Archive: 2025

Florry’s Sounds Like… is a record that thrives in its looseness. It doesn’t force itself into any tidy genre corners, instead, it lets things unfold at their own pace, somewhere between country rock, indie fuzz, and unvarnished live-session energy. Led by Francie Medosch, the Philadelphia-bred, now Vermont-based group sounds more confident and unrestrained than ever, […]

Matt Michienzie Band is an award-winning, progressive bluegrass band founded in the heart of Los Angeles. The outfit is known for its high-powered harmonies and groovy take on Americana music.  On their new single, “Mountain Air,” Matt Michienzie Band takes us on a toe-tapping trip through raw bluegrass prowess. It’s not every day you stumble […]

HQ’d in Jersey City, New Jersey, ROYAL BLUSH blends nostalgic alt-rock roots with a modern edge. Formed in 2021 by guitarist Andrew Merclean, what began as a solo project quickly became a fiery ensemble. Joined by Midwest-born vocalist Al, collaborative songwriting became a pillar of the band’s expression. Since then, Blush has regularly released singles, […]

The pair behind Underworld has been making music since Ronald Reagan was president, or Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, and the band itself coalesced in those years. And yet, at Seattle’s Showbox Sodo on May 20th, the duo of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith blew the roof off with an unrelenting, two-part set that drove […]

There can be artistry in constructing an evening of music, similar to how a band might approach building a setlist, where the structure of the night functions as a conductor directing an orchestra. This premise underlies Dual Pathways, a Philly festival that held its second annual iteration on Saturday, May 17th. It touted more than […]

Many fingers point to Minor Threat and their influence on the scene when it comes to the connection between straight-edge and hardcore music. While Ian Mackaye had an undeniable role, the story does not end there. In 1985, a new band of drug and alcohol free kids emerged playing faster and harder than ever before […]

Not every band gets to enjoy instant success, and for English rockers Sports Team, not only did they receive that explosive success, but they’re enjoying it better than any band has before. After they leaped into the modern rock pantheon with their 2020 debut album, Deep Down Happy, which garnered critical acclaim across the board […]

On May 25, 2025, the recently anointed NEA Jazz Master Marshall Allen turns 101. It’s been a fantastic year for the iconic leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra. He delivered his first solo studio album, New Dawn, earlier this year, in addition to being awarded by the NEA. On the cusp of his 101st birthday, […]

Neither the photography on the front and back jacket nor the title of Chris Cheek’s Keepers of the Eastern Door directly bespeak a jazz album, but are certainly intriguing. First, the title takes its name from the Mohawk people, the easternmost tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy who had that name for their role as guardians […]

Talia Keys is a one-woman band, social justice advocate, and independent artist with over 16 years of experience in the music industry. Known for her powerful vocals and activism, Talia uses her platform to raise awareness on issues like gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and social justice. Her music blends elements of Americana, folk, and soul, […]

Dead & Company is set to return to San Francisco for three headline shows on the Polo Field in the iconic Golden Gate Park in celebration of the Grateful Dead’s music. Fans can look forward to an incredible series of performances, featuring unique sets by Dead & Company each night. Three-day tickets go on sale beginning Friday, May […]

If you’ve followed Jason Isbell’s career for roughly the past two decades, you’ve by now likely realized that there are two sides to the gifted songwriter and guitarist. On the one side, there is the prodigal Alabama son who put in his years of hard living and harder rocking with the Drive-by Truckers while amassing […]

Jeffery Broussard is a renowned American zydeco musician celebrated for his virtuosity and dedication to preserving Creole traditions. As the youngest of six siblings, Jeffery grew up in Frilot Cove near Opelousas, Louisiana, immersed in the vibrant musical culture of his family. His father, Delton Broussard, was a respected musician, and his mother, Ethel, introduced him […]

Rounding out our spotlight on the Bad Brains this week, while the band will always be known first and foremost as the trailblazing hardcore punk pioneers that they were, their influence and contributions to the alternative-metal scene that sprouted up in the back half of the 80s (and took off in the 90s) cannot be […]

The semi-annual Exit Zero Jazz Festival, its twenty-fourth edition, was held May 16-18, 2025 in the nation’s oldest ocean resort, Cape May, NJ, featuring many of the top performers in jazz, emerging stars and veterans alike with a sun-splattered, ocean-facing deck that hosted both interviews and youth performances. The main venue, Convention Hall, was practically sold out on […]

For this reissue of 7Seconds 1986 release New Wind, original producer Ian MacKaye and Inner Ear Studios’ Don Zientara ‘reimagined’ the album, delivering Change In My Head. The effort removes some songs, remixes the full record, plays with the track order and unearths a few unreleased gems from the original recording session.  New Wind, the […]

Closing in on their 20-year anniversary, LA’s blues and hip-hop-infused indie pop/rock band Andy Frasco & The U.N. continue to mix sharp humor with often weighty issues on Growing Pains, their 10th studio album. Though the band has always been willing to wade into the occasional deep lyrical waters in the past (though admittedly with […]

King Cab is the new project of longtime collaborators and best friends Harry Jordan and Jof Cabedo. The pair has a rich history in the UK and European music scenes. Through their past projects, they’ve toured extensively, sharing stages with Wolf Alice, Wunderhorse, Ride, Teenage Fanclub, Twin Peaks, Working Men’s Club, Porridge Radio, and more. […]

TUUDI (Scarlett Ash-Ingley) is an alternative pop artist based in London. She crafts immersive narratives and storylines with a retrospective and futuristic electronic sound. Her ethereal atmospheres, introspective lyricism, and haunting melodies invite listeners to explore complex characters. Originally from Bedfordshire, she grew up exploring the countryside and began writing songs on an old, untuned […]