Gov Ball Day Two – What a difference a day makes. The festival has worked out the kinks. The crowd knows where to go and how to act. And the
New York City’s Gov Ball is back. After a long pandemic, a postponement, a change of venue, Gov Ball made a reappearance for its 10th anniversary, not at its original
Along with the changes in the Hanson brothers’ personal and professional lives, The Walk goes beyond the difficult first step into an introspective, worldly journey. Whether or not one likes mostly upbeat familial pop music has no bearing on the fact that these young gentlemen have their act together and possess tremendous songwriting and performing talent.
n 1999, A New Found Glory released Nothing Gold Can Stay, a sappy pop punk album that made me feel the pain of being 17 again. Sure, some of the lyrics were over-dramatic and the vocals were whiny, but the album connected with me even though it was written for kids ten or so years my junior. T
Shiny Toy Guns are an L.A. quarter who have been gaining steam playing sold out crowds here and abroad as well as at some top notch exclusive get-togethers (more on that later). Their alive style of new wave/guitar/pop/electronica creates dense textures both musically and vocally. Thanks to melodious male/female leads sung by Chad Petree and Carah Faye and complex song structures, Shiny Toy Guns are able to tackle issues of gender and fear in fresh ways testing at times and reassuring at others along the journey. This is not your typical synth-pop band.
Calamity works as an eccentric hodge-podge of quirky pop songs, avant-garde sounds, and out-of-nowhere, straight forward, shed rock.
Playing against a simple yet intriguingly-utilized backdrop (including five flat-screen televisions showing various different angles on the trio throughout the show), Keane delivered a set with the polish of so many British pop/rock groups. Chaplin’s voice had the crystal clarity of their recordings, rising at times with the grace and power of Freddy Mercury, yet harkening often to the earnest soulfulness of Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Not many bands allow their bass lines to be prominent, but This Day And Age have bass segments equally as bold as the guitar vibrations with atmospheric sweeps like “More Of A Climb Less Of A Walk.”
In today’s world of rock, it’s hard enough for musicians to get a good gig, no less shine in the sound department. Alexa Ray Joel, 21, is up for the challenge. Yes, she is the daughter of the one and only Billy Joel and super-model Christie Brinkley, but she’s far from living in her father’s shadow.
Like the Magic Numbers’ recent debut before them, Mohair is bound to make another dent as new classic pop songwriters from across the way.
