Los Angeles – It’s easy to forget that The Naked and Famous once lived a world away. The Kiwi quintet left their native country two years ago in exchange for the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles and what may sound like a clichéd budding rock band move is anything but. It’s here where the band
Nashville – Ben Sollee is from Kentucky, and he looks like most good boys from the South. In his New Balance running shoes, khaki pants, and collared polo, he’d be ready to meet your grandmother at any time. He seems like a pretty regular guy until he picks up his cello. At this moment, his
New York – I’ve spent the past few weeks completely indulging myself in all things Grouplove, and after interviewing Ryan and Hannah and reviewing the new album “Spreading Rumours”, I spent the last two nights at back-to-back shows of theirs. Now, I can really say I know what all the hoopla is about. Conclusion: it’s
Los Angeles – Wandering into the Gold Panda performance, I was met with the final songs of Slow Magic’s set. Donning a multicolored fluorescently lit tribal mask the DJ/producer stood triumphantly behind electronic drum pads as he beat them senseless. The jumpy glo-fi performer has that gimmicky vibe in that he wears a mask and
London – For such a young band, it’s been a long journey for The 1975. Getting together in their early teens, the boys have been through more name changes than Prince, all the while working on a body of material for what became their self-titled debut album which topped the U.K. album chart when it
Los Angeles – At a pizza joint Friday night on the Sunset Strip, The Last Internationale (a New York band comprised of Delila Paz, Edgey and Fernando Silva) told BestNewBands.com that the discovery of Woody Guthrie and Howlin’ Wolf six years ago “became [their] religion.” After their Viper Room set two hours later, it became
Kathleen Hanna smiles out at the crowd as she bounces around the stage handing out set lists. “I wore my business outfit tonight.” she says. Dressed in a black and gold leotard accented with a touch of pink it’s time to go to work. The Julie Ruin is Hanna’s most recent project and serves as
On a late Monday night, in a low-ceilinged bar, Mauro Remiddi, better known by his moniker Porcelain Raft, took the stage with enough manly elegance and good humor to rival his doppelgänger, George Clooney. Remiddi knows how to play for his audience and his space; Nashville’s tiny but treasured The Basement. This isn’t unexpected since
About midway through their opening set The Rubens’ lead singer, Sam Margin, looked out at the crowd and shared a story. In between sips of his Sierra Nevada Pale Ale he recalled the origin of the song, “Lay It Down.” “I recorded this song in my bedroom.” he says. A smile crept onto his face
The Brooklyn based quintet Lucius is a rare thing. You don’t often find a band that is both genuinely talented and comprised of genuinely nice people. It comes through in their songs and the atmosphere of their live shows. If you check out their videos on YouTube, you’ll see that most of them are live