Show Reviews

All in all, the new material was good enough to justify the hype behind their new album, and the amount of time they’re spending making it.

Matisyahu proved that his “Chasidic-Reggae-Superstar” gimmick is just that, but he has the skill, and the material to back his gimmick up.

After more than two months of cancellations legendary reggae producer and dub pioneer Lee “Scratch” Perry played five east coast dates last week ending at BB King’s Blues Club in midtown Manhattan.

WFNX Best Music Poll 2006 – Lansdowne Street Block Party, held in Boston on May 18th, 2006. Artists performing included; MC Lars, Ok Go!, Buffalo Tom and Charlatans UK on Lansdowne Street, Dear Leader at Avalon, Aberdeen City at Axis and Nada Surf, The Academy Is…, and The Secret Machines at Avalon.

For the two Northeast shows on back-to-back nights, there was certainly a focus on the new album as well as a look-back to the beginning of the band

While their name may have become synonymous with Colonel Bruce Hampton, the Colonel has always maintained a godfather relationship with the core trio of Bobby Lee Rodgers (guitar), Tyler Greenwell (drums) and Ted Pecchio (upright bass).

Martin Sexton's performance on stage was set on Vanderbilt Avenue right alongside historical (and somewhat humbling) Grand Central Station. The setting for the show was meek, with a small stage and a crowd that was much smaller than you would think. As usual, though, Sexton’s cherub-banshee vocals made it all seem bigger.

When Norwegian trip-hop outfit Flunk first gained recognition with a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday” (from 2002’s For Sleepyheads Only), it was easy to wonder whether they would be around long. Recently playing to a bursting-at-the-seams Chop Suey, however, it was evident that they’ve stumbled onto a winning formula. Led by frontwoman Anja Øyen Vister, the band produced a breathy, atmospheric mix of tunes spanning their three studio albums.

Approximately 5,000 fans attended the Wanee Music Festival held Friday and Saturday, April 14 and 15, in Live Oak, Florida at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

For long-slighted Midwestern Disco Biscuits fans a concert the band billed as a “Friday Night Freak Out” was a must-see affair and attendance was solid.

Though now living in New York, The Stills are, in some ways, in an (un)enviable position: they hail from Montreal, the latest “buzz city” and home of The Arcade Fire, among others. While undoubtedly proving a useful boost to young, hungry bands, the current popularity of their hometown also means heightened expectations for all who hail from Montreal. Fortunately for The Stills, their live show is proof that some buzz is justified; they bring it, and bring it good.

By the time these boys are rounding off the night my mind is made up. Believe the hype!! (well some of it)

Waiting in the Middle East Upstairs as the roadies finished setting up for the fourth band of the night, I was reminded of Flickerstick's connection with the 2001 VH1 reality show Bands on the Run by those standing around the nearly filled 200-capacity club. This VH1 fame must surely get mentioned in every article that has since been printed about them, and for better or worse, this one will be no different. When the band finally took the stage at just past eleven o'clock, I understood, at least in part, why they won the four band, fight to the death competition based nearly completely on their live show.

With Coachella happening just 260 miles to the west, and the New Orleans jazz fest reviving the bayou, The McDowell Mountain Music wasn

The artists that formed The Stockholm Syndrome and released the CD Holy Happy Hour, Jerry Joseph and Dave Schools, finished their four-city Almost Acoustic mini-tour with a sold-out performance at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta.

Expectations were high as Particle took the stage at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club around 10:30 on what stood to be a significant test for the band. Not only do their fans hold higher expectations for a 4/20 show, but the gig was going to be Particle’s first chance to show their Boston based fans the new, and supposedly improved lineup, that has been hyped since its unveiling alongside guests like Joe Satriani, and Robbie Krieger of The Doors.

For the record release party of their acclaimed new album Ten Silver Drops the Secret Machines took on the best-kept venue in New York, The Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel. Unlike other shows held in the gorgeous room filled by gorgeous people, this one would not be on a stage slotted back against the wall. This evening would be an “in-the-round” performance, in the tradition of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

Soulive have a history of bringing the house down on the live circuit and the Avalon show was no exception to the rule.

At the Jammy Awards, the musical reach is broad and a sense of history is cherished. Not only that, but it's done so in an organic way that, despite similarities in intent, manages to pull off the type of shaggy genuineness that the museum-enshrinement theatrics of the Grammys and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame just can't seem to nail.

One of the biggest challenges of reviewing a 17 year-old singer is giving an honest opinion of her music and performance abilities, as opposed to commenting on the quality of her music and performance relative to her age. This challenge is headily evident in the case of 17 years of age, singer-songwriter Sonya Kitchell, whose impressive performance is countered by relatively unimaginative vocal stylings.