“Do we have any knitters in the house?” asked Disjecta Art Center Executive Director Bryan Suereth this past Friday night. It wasn’t until two hands quickly shot up in the audience that I realized this question wasn’t a joke. The second annual Quiet Music Festival would be exactly what it advertised to be: quiet. Until
Yuna Shares Her Songwriting Process, Life As A Muslim Singer In The States
Last week we presented part one of our interview up-and-comer Malaysian singer Yuna. Here’s part two of our conversation with the emerging singer/songwriter. What are the differences between American and Malaysian crowds? I guess it’s the way they perceive things? For example, the things they listen to in a song or what aspect of a
Album Review: Chester French, Music 4 Tngrs
We profiled them in our Artist of the Week feature a few weeks ago, but today, after months of waiting, Chester French have finally released their sophomore album for mass consumption. A bit different from their debut, Love The Future, D.A. Wallach and Max Drummey took a much different approach on Music 4 Tngrs. For
Mayer Hawthorne On His Past, Touring and Kid Rock
As we profiled last week in our Artist of the Week feature, Mayer Hawthorne is an artist on the rise. He’s in the midst of a month and half tour with some headlining dates with his band The Country and will opening for Foster The People on others. Crowds seem to like what they hear,
Artist of the Week: Brendan Benson
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
Northside Festival Weekend Highlights
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
Northside Fest’s Friday Highlights: Of Montreal, Ice Choir, and Zambri
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
FYF Fest Lineup Announced
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
Grouplove’s Tongue Tied Goes To Number 1, Plays Leno Tonight
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
A Conversation With Maps & Atlases’ Dave Davison
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