Show Reviews

Bluegrass is having a major moment right now. This is different from the late aughts when every pop act felt the need to accompany their ho hey chants with a banjo. With acts like Billy Strings selling out arenas and grabbing Grammys, it’s safe to say that audiences are eager for the real thing these […]

First Aid Kit just wrapped another leg of their tour in support of their fifth studio album, 2022’s Palomino, with an enchanting show at Seattle’s historic Paramount Theatre. They performed for around an hour and a half to an enraptured fanbase who sang happily along with many of the songs from across their career. Backed […]

Nearly 10 years ago to the exact day, The Front Bottoms released their fan-favorite album Talon of the Hawk. A decade later, the NJ crew showcased the staying power of that record, embarking on a short tour where the band would play all its songs front to back, followed by a secondary set of fan […]

Nation of Language recently played two sold-out shows in support of their new album, Strange Disciple. Playing at the new version of Seattle’s storied Crocodile, the band treated fans old and new to a rollicking, joyful show, an exuberant escape from the world around. The Brooklyn-based trio played with a fun and unselfconscious stage presence […]

Las Vegas is a fun town, world-renowned in its reputation for debauched entertainment, excess, and decadent/epic events that are often taken to the utmost extreme. They call it Sin City for a reason, which naturally made it the perfect host for the inaugural Sick New World Festival on May 13th, which took over the Las […]

Over the past few years, Portland garage psych-rock outfit Spoon Benders have been working hard to grow their fan base through steady touring and constant creative output. Spoon Benders have relied on determination, onstage charisma, ever-tightening musicianship, a little punk rock swagger, and a circle of talented creative friends to manifest their rock n’ roll […]

Gov’t Mule seems to put on a memorable, guest-filled show every year at one of New Orleans’ venerable live music venues during the Jazz & Heritage festival. This year, the band’s special May 5, 2023 performance took place at the Orpheum Theater, just off Canal Street, near the Mississippi River. Warren Haynes led the quartet […]

The Exit Zero Jazz Festival, held May 5-7, 2023 in the nation’s oldest ocean resort, Cape May, NJ featured second-line parades, packed clubs, a sun-splattered, ocean-facing deck filled with dancing patrons, and a sold-out Convention Hall. For all the good vibes, just one small regret – that it was held mostly indoors although the balmy […]

Shaky Knees started ten years ago when founder Tim Sweetwood noticed the absence of a proper indie music festival in the Atlanta area. It’s no surprise that it sold out its 9,000-person capacity its first year. What is a surprise is that it took ten years for the festival to sell out again. Over the […]

To celebrate ten years of top-shelf local and national musical talents, regional craft beers and ciders, unique and familiar foods, a vast array of independent vendors, and a remarkably family-friendly atmosphere, the Charm City Bluegrass Festival has decided to return to its roots.  What began in 2013 as a relatively humble affair just north of […]

Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives had the crowd on the edge of their seats throughout the entirety of their sold-out concert on April 28th at the Virginia G Piper Theater at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. The four-piece started off with their theme song “La Tingo Tango” a twangy surf instrumental from […]

On a damp and rainy Sunday night on April 30th, Placebo took over Boston’s Roadrunner with an almost two-hour-long show that relied heavily on their latest record, Never Let Me Go, alongside a couple of choice covers to close the show out in the encore. Before the evening started, Brian Molko’s voice came over the […]

A host of musical legends took to the Joy Theater stage down in New Orleans on Saturday night April 29th as the Take Me To The River tribute showcase rolled out. While the award winning documentaries are worth seeking out, nothing beats seeing this collection of talented artists live and performing their craft.  Beginning the […]

If you happened to be lucky enough to be in attendance for Monday’s show on 4/17/23, there is no explanation for why the Greek in Berkeley is so special, to so many is needed. What a night. After a singular historic show back in 1993, and a surprise run of three in 2010, this current […]

On Saturday night April 15th, fans packed into the Amway Center in Orlando for some of the strongest music that mainstream rock has to offer. It was a night filled with anthemic choruses, sing-along moments, and enough heavy guitar riffs to satisfy rock purists. From Ashes to New started the evening with some energetic but […]

For many people, Knoxville, Tennessee is a college football town or a place to stay when visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Dollywood. However, for the tenth time since 2009, Big Ears Music Festival brought thousands of music lovers together for a celebration of music and art on March 30 – April 2. […]

The ten-day 2023 Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest held in Reading, PA, held during its usual time slot, spread over the last weekend of March and first weekend of April, wrapped up its 32nd year in fine style. While last year’s attendance was somewhat muted due to lingering fears of COVID, the audiences returned to their […]

Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) high stepped into the Fillmore in San Francisco this past Saturday, March 23rd, not only because this night was chosen as the celebration of their 25th anniversary as a band, and not just because the vaunted room was completely sold out.

Anyone who’s followed the music scene in the Pacific Northwest has heard murmurs from scenester friends about the lowkey cool of Boise’s Treefort Music Festival, which consumes the Idaho capitol the week after South By Southwest winds down. What started in 2012 as a modest affair that spanned a small collection of dive bars and […]

If there was one overarching theme of the setlist for Wilco at the Riviera Theatre on March 26th, it was the dominance of that guitar and in turn one of the band’s more lead-heavy albums, Sky Blue Sky.