely underrated act, both in terms of the albums they have released and for their live climactic performances. While they have long maintained a serious cult following, Cloud Cult somehow eluded both the indie art rock era of the early aughts and […]

As expected, the anticipation at Leader Bank Pavilion was palpable as Jane’s Addiction, the iconic alt-rock band, took the stage with their original lineup for their long-awaited reunion tour in Boston on Friday the 13th. A roar erupted from the crowd as Perry Farrell, Dave Navarro, Eric Avery, and Stephen Perkins, each clad in signature styles, stepped onto the stage. Ever the fashion icon, […]

A trifecta of 90’s alt-rockers took over Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024, as Weezer, Flaming Lips, and Dinosaur Jr. reminded the aging sold-out crowd of their youth while still playing with vim and vigor. Opening the affair was the trio Dinosaur Jr., whose no-frills set was a musical highlight for those fans who made it into the […]

Multi-instrumentalist Dale Crover has had a wide-ranging musical career. On his third solo album, Glossolalia, he offers a collection of rockers with various sonic oddities sprinkled in, and a host of friends offer help along the way.   Best known as the drummer for The Melvins, here Crover sings and plays guitar and bass as well as drums, […]

On a gorgeous late summer night in the nation’s capital, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band arrived to deliver the classic rock and roll goods approximately a year after the initially scheduled show was to be held.  Last year, Bruce needed to cancel his fall and winter dates due to a peptic ulcer, but on […]

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard returned to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on September 8th, the night before they would play two shows on Monday, September 9th at Red Rocks. On the backend of the first leg of a blistering U.S. tour, Gizz has been leaving its mark on each tour stop. At […]

Connecticut-based Goose might be America’s next-best indie groove band. Fans who witnessed the band’s recent two nights of performances at Saratoga Center for Performing Arts (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York, on September 6th and 7th are likely willing to debate any naysayers.  Goose is showcasing some incredible gusto and fresh firepower that commands attention […]