Brendan Benson has had a busy past years, but that’s what happens when you run with Jack White. As we reviewed his show last week, Benson has the chops to cut it live and has learned how the handle a crowd from the reigning king of indie rock. It’s hard to believe that the singer/songwriter and Michigan-native has had an such an interesting run, ...

The first band of the weekend I caught was Caged Animals at Cameo. This is the project of singer/guitarist Vincent Cacchione, along with his sister Talya on bass, Patrick Curry on drums, and Magali Francoise on synth and awkward dance moves. Together they make fun psych surf pop rock about young love and the New Jersey Turnpike. Guards was up ...

After a successful few days, the dust is settling on the music run of Northside Festival 2012. Once again, it was often hard to decide what show to see when, but it was also hard to make a bad choice. Here are some highlights from Friday: After a second full day of shows, Zambri, the moniker of NYC-based sisters Jessica and Christi Jo Zambri, ...

Good news for fans of new music: FYF Fest is proud to announce its return to the Los Angeles State Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles, where it's been held for the past four years. Taking place on Sept 1 and 2 (which is Labor Day weekend), the festival will include performances by the newly reformed Refused, M83, Beirut, James Blake, Yeasayer,...

Longtime BestNewBands.com faves Grouplove have done it again. The Los Angeles-based quintet and our official "Best New Band of 2011" have hit number 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Radio chart for their hit single, "Tongue Tied," which you may have heard quite a few times on an Apple commercial and several television programs. If that's not enough...

It’s been a good few years for Maps & Atlases. The Chicago-based math rock quartet’s acclaimed 2010 debut full-length, Perch Patchwork, gave it the push it needed to become a heavy hitter in the indie scene, and its sophomore effort, Beware and Be Grateful has allowed the band to regain momentum. The four-piece is currently on an extensive to...