When a new band or musician tries to win the hearts and minds of the American public, they usually face an uphill battle. When they’re a British band or musician who’s received accolades and fame in their native land, the reality of playing to smaller crowds across the pond can be irritating and at times,
Tuesday night marked my second venture to a Check Yo Ponytail 2 event, and just like my first experience, the night included energetic, electronic, dance-inducing acts, with Crystal Fighters as the headliner. Before this show, I honestly did not know much about the London-via-Spain electronic five-piece, but as soon as the performance ended, I rectified
Chicago in the summer is easily my favorite place to be, not only because we get a nice break from usual all around crappy weather, but also because of our street fests that take place seemingly every weekend. These festivals bring in amazing new bands, who often will play killer shows at night at some
MS MR is somewhat of a mysterious new band. They seem to have just emerged from the Internet, using the most random web images they could find in their media, and labeling themselves as “Tumblr Glitch Pop, Soul Fuzz, Electroshock” on their Facebook. Their live performance at Glasslands Friday night shed light on their faces,
Maps & Atlases By now we already know to expect a great show whenever Maps & Atlases is playing. Last time I caught them at Bowery Ballroom, it was a sold out show filled with adoring fans. If they could pull off amazingly good vibes like that at that venue, then a show at the
In the middle of her set at the Independent in San Francisco, Thursday night, Nicki Bluhm removed the green sweater she was wearing over a black backless shirt and began to belt out Linda Ronstadt’s country hit “You’re No Good” from when Ms. Ronstadt was a country artist. It wasn’t Linda Ronstadt that I thought
The floor was shaking, hands were raised to the sky and the man on the microphone was pontificating emphatically as sweat rolled down his furrowed brow. Was I in the Abyssinian Baptist Church celebrating a revival? I might as well have been, but instead, I was at the Delta Spirit show at the Fillmore in San
In her performance at Bowery Ballroom, Ane Brun was able to balance minimalism with impact, creating stirring compositions that were enigmatic in their subtlety. This was evident from the first song, “These Days,” which she sang with controlled urgency, backed by soft organ and just enough percussion to push the pulse. This, and every one
Years from now, when Las Vegas-based Imagine Dragons are playing to sold out arenas and aren’t considered a new band; fans will look back on nights like Tuesday at the Independent in San Francisco and wonder why they weren’t there. They’ll wonder how they could have missed out on such a ridiculously talented band and
While the majority of Angelinos spent their Cinco de Mayo drinking strong margaritas at unnecessarily busy Mexican restaurants, I spent mine at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood with Ernest Greene and his band, Washed Out. I’ve been a fan of Greene’s tranquil brand of chillwave since he released his first EP in 2009, and I