The Vaccines Sell Out Chicago’s Lincoln Hall

The Vaccines live by Sarah Hess

Chicago – Despite being a Tuesday and a school night, U.K. rockers The Vaccines packed Lincoln Hall, selling out the venue, filling it with excited fans young and old, for the English Graffiti Tour, bringing their fantastic mix of indie, garage rock, and punk. The foursome recently released their third album, English Graffiti, hence the

Continue Reading →

Album Review: Royal Headache – “High”

Royal Headache by Luke Stephenson

Los Angeles – It’s hard to believe it has been around four years since Australian band Royal Headache released their self-titled debut full length. From an instrumental standpoint, the band churned out fairly standard fast-paced garage rock; setting the band apart from the hundreds of similar bands hocking that style in 2011 was powerfully expressive

Continue Reading →

Never Shout Never

Never Shout Never by Frank Maddocks

Los Angeles – Until recently, Never Shout Never has always essentially stood as the moniker for Joplin, MO singer-songwriter Christofer Drew. After several albums written only by Drew and supported in a live setting with a hired-gun touring band, Never Shout Never has become a full-fledged band with a solidified lineup. Instead of writing and

Continue Reading →

Talking With Tommy of the DMA’s

DMAs

Chicago – Australia has been pumping out new bands left and right, giving us amazing acts like Tame Impala, Courtney Barnett, and The Preatures, just to name a few. This summer another group of Aussies, known as DMA’s, began to take the world by storm, touring throughout North America and Europe, playing pretty much every major festival known to man.

Continue Reading →

The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness

The Weeknd live by Sarah Hess

San Francisco – Hardly anything is shocking anymore when it comes to the twisted lyrics and aching melodies that escape from the lips of Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd.  The 25-year-old Ontario native has spilled more than the lion’s share of heartache, self-deprecation, and raunchy details of his lust-fueled escapades into the microphone over the

Continue Reading →

Preview: Fool’s Gold Day Off

A-Trak by Terry Richardson

Los Angeles – Founded by A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs and responsible for bringing the world releases by artists such as Kid Cudi, Danny Brown, Duck Sauce, and Run the Jewels, Fool’s Gold Records is one of the premier underground electronic and hip-hop labels in the world. The label is known for its independent spirit and

Continue Reading →

5 More New Bands At FYF Fest

FYF Fest

Los Angeles – After an intense Saturday at FYF Fest that saw an unprecedented headliner as well as a slew of top-quality acts from the indie, electronic, dance, and punk scenes, festival goers geared up for a jam-packed Sunday lineup. Morrissey headlined The Main Stage with performances from stalwarts like Thee Oh Sees and Belle

Continue Reading →

Meet Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez

Los Angeles – While being a contestant on the popular singing competition program The Voice was probably a boon for Melanie Martinez, it came with its own unique set of challenges. For one thing, the show has a weak track record of actually producing successful artists – another issue is that the contestants are required

Continue Reading →

Big Harp Are Back With A Big Sound

Big Harp live by Sarah Hess

Chicago – The L.A. via Omaha band Big Harp played Lincoln Hall, along with another band started in Omaha, The Good Life. The bands have been touring together, which isn’t too surprising considering they share a member: Stefanie Drootin-Senseny. They also used to share the label Saddle Creek Records, but recently Big Harp made a change. They

Continue Reading →