Archive: 2014

Showtime’s The Affair Last night, Showtime aired yet another entry into the non-linear storytelling trend that has gotten more and more popular in recent years. Much like the highly claimed HBO series True Detective and ABC’s new How to Get Away With Murder, The Affair plays with audience expectations and questions both memory and truthfulness. […]

There’s nothing modern about Brandi Carlile. Her approach to craft, from the homegrown production of her music to the organic accruement of a devoted following, is more akin to the singer-songwriters of generations past (Tori Amos comes to mind). The melancholy-tinged way she croons recalls singers like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, and her enraptured […]

Photos from Day 2 (weekend 2) of the ACL Music Festival in Austin, TX on 10/11/14. Photos include Iggy Azalea, tUnE-yArDs, Skrillex, Broken Bells, Avett Brothers and The Head and the Heart. Photos by Maggie Boyd

  Photos of Day 1 (weekend 2) at the 2014 ACL Music Festival in Austin, TX on 10/10/14.  Images include St. Vincent, Childish Gambino, Outkast, Glitch Mob, Paolo Nutini, Jimmy Cliff and Robert Ellis.  Photos by Maggie Boyd

[rating=3.00] Earlier this month, a bemused Roger Waters reminded fans via Facebook that he hasn’t been a part of Pink Floyd for nearly three decades. This was in response to a barrage of questions he’d received regarding the upcoming Pink Floyd record, The Endless River, the band’s first new material in 20 years — and, reportedly, their […]

[rating=2.00] At some point in the future, some bright eyed and rosy-cheeked young film scholar will sit at his computer and write a paper on the current period of cinematic history. By that time, I’m sure, the era we’re living through will have become known as “the shared universe period” and much ink (digital or […]

[rating=7.00] Prince is an artist on a level few others will ever achieve but even his staunchest supporters will admit his output in the late 90’s and 2000’s has not been awe inspiring and at times simply tepid. Art Official Age is the artist’s 33rd studio album (which is a testament in itself) and there […]

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals will reunite on stage for four concerts at San Francisco’s famed Fillmore Auditorium. The shows take place March 25, 26, 27 and 28 of 2015, and will be the legendary band’s first live performances since disbanding in 2008. The intimate Fillmore shows also mark the IC’s first visit to San Francisco […]

The Who will celebrate their 50-year legacy when they bring their “THE WHO HITS 50!” tour to North America in 2015.  “THE WHO HITS 50!” tour will kick off its spring run April 15 in Tampa, FL and include 20 stops throughout the east before wrapping May 30 in Forest Hills, NY.  The fall leg […]

Falling somewhere between Hope Floats and Roadhouse, Gruene Hall is about forty minutes south of Austin and holds the elite claim of being Texas’ oldest dang dancehall. Between the wood plank floors and lack of air conditioning and windows, it’s hard to dispute this fact. It is the type of place that most people think […]

As noted in their introduction to the stage, it was almost exactly nine years prior that Los Lobos appeared in this homey northern New Hampshire venue to play a largely acoustic two sets of music. In 2014, however, the circumstances were markedly different, making for a uniformly memorable performance, the intimacy of which may have […]

Matisyahu returned to the Twin Cities for a show at First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN on 10/2/14. Photos by Billy Briggs  

Raleigh has fully embraced the IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) World of Bluegrass festival, award show, and industry gathering. Or maybe the IBMA has totally embraced Raleigh. In any event, the two entities are hugging powerfully, and bluegrass music fans aren’t the only benefactors. The event, which stretches for 5 days and concludes with a […]

Neil Young will release his latest studio album, entitled Storytone, on November 4th via Reprise Records. Storytone has 10 brand new compositions recorded live in the studio with a 92-piece orchestra, choir and Young. He took a different approach with this record, first recording the songs on his own in a solo-setting, then creating compelling […]

Fleetwood Mac, with Christine McVie back in the band is realizing thier current demand is so huge, that they have now announced a second U.S. tour leg.  Previous to this fall tour which kicked off last week in Minneapolis, Christine McVie had not toured with the band since 1998’s The Dance Tour. The quintet — […]

Anyone who falls in love with Wakey!Wakey! on the remaining dates of the Salvation Stripped tour owes that lure to frontman Michael Grubbs. Most famous for his cameo role on The WB’s young-adult drama One Tree Hill, Grubbs “stripped” down his latest album Salvation from its electronic and pop-filled catalog to a show with only […]

The nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 have been revealed, and the list includes Green Day, Nine Inch Nails, N.W.A, the Smiths, Lou Reed and Sting. The rest of this year’s possibilities included Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Kraftwerk, Chic, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Marvelettes, the Spinners, Stevie […]

[rating=8.00] Hot Rize is one of the most influential and pioneering bluegrass bands of the last 35 years.  In 1978, Hot Rize began conjuring up their addicting brand of Colorado bluegrass that honors the traditional while embracing their own influences of blues, country, and celtic music.  They have influenced a wide range of popular artists […]

Beer and metal music go together like coffee and pie, so what better way to celebrate the largest beer festival and competition in North America than to throw a concert. In this case it was four esteemed breweries from around the country – Denver’s TRVE Brewing, Indiana’s 3Floyds, Texas’ Real Ale, and Minnesota’s Surly – […]

Canadian singer/songwriter Nat Jay has been making music since 2008 – her EP “Lights Across The Sky” garnered a lot of critical attention, and many of the songs found their way out into the world through placements with shows on MTV, ABC, The CW and CBC. She’s played at the Vancouver Folk Festival and been […]