Archive: 2025

Numero Group has announced the release of Hüsker Dü’s 1985: The Miracle Year, a live 4 LP box set, out November 7th. Witness the transcendent Minneapolis punk trio tearing into the most incendiary year of its existence, captured live on stage at First Avenue in perhaps the highest fidelity recordings of the band’s lauded SST era. 1985: The Miracle Year includes Beau Sorenson’s restoration of […]

Mavis Staples has announced the November 7th release of Sad And Beautiful World, the latest solo album from a national treasure and multigenerational talent. On her new record, Mavis stands side by side with us in the face of dangers she knows all too well, at a time when more and more people have reason to […]

Continuing our salute to Brent Hinds in light of his tragic passing last week, for today’s Tuesday’s Gone, we’re spotlighting this awesome performance of “The Motherload” live from 2014. Contrasting with yesterday’s Manic Monday selection from a decade prior, by the time 2014 rolled around, Mastodon had long since been a household name in the […]

Geographic locale seems to be a moving target with Rodney Crowell. His 2023 album was titled The Chicago Sessions, though the Houston-born singer-songwriter is in the lineage of the great Texas singer-songwriters. He lives in Nashville, but on this latest effort, the aptly titled Airline Highway, he reminisces about his youthful days across the Texas […]

The fourth album by the 17-piece Christian McBride Big Band is nothing like your dad’s big band albums. Without Further Ado, Vol. 1 is as much a vocal album as a big band effort, and within those vocals lie several genres. Now, as surprising as that may sound, it is more typical of Christian McBride’s […]

Damn Tall Buildings is a celebrated folk-bluegrass band known for their soulful melodies and intricate instrumentals. Based in Brooklyn, this seasoned trio—Max Capistran, Sasha Dubyk, and Avery Ballotta—has spent over a decade honing their craft through dedicated touring and recording. With a distinctive sound that weaves heartfelt lyrics into thoughtful fiddle, guitar, and bass arrangements, […]

Portland-based Chicano Rock artist Joshua Josué has recently released his debut full-length album, Beneath The Sand, via Electric CholoLand Records. Like his live performances and influences, it blends Americana with Latin Folk and Rock ‘n’ Roll. While Josué has been making music for a number of years, this particular collection has a specific focus in […]

This week, we honor the memory of the legendary Brent Hinds, a cornerstone of Mastodon until only a few months ago, who tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident last week. To pay tribute, let’s revisit Mastodon on September 4, 2004, during their CD release party and performance at Criminal Records in Atlanta, Georgia, celebrating […]

Throughout 2025, the buzzword around the music world has been “Reunion.” This word represents a sense of nostalgia, community, and fond memories associated with some of the biggest acts of music’s past. Almost as if the music history books are the latest page-to-screen phenomenon, reunion tours from across eras and genres have been visiting every […]

On a typical Saturday afternoon in Chicago in the summertime, there’s no shortage of leisurely options for one to spend their time. You could head to the beach, check out a neighborhood street festival, hit up Wrigley Field, or maybe even just take in a matinee. In the case of this writer, the latter option sounded like […]

Kenny Burrell’s 1957 self-titled album is a short, inviting set that shows off why he’s considered one of jazz guitar’s greats. Backed by baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Elvin Jones, Burrell leads with warmth, clarity, and effortless style. At just over 36 minutes, it’s a tight collection, but […]

Frank Wess, John Coltrane, Paul Quinichette, Mal Waldron, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor’s Wheelin’ and Dealin’ is a compact but thrilling snapshot of hard bop energy from 1958. Clocking in at just over 35 minutes, the session feels more like a live club set than a polished studio date, which gives it an immediacy that’s […]

One of the finest albums you’ll hear this year comes from Jesse Daniel. Son of the San Lorenzo is the fifth studio LP from the California country picker and is easily his most mature and personal effort to date. Daniel puts his road-hardened style of West Coast country in the spotlight while conjuring the kind […]

2025 has tested the limits of our new music processors over here at the smoky old Caustic factory, but over time, it has never shied us away from a hard day’s work. We are firing on all cylinders over here to keep up with the avalanche of impressive releases that seem to be never-ending as […]

There comes a time when every genre takes its turn in the blinding spotlight of pop culture. Currently, we are seeing country overtake Hip-hop on top of the charts, but there was a time when even the most niche, aggressive, raw underground music you can find lands in the binoculars of the Billboard chart. If […]

There’s a rush that comes with walking into a casino: the hum of shuffling cards, the clatter of the roulette wheel, the dealer’s steady voice calling the shots. But in 2025, the same energy is alive and well without ever stepping foot in Vegas or Monaco. Live casinos have transformed the experience, blending the human […]

Sixteen years ago, Pete Droge went looking for his birth mother; instead, he found her obituary. Rather than marking the end of the story, though, that discovery launched a remarkable journey of personal growth and healing, one that would find Droge reuniting with long-lost relatives, battling a mysterious illness, and finding himself in the process. […]