Show Reviews

Basically, now it comes down to the simple fact that if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket for The Lost Sierra Hoedown, you’re guaranteed one of the best musical experiences in the market. As co-organizer Azariah “Z” Reynold’s loves to put it, “This is not a festival because festivals have fences. This is a […]

Love them or hate them, there is no denying that Arcade Fire know how to put on a show. Whether it’s a stage full of mirrors for the Reflektor tour, a massive billboard used as a screen for The Suburbs tour, or playing on a stage in the middle of the audience, as they are […]

“PAR-TY, PAR-TY, PAR-TY!” One word repeated by a God-like voice blasted through the speakers at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on September 25th. The music accompanying the chant felt like the soundtrack to an epic movie, as if the party gods were summoning their troops to battle. In a way, this is exactly what was happening, as […]

  Thursday night Orlando’s Hard Rock Live on September 21st was the scene of three top pop rock acts showing distinctly different ways of performing catchy, crowd-pleasing music. Opening the night was New York indie rockers Joywave, with its unique blend of electronica and guitar rock. The energetic quintet delivered infectious grooves, dirty guitar riffs, […]

Baltimore’s Future Islands have been road dogging it for over a decade, but in the last few years they have seen their popularity explode. At first glance, the group is a somewhat unlikely success story. The band members look more like Steve in accounting than the minds behind creating their own brand of danceable yet […]

  Mutemath’s fifth album Play Dead was released in early September and the band’s tour in support of the new release made a stop at Philadelphia’s Fillmore on 9/19/17. It is actually amazing that the tour even got off the ground. With the new album in the can, Jonathan Allen was already replacing longtime bassist Roy […]

At a time when hurricanes are rapid-firing across the continent, nuclear war feels closer than ever before, and the news cycle spews a constant stream of vitriol, comic relief is a necessity to keep us sane. Tenacious D played Stubb’s on Wednesday night to a sold-out crowd that seemed to be clamoring to laugh together and blow off […]

Hailing from Paris, France, Perturbator is a true anomaly in the current world of metal and its related sub-genres. Where exactly does Perturbator fit in? The one man electronic project of James Kent makes a combination of post-Nine Inch Nails industrial synth metal and the kind of ‘80s horror soundtracks aficionados will instantly associate with […]

It only took Gov’t Mule three songs – “Mr. Man”, “Streamline Woman”, and “Burning Point” – to establish themselves as diverse musical creatures with straightforward rock, hard charging blues, and slinky funk. Cramming so many musical styles into the first few moments of a nearly three hour performance in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday, September 19 […]

There is nothing more satisfying for those us in this “biz” than watching a band grow. After ten years of being a band, Touche Amore have grown immensely. They emerged from the late 2000’s class of emo, screamo, hardcore, and post-hardcore that included La Dispute, Title Fight, The World is a Beautiful Place and I […]

Today’s world is a chaotic place, full of anger and vocalized disappointment in government; a place where families cling to each other in safe solidarity and the everyday workingman is the backbone of small communities. And it is in times like these that the ghost of Woody Guthrie’s words, the echo of an old acoustic […]

Since late 2016 it was known that Riot Fest 2017 was going to feel different. For those of you that didn’t know, last December co-founder Sean P. McKeough passed away suddenly from a stroke. After that the fest decided to scale down a bit and instead of appearing in multiple locations, refocused on just the […]

Ben Folds emanates a magnetic nerd-rock charisma that allows himself to orchestrate audiences with the same dexterity that his fingers have upon his piano keys. A Sunday night at Stubb’s in Austin saw Ben Folds curate a festive and sing-a-long type of atmosphere for his legions of followers. While Folds experienced his meteoric rise into […]

Personalities aside, September 17th  could not have been a more upbeat and inclusive closing to Grand Point North 2017. As with the prior day’s festivities, the immediate environs of the city, its bordering lake and the atmospheric conditions made for a rarefied experience. The temperature was warmer than Saturday and with less breeze off the […]

Shannon and the Clams are a strange entity. The California quartet has managed to carve out their own little rock and roll niche with a sound that feels like an amalgamation of American music from the 50s and 60s. They aren’t your average rock band, yet their sound is totally one of a kind and […]

“It all comes down to intention. You put it out there and the festival will happen. People need to gather, we should be sitting around a fire singing three times a week!” – Will Taylor Sheather Fest, 2017 kicked off at noon in Knights Ferry, CA on September 9th with a forty minute set of […]

  Much like last year’s iteration, the 2017 edition of Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival saw the event take an even tighter grip on the city’s downtown area. Social media overflowed with businesses offering Hopscotch specials or freebies, daytime block parties were more prevalent than ever, and there was even an official ice cream competition (S’mores […]

Michael Franti and Spearhead’s September 9th concert at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon was perhaps summarized best when my companion mentioned that Michael Franti deserves some sort of humanitarian award. Michael Franti and Spearhead came through town on the appropriately named Love Out Loud tour, bringing a much-appreciated breath of fresh air to Oregon fans. […]

Since releasing his universally acclaimed 2013 album Southeastern, Jason Isbell can do no wrong, gaining more fans and recognition with each new album. These days Isbell and his band the 400 Unit are on tour supporting his sixth full-length studio album The Nashville Sound, and on Monday, September 11th their tour made its way to […]

Mac Demarco’s sold out show at the Oregon Zoo on Saturday, September 9th showed a band that has grown and evolved along with the man himself, and the old dog has learned some new tricks. Mac is a 27 year old Canadian rocker who, for an indie guy, has found a great amount of success […]