Nashville – Natalie Prass holds a special place in her heart for Nashville, her home of nearly ten years, and the feeling is mutual. The solo artist played a sold-out set this past Wednesday night, and the High Watt was packed to capacity with fans that might’ve been indulging in a double dose—she opened for
Portland – Swansea stepped onto the Doug Fir stage for the first time on Tuesday night. The Portland-based three-piece, comprised of vocalist and keyboardist Rebecca Sanborn, multi-instrumentalist Kyleen King, and drummer Jj Tanzer, formed in 2011 after adding King to their duo project, and have been playing venues in the Northwest ever since. The band
Austin—Why do punk and blues make such great, timeless bedfellows? What synergy has kept Jack White, the Black Lips, and the Black Keys popular since the turn of the century? How, 15 years later, has Benjamin Booker made something new and thrilling in a subgenre that appeared to be all out of new frontiers? Whatever
Chicago – Milky Chance first stole hearts with their irresistible single “Stolen Dance.” Then came the release of their debut album, Sadnecessary, through their label Lichtdicht Records. Now the German duo is seizing emotions and selling out shows, touring the world. Singer and guitarist Clemens Rehbein and producer slash percussionist Philipp Dausch, along with guitarist
Los Angeles – With a voice that could move mountains filling every corner of The Echo on Thursday, one would expect the source of these resonant sounds to be of substantial proportions; instead, Lady Lamb leader Aly Spaltro is a young woman of pint-sized stature. Just as Spaltro’s diminutive stature belies her power as a
Los Angeles – In March, Oxford, Mississippi five-piece Young Buffalo debuted their first LP House via Votiv Recordings. Coinciding with the release, the indie rock act, which was formed by high school friends Ben Yarbrough and Jim Barrett in 2009, played at last month’s SXSW festival. Leading up to their proper debut record, Young Buffalo
Portland – The Crystal Ballroom saw one of its hippest crowds Wednesday night, and they were there to dance to the sweet, sweet weirdness of Mac DeMarco. The crowd had an energy quite like DeMarco’s—serious in their dedication to truly good music, absolutely no qualms with breaking rules, and an almost contagious effervescent attitude. Demarco’s
New York – Philadelphia duo Marian Hill, comprised of Samantha Gogol and Jeremy Lloyd, brought their sultry blend of jazzy electronic pop to a sold out gig at Rough Trade Records in New York City. The duo have been friends since middle school but only began writing together at the end of college. They quickly
Austin – There’s a very narrow window in the spring when an outdoor show in Austin is pleasant, and April falls right in the middle of it. Too bad that’s also the rainy season. Whirr, though, is an exception: the hangover of a vicious April squall on Saturday night created just the right atmosphere for
San Francisco – Up in the Bay Area, we have a phenomenon of sorts—something that has popped up in the past couple of years—lovingly called “Fauxchella.” Fauxchella represents the week-long run of concerts held in the Bay Area between the two weekends of the Coachella Music Festival that happens annually under the April sun of