Reviews

Friday at Lockn’ started with some more local talent, as Charlottesville, VA based duo The Founding Fathers provided some improvisational bluegrass to get fans bouncing and in the mood. The duo, made up of Andy Falco on guitar and Chris Pandolfi on banjo, are also members of the Infamous Stringdusters, so they are no strangers […]

Thursday morning was an exciting one for music fans and festival goers. A day that has been highly anticipated since the announcement of the first-ever Lockn’ music festival (formerly Interlocken), taking place in Arrington, VA on the spacious pastoral Oak Ridge Farm. Lines of cars wound through the gravel roads, and despite the long waits, […]

For those who missed it, this magazine recently reviewed Moderat’s new album, II. The too long; didn’t read version of that review is if you like electronic music, you should listen to the album. Happily, this reviewer has now also had the opportunity to see them live, and the experience did not disappoint. The threesome, […]

Make a resolution to see them in a live setting soon, because before long Geographer will undoubtedly be selling out venues of all sizes for years to come.

[rating=6.00] The new noise/drone/art-rock duo Body/Head is actually comprised of two elders on the scene, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth fame and Bill Nace who runs Open Mouth Records out of Northampton, Massachusetts. The pair has lived in these experimental waters all their lives combining forces on this dense, layered and challenging release that only […]

“I probably shoulda told ya earlier,” Buster Poindexter warned, hooch in hand, halfway through his second set of the night. “But I’m a little nuts.” The line summed up David Johansen’s return as his R&B lounge-act alter ego, revived in April for a handful of shows after a 15-year absence. Back in 1983, a decade […]

[rating=8.00] The North Mississippi Allstars have never strayed too far from the blues of their native South (apart from the mainstream rock of Polaris that is). But not since the raw, gutsy likes of their debut recording have they immersed themselves so fully and unabashedly in their main influences as they do on World Boogie […]

[rating=8.00] Not since the late-career heyday of RL Burnside has the contemporary blues market been as exciting as it’s been over the past couple of years. And right alongside Gary Clark, Jr. in the march to bring some soul back to the age-old American art is none other than fellow Austin Texan Black Joe Lewis, […]

As the late-summer co-headlining tour of Umphrey’s McGee and STS9 progressed, the Umphrey’s setlists seemed to grow ever more appealing each night. By the time the band rolled into Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater on a superbly mild Sunday, the six-piece rock juggernaut had hit their stride. With masterful song selection from their gigantic catalogue of […]

“I love you too,”  admitted a proud Charles Bradley to his fans at the Crescent Ballroom. It was one of probably ten times he proclaimed his adoration to the near sell out in Phoenix that came to witness someone recently considered as an “ overnight sensation.” Although Bradley sports a manly appearance with a gold […]

[rating=9.00] When Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2010, it was cause for celebration. On a personal level, the married couple would no longer have to endure separation during long tours. Musically, the new band maximized the strengths of each while downplaying their weaknesses. Trucks, whether playing in his own […]

[rating=9.00] Moderat is Apparat and Modeselektor. Whether that means anything to you shouldn’t matter. However, if it does, you already know you should acquire this album. For the uninitiated: both Apparat and Modeselektor are of the Berlin electronic scene. Apparat is a one-man show, Sascha Ring, with roots in techno and ambient music. Duo Modeselektor, […]

Somebody buy an Octa#grape album. The band makes well crafted, high energy indie rock songs, yet the lead singer can’t afford a guitar strap. It looked painfully uncomfortable yet curiously playful as singer/guitarist Glen Galloway leaned forward and upward into an overhead microphone with a strapless guitar rested on his knee that rolled down a […]

[rating=7.00] Even as he toured with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2007, John Frusciante, the band’s guitarist, hauled a synthesizer and a drum machine between hotel rooms. His mind was on making different music, though the road offered little time to dabble. So when the group took a two-year break, Frusciante never returned; his solo […]

[rating=7.0] I love how  some people hate Connor Oberst. He’s become very successful making legitimate DIY independent music, bringing the entire city of Omaha along for the ride no less. Let’s face it, you would have never heard of Cursive or Neva Dinova without Bright Eye’s influence on aughties culture.  Many people’s envy turns to […]

[rating=7.00] Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, MD – 9/17/72 As the first set of this September 1972 show in Baltimore closes, notes peal from Jerry Garcia’s guitar while Bill Kreutzmann kicks the band into a gallop, both actions emblematic of the surety permeating the playing of the Grateful Dead captured on this reissue of the 2001 […]

[rating=9.0] Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is the third release by the band of the same name. The group centers around lead singer and songwriter, Alex Ebert and his former paramour and vocalist Jade Castrinos. The moniker is the name of Ebert’s alter ego. The Magnetic Zeros are a cast of a dozen musicians […]

[rating=8.0] It’s been almost five years since Travis released their last record, and it seems like the lengthy break was the best thing they could have done. Where You Stand is a magical album that will almost make you forget the bloated mess that was 2008’s Ode to J Smith, and ranks up there with […]

Outside Lands is an incredible combination of music, food (all local to the Bay Area), wine and beer. Here’s the recap from Day 2: Saturday.

Outside Lands Music Festival is now in its sixth year– a nice time for the event, because they’ve worked out a lot of the idiosyncrasies of holding an enormous festival in San Francisco’s stunningly beautiful Golden Gate Park. Here’s the recap from Day 1: Friday.