Chicago – Yes, yes it’s that time of year again! Time for one of the hippest music festivals around: Pitchfork. As to be expected, the line-up is stellar. As an added bonus, it’s loaded with Chicago artists, from the legendary Wilco and the remarkable Ryley Walker, to local hip hop celebs Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper.
Portland – Nothing screams Goth like Grave Babies. The eclectic four-piece stopped at Mississippi Studios in Portland Monday night in promotion of their upcoming album Holographic Violence due out July 24th. Their lo-fi, distorted sound has garnered them comparisons to The Cure and even a darker Jesus and Mary Chain. Grave Babies have continued to
Seattle – A crowd of Seattleites gathered to see Lenka at Barboza. Having recently released her new album The Bright Side (Skipalong/Hickory Records), the Australian singer-songwriter is touring the United States to promote the record. Like the album, her live show is permeated with vibrancy and effervescence. After her darker-hued 2013 release Shadows, Lenka is now
Los Angeles – Though outside The Echo the temperatures had fallen a few degrees from their scorching mid-day high by Jacco Gardner’s late 11:30 start time, the venue’s ancient cooling system still failed to provide relief inside the packed club. Thank goodness Gardner specializes in a brand of baroque pop that is not really meant
Chicago – Good grief, Good Graeff! Sorry, it had to be done. However, after getting to know twin sisters Brooke and Brittany “Brit” Graeff – that’s Graeff like “safe” – you too will be exclaiming it, but in a good way, of course. Brooke (guitar, lead vocals) and Brit (cello, backup vocals) along with their
Seattle – The Seattle-based group Motopony celebrated the release of their new LP, Welcome You, Saturday at The Showbox at the Market. Recorded live to tape at Washington’s Bear Creek Studio by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Heartless Bastards) and mixed by Guy Massey (Manic Street Preachers, Ed Sheeran), the album is an amalgamation of psychedelic and indie
San Francisco – Silence can be deafening. It brings fear to those who suffer from pressure-of-speech. It is angelic to those who seek it, yet demonic to those who aren’t used to it. As composer John Cage – famous for composing and entire song made up of musical rests called “4’33”” – once said, “what
New York – Porcelain Raft, the music project of Italian-born but world-traveled Mauro Remiddi, played a gig at Baby’s All Right celebrating the release of his latest EP, Half Awake. The EP was written and recorded in Greenpoint and is out on his own boutique label Volcanic Field. Remiddi’s already released two albums (Strange Weekend and
Milwaukee – Saturday night at Summerfest, Ohio pop sensations Walk the Moon brought the largest audience employees recalled ever having seen at the U.S. Cellular Stage. The tightly packed crowd stretched out to the waterfront. Everywhere you turned, painted faces and smiles greeted you. Fans up front waited all day, also taking in The Griswolds
Los Angeles – As The Echo’s house lights dimmed and the eager audience shuffled into place, an ominous drone filled the otherwise empty stage. One by one, Franklin James Fisher, Ryan Mahan, and Lee Tesche took the stage, each member of Algiers sporting a glare as menacing as the music playing behind them. At this