Archive: 2017

[rating=6.00] Hit and miss as is Jim James’ Tribute To 2, it is at least a respite from the amorphous likes of last year’s Eternally Even (and to a lesser extent, its 2013 predecessor Regions of Light Sound of God). This solo album leaves the distinct impression James’ reach exceeds his grasp, as only a […]

New York City-based gritty rock and rollers A Shadow Of Jaguar dropped their debut LP, RAW, back in October. The duo is made up of Brian Hubbert (lead vocals, slide guitar, bass) and Andrew Oakley (drums, vocals), who connected in their hometown of Boulder, CO in 2015, both driven by a desire to make music they […]

With his new debut, Collecting Trip (due out on January 19, 2018), R. Finn has created a heartfelt album rooted in timeless Americana and colored by subtly lush, alternately haunting and hopeful arrangements. The Southern California songwriter took the long way around on this journey, some of his songs on the record tracing back nearly a […]

Chattanooga, TN band Mythical Motors have been chugging away since 2006, honing a  lo-fi garage pop sound that draws influences from venerable acts like Guided By Voices, The Clean, Wire, R.E.M, and Superchunk among many others. That being said, these guys have always steadfastly refused to linger in any one vein of music. If there is […]

Long Beach, California’s Cold War Kids have had an interesting path to stardom. Their debut album Robbers and Cowards propelled them to indie rock stardom and the hit single “Hang Me Up to Dry” ended up in all sorts of places, including television advertisements. Then, for a while, it was rough. The addition of new […]

Treefort Music Fest is an annual music and arts festival featuring over 400 bands plus film, art, comedy, yoga, and more across multiple venues in downtown Boise in March. Now in it’s seventh year and set for March 21st-25th, Treefort Music Fest is excited to announce its first round of performers, which includes George Clinton […]

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 will release their fourth album Black Times via celebrated UK label Strut Records on March 2, 2018. The youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti is as incensed by injustice as his father and, with the new album, honors the revolutionaries who have gone before and rallies the torchbearers […]

At one of The Weather Station’s live shows in early 2016, audiences were treated to one of the quietest shows they’d probably ever experienced. Tamara Lindemann had just released Loyalty in 2015, and her performance of its soft, folksy songs was sparse. She had a band with her, but the focus was on her and […]

Shannon & The Clams will release their fifth studio album, Onion, via Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label on February 16th. The album, produced by The Black Keys front man Dan Auerbach at his Nashville studio, finds a finely tuned and tour-tested band stretching out from the 60s-inspired, surf inflected rock that has defined their […]

On March 9, Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Both Sides of the Sky, a dynamic new Jimi Hendrix album featuring 13 studio recordings made between 1968 and 1970—10 of which have never before been released. The album will be released on multiple formats including CD, digital, and as […]

Levitation celebrates 10 groundbreaking years with its return to downtown Austin, TX for 2018. For the past ten years, the independent gathering has grown from a small word-of-mouth event to an internationally acclaimed, full weekend destination — offering once-in-a-lifetime lineups with programming spanning continents and decades. 2018 PHASE ONE LINEUP: SLOWDIVE THE BLACK ANGELS ELECTRIC […]

Jersey City’s Low Doses have been making their home state proud since 2013 with their own brand of kinda poppy, kinda sloppy rock. Their sound is the result of what happens when former high school classmates, in this case Ryan Masterson and Vin Russoniello, reconnect and form a band based on a shared love of back to […]

An obsession with money, an unfaithful lover, an accidental pregnancy, misogyny, loneliness, death… This is just some of the lighthearted subject matter that make up LONER––the darkly comedic second album from songwriter/producer Caroline Rose, out February 23rd via New West. Armed with an arsenal of new instruments and equipment, an ever-growing sense of “ahhh f**k […]

Charleston, S.C.’s Stop Light Observations has quickly garnered a following with their potent blend of Southern rock that incorporates elements of psychedelic, electro, reggae and hip-hop. If you listen to the band’s newest album Toogoodoo you’ll quickly realize this is catchy stuff with a wide-ranging appeal. The album is loaded with powerful anthems that balance […]

[rating=7.00] Twenty-seven years ago, Van Morrison penned a tune, “I’m Not Feeling It Anymore.”  Yet, now more than ever he refuses to just “phone it in.” It seems that “It’s Too Late to Stop Now” is Morrison’s mantra with Versatile, as at the age of 72 he is back to his multiple annual output of […]

When a show is billed as “An Evening with David Rawlings,” you know that you are going to be treated to Americana at its most genuine. Rawlings is one of the most revered practitioners of the genre and his two hour plus show at Northampton’s Academy of Music on November 28th featured spirited bluegrass, raucous […]

For the second year in a row, The Hold Steady threw a positive jam, multi-day party at Brooklyn Bowl in their adopted hometown. The venue and band is a perfect match as the beer from the neighboring brewery fuels the huge singalongs and light-hearted pogoing. A chilly first of December continued the proceedings; the third […]

Thor Platter named his debut album well. Take Time is an album that’s patient, empathetic and introspective in a way that most listeners would be wise to learn from. In most cases, the music matches the mood. The best tracks on Take Time are characterized by relaxed banjo or guitar work and an equally relaxed […]

In Vinyl Lives we spotlight and profile record stores around the country who offer music lovers an experience that goes beyond an iTunes purchase or a Spotify playlist. For this month’s installment of Vinyl Lives we are doing something a little different by turning over the column to Nashville troubadour Boo Ray, who just teamed […]