Chicago – That pesky Polar Vortex swept in with snow flurries and wind chills Saturday night, but inside The Vic, Wild Cub was warming the audience with its rich tropical sounds and 80s dance beats. This lively indie synth-pop band began in Nashville, during 2011, with the duo of singer-songwriter Keegan DeWitt and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy
Los Angeles – After seeing their performance last Friday at The Bootleg Hifi, audience members unfamiliar with alternative-pop act Ex Cops would have no way of knowing that the band just released one of the most polished records of 2014. While Ex-Cops’ most recent release, Daggers (on Downtown Records), saw the band venturing into more
New York – Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr is a tilt-a-whirl of a band that jazzes listeners with their addictive hooks, unapologetic fervor and passion-tinged pop-rock soundscapes. This is an act that’s notorious for delivering spellbinding live showings, and Thursday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg matched that reputation with undulating force. The evening was
San Francisco – Shit got loud at the Regency Ballroom as Julian Casablancas and his new band, The Voidz, descended upon an eager crowd. Casablancas, who is best known as the lead singer for the indie rock band, The Strokes, released his first album as a solo artist back in 2009 with Phrazes for the
Baltimore – When Andrew McMahon plays a show, whether it is a Jack’s Mannequin reunion, a surprise Something Corporate gig or his annual Dear Jack benefit concert, there is always a group of loyal listeners in attendance. Of course there’s is variety in the audience, but people who have been listening to McMahon since the
Milwaukee – Even though Zeds Dead and Capital Cities were playing shows on the upper levels of The Eagles Ballroom, The Wild Feathers managed to pack the ground floor of The Rave. Wisconsin concertgoers filled out the old dive bar that seemed especially fitting for a good ole Southern rock ‘n’ roll band and presented fans with
New York – Kicking off an early show at Manhattan’s much-loved Mercury Lounge the other night, Avi Buffalo charmed fans with an hour-long set of melody-heavy, rambling tracks. True to this act’s quietly electric identity, the night was both intimate and moving, and offered a perfect pre-weekend mind state to the work-weary New Yorkers who found their
Austin – Reaching the end of Fun Fun Fun Fest was downright depressing. It was a bummer saying goodbye to festival friends after three short days, and remembering that 1) you don’t do something enviably cool every night and 2) your body exists, and needs a lot more sleep than you’ve been giving it. The
Austin – By Saturday morning Fun Fun Fun Fest had gotten the gates under control, by which I mean it was elbow-to-elbow in the festival grounds. I can only assume things got weird in the designated make out area. Very few people seemed to mind. Saturday featured some great sets, including Twin Peaks’ daytime set.
Austin – Fun Fun Fun Fest definitely front-loaded its lineup. The five bands I wrote about played on Friday, along with Alt-J (who Best New Bands reviewed earlier this month), 2 Chainz, Dinosaur Jr., Death From Above 1979, Judas Priest, and lots of others. The festival got swamped on Day 1, and the line to