Seattle – Tractor Tavern recently opened its arms to indie rockers Kopecky Family Band. The Nashville six-piece filled the venue with warmth, clever interplay, and captivating musical talent in an evening that absolutely delighted the crowd. Kelsey Kopecky (vocals, keys, bass), Gabe Simon (vocals, guitar, horns), Steven Holmes (guitar), David Krohn (drums), Markus Midkiff (cello,
Sacramento – The last day at TBD Fest drew a larger crowd than I had seen all weekend, especially during the evening sets. (Ed., Best New Bands’ Day One coverage is HERE; Day Two is HERE.) The festival was clearly coming to a close, and while I was exhausted, my lungs were full of dust,
Austin – One of the biggest names in music festivals is getting bigger this year, growing to a second weekend to accommodate a larger lineup, and, maybe more importantly, a larger crowd. Austin City Limits presents a mix of pop music’s biggest new names and some welcome reunions (Outkast and The Replacements? My mind has
New York – Friday night’s Shakey Graves performance in Manhattan was wonderful and wild, and welcomed the weekend with a bang. The indie musician played in support of the mega-beloved blues-rock outfit Tedeschi Trucks Band, and the turnout was awash in blues fans of all generations. On stage, Alejandro Rose-Garcia is a lit stick of
Sacramento – The heat came back with a vengeance on the second day of TBD Fest, yet the excitement and the energy of the festival made it totally bearable. The second day had a little more variety in terms of the artists performing and tons of great new bands to check out. Drowners First up
Sacramento – This first weekend of October is turning out to be a hot and sunny one here. With temperatures rocketing up to the mid-90s, it feels more like summer in the desert instead of autumn in California’s capitol city. Nonetheless, the few devotees willing to brave this Indian summer of sorts to bask in
Nashville – Ask the average listener to close their eyes and visualize rock and roll and the image will be similar for most folks; vintage Gibson and Fender axes plugged into humming tube amps, long hair and scruffy beards, guitar solos with crunch distortion, and lyrical stories of women and whiskey to tie it all
San Francisco – Canadian goth-dance outfit TRUST descended upon club venue Mezzanine the other night and delivered a brisk albeit deafening set drawn from their two stellar albums. TRUST is the moniker used by virtuoso Robert Alfons, and on his current tour he is supported by two backing members: a cool, androgynous percussionist who skillfully
Los Angeles – The recent Way Over Yonder music festival was by far the most relaxed southern California festival of the 2014 season. What a relief to have no long lines, no huge crowds, and no massive venue to navigate. Of course, the beachside view on the iconic Santa Monica pier didn’t hurt either. Twenty
Los Angeles – Up and coming singer-songwriter, Zella Day, who’s been hailed “the happier Lana Del Rey,” opened for veteran musician LP Friday night at The Roxy. Despite the misconstrued description, there’s still an essential sadness embedded in Day’s songs. The eclectic crowd was spellbound by the songstress’ bohemian vibe. Day was dazzling at her