New York - Most people laugh when they first hear of the Mild High Club. Its true, the play on words label for Alex Brettin’s music is both appropriate and humorous. These tunes are made for getting down with a significant other or getting high in an airplane bathroom or both simultaneously. When you speak to
Berlin - Cult Called Man has been racking up an impressive CV since crashing the music scene in 2013, and only a few years later, the new band has amassed a following, in and around Dublin, with a unique style that is just the right mix of brash, brains, Bowie, and bravado. With the release of Cult
Chicago – Ah, yes, it’s that time of year again – time to experience all four seasons while attending one of Chicago’s best music festivals: Riot Fest. For some, the chances of getting rained on, spending the weekend slowly walking through mud, and on the daily experiencing an Autumn morning, humid afternoon, and then a
San Francisco – The number two: it’s powerful, yet submissive. It’s strong, yet unpredictable. It’s stalwart, yet malleable. It seeks comfort, yet it aches for dissonance. An album’s second track holds a powerful role, as it anchors the cohesiveness of an entire piece without demanding immediate satisfaction. Los Angeles-based outfit Local Natives has no qualms
New York - Google “tiny dance” in your nearest computing machine, and you are likely to find a results page filled mainly with references and links to “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John. Over the years the 1971 hit has been covered by everyone, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Tim McGraw, but only now has
Chicago – I have a confession to make: I’ve been listening to the new July Talk LP for weeks now, but a combination of being too busy, while simultaneously procrastinating when it came to what little down time I did have, mixed in with an enormous amount of self-induced pressure to give Touch its due
Chicago – While for most, Labor Day Weekend marks the end of summer, relaxing with a cold one and some barbecue, in Chicago, LDW ushers in North Coast Music Festival, which calls for one last stand in Union Park, having fun and soaking in the sun. Chicagoans party all day and then well into the
San Francisco – There’s a few things y’all should know about New Orleans. Yes, it was a former home of mine. No, the streets aren’t filled with topless ladies begging for strings of plastic beads (that’s just Bourbon Street between Canal and St. Peter). Yes, Popeye’s Fried Chicken does taste better there. And yes, one of the best
Chicago – Once again, in preparation for Riot Fest 2016, we’re featuring an up-and-coming band performing at the festival: U.K. punk rock band Black Foxxes. Last month, this phenomenal trio, comprised of Mark Holley (guitar, vocals), Tristan Jane (bass), and Ant Thornton (drums), released its powerful debut LP I’m Not Well. The emotional album often focuses on frontman Mark Holley’s brave journey,
San Francisco – “Don’t worry, prosperity will knock on your door soon,” bassist Jack Freeman of Jagwar Ma happily read from a fortune cookie fortune during a lull early on in the band’s Wednesday night set, briskly followed by an impromptu reggae version of a few bars from Joy Division’s “Transmission,” cheerily delivered by frontman Gabriel Winterfield. Both of