Laura Marling is simply too charming. Marling played the Columbia City Theater in Seattle’s Columbia City last week. The old Baroque-style theater housed a quiet night of female singer-songwriters who wooed a crowd who silently stood in awe of the talent on stage. As Marling approached the stage and immediately started commenting on the impossibility of entering gracefully by yourself; mid-sentence and mid-tuning she dropped her guitar, mucking it up slightly and causing her British cheeks to blush. In a…

Hangout Festival is a festival for everyone – the kind of music celebration that takes relaxation to the next level of intimacy. Located on the stunning beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala., the three-day festival included headliner gold. Kings of Leon, Tom Petty and Stevie Wonder graced the mega stage each evening to crowds of gargantuan proportions. With five stages and sold out tickets, the groups were a pleasant madhouse of people everywhere. Despite the iconic headlines it was those small…

Whenever a band uses extensive synths and heavy, yet interesting production in their sound, there will always be a challenge in trying to get that music to translate well in a live setting. This is one of the major challenges that many indie and (in some cases) not so indie bands face today. It can either sound heavy or hollow, sometimes at the same time. In the case of Detroit-bred indie synth pop outfit Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., it was…

After long or short trips to and from (and perhaps at) Austin Psych Fest, many of the attendees and bands have found themselves safely, and maybe a bit post-festival sickly, at home and in bed. For some, however, the festival was just a stop on a long and seemingly endless road. Such is the case for the Australian quartet, The Laurels, who (after playing a stellar set at Psych Fest on April 28) have continued their tour and landed in…