Show Reviews

In the newest installment of Wannabe, artist Chris Prunckle reviews Adios, the new album from rising Americana troubadour Cory Branan, in his signature six-panel comic strip form. Click on the image for full resolution (best viewed on desktop):

Without the Pixies much of rock music would probably sound different today. Radiohead and Nirvana, whom both released genre redefining albums, site Pixies as a major influence on their music and both Cobain and Yorke have noted that their bands wouldn’t have existed without the Pixies. Anyone attending a Pixies show can hear why the […]

When the legend on the stage calls himself a “folk rock dinosaur” yet still appears to be in the prime of his musical career, you wonder what kind of performance he’ll be putting on ten, twenty years from now when he is in his plus-seventies. It’s no secret that Richard Thompson has always had something […]

 The Black Angels descended upon Atlanta’s Variety Playhouse on April 28th for an evening of pure psychedelic ear candy. The Austin rockers are currently supporting their latest album, Death Song, which is perhaps the most exciting release of the year thus far. Having just kicked off the Death March Tour a few days earlier in […]

Moontower Comedy continues to prove itself to be a jewel in Austin’s festival season, and a must attend event for comedy fans.

It’s been well over a decade since PJ Harvey has done a proper tour of the U.S., and her past two albums haven’t seen more than a handful of shows played in New York, L.A. and San Francisco. The rest of the country hasn’t seen her play their venues since 2004’s tour in support of […]

Monday nights are rather quiet in Northampton, Massachusetts but not when Melissa Etheridge is in town.  “ I promise you are going to feel better when you leave here then you did when you showed up,”  she told the nearly sold-out crowd at Northampton’s  historic Academy of Music on April 24th.  And Etheridge made good […]

Rocking blues jams were the order of the evening for Jonny Lang on April 25th at Orlando’s Plaza Theatre. Lang’s music has consistently evolved ever since bursting onto the blues scene as a guitar prodigy with 1997’s Lie To Me, whether it’s adding more of a pop rock influence with 2003’s Long Time Coming, going […]

By the end of the eighties, New Haven, Connecticut’s Miracle Legion had assembled a cult-like fan base with the rise of independent college radio stations and alternative rock bands like The Replacements and Sonic Youth. From 1984 to 1997 the group would release a handful of albums and a number of EP’s, earning praise as seminal […]

Few modern acts have managed to do such an effective job at bringing the musical heritage of New Orleans to the world as the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. This much was evident from the sold out crowd at Portland’s Aladdin Theater on Tuesday, April 18th. Since the 60’s the Preservation Hall Jazz Band have been […]

Marco Benevento brought his road show of positive energy to Portland, Oregon’s Wonder Ballroom on April 8th, giving people a rousing performance, filled with that intangible thing we all seek in live music — a feeling of well-being. Before Benevento and his bandmates took the stage, the audience was treated to the casual rock stylings […]

Warren Haynes, Jamey Johnson, Dr. John, Garth Hudson Give The Last Waltz a Whirl in Los Angeles

“It’s a relief seeing you guys stand, I needed that,” said Neko Case shortly after the New Pornographers hit the stage in front of a sold out crowd at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on April 16th. Indeed, this was one of the first shows on the band’s current tour in front of a non-seated audience. At […]

Singer Sam France has never been one to shy away from theatrics. Californian experimental pop-rock duo Foxygen (completed by producer and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado) returned to Austin on Friday, April 14th to deliver an emotionally charged performance to a sold out crowd at The Mohawk. After opening with three tracks from 2013’s We Are the 21st […]

Austin is a mecca for music festivals, but Euphoria Festival stands out from ACL, SXSW, and the countless others because of its curated atmosphere, which immerses you in a different universe. Walking into the venue – Carson Creek Ranch – psychedelic lighting mixed with pulsating rhythms, and the festival grounds opened up to expose the […]

From the stately to the uproarious, JazzIsPhsh put on such a show at Higher Ground on April 7th, it’s difficult to know where to begin, but to make note of the very start is appropriate, if only because the octet commenced with the same tune(s) with which they (essentially) resolved their excellent record He Never […]

Bluegrass jam juggernauts The Infamous Stringdusters delivered a one-two punch to Portland Oregon, playing shows Thursday and Friday night (April 6-7) at the Wonder Ballroom. Having already spent the better part of 2017 out on the road touring in support of their latest album Laws of Gravity, the Stringdusters proved to be polished and firing […]

With a genuine smile to greet the sold-out arena’s guests, Def Leppard’s lead vocalist Joe Elliot addressed the band’s fans with sincerity by proudly stating, “It’s 2017 and our fortieth anniversary this year. It’s been thirty-seven years since we first set foot in America. Thanks for this opportunity to play our music for you.” Elliot […]

If you asked anyone in the sold out crowd that filled Sidewinder in downtown Austin last Thursday night, March 30th, when the last time they saw HORSE the Band was, answers ranged anywhere from South by Southwest 2012 to even ten whole years ago. Such is the nature of the elusive California metalcore band who […]

It can’t be said enough how much Come and Take It Productions has done with Austin’s new metal hub. Grizzly Hall, now renamed Come and Take It Live, has been booking one truly fantastic metal act after another. Last Friday night, March 31st, it played host to synthcore heroes Enter Shikari, performing the entire album […]