Los Angeles – Upon the release of their very first single, “Best of Friends,” Palma Violets were bestowed with what could be regarded as both a blessing and a curse. The song blew up in the United Kingdom, instantly making them one of their country’s most recognizable rock acts; it also put tremendous pressure on
Nashville – firekid, the brainchild of bluegrass artist Dillon Hodges, is a novel idea. Combining his love of Americana music with an electro-indie influence, Hodges has created something surprising and unique in this latest venture. And Nashville, his home of nearly three years, has provided the perfect backdrop for the band. I talked with Hodges
Brooklyn – Danielle Miraglia is a Massachusetts-bred soloist whose blues-brewed work packs a philosophic punch. Masterfully, Miraglia’s harmonica-laced ballades chronicle both the artist’s temperament and the status of the masses. With her latest release, Glory Junkies, Miraglia holds a mirror up to modern day tendencies and, altruistically, offers a calming musical conduit to counter the
Los Angeles – Imagine growing up with the musical pedigree of Arielle; singing since age five with Peninsula Girls Chorus, learning piano, trumpet and guitar by the tender age of 10. By that age, most kids’ biggest accomplishment is memorizing the advanced controls on Minecraft. While there is undoubtedly a lot of pressure that comes
Chicago – The quirky husband and wife electronic duo OOFJ – aka Orchestra of Jenno – is back with their sophomore LP Acute Feast, due out April 21 via Ring The Alarm & Fake Diamond Records. Jenno “Jens” Bjørnkjær, originally from Denmark, and Katherine Mills-Rymer, from South Africa, met while living in New York City;
London – Saturday April 11 was a landmark day in British sport with the world-famous Steeplechase, the Grand National, and the annual Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race – featuring a women’s race for the first time on the Thames to complement the traditional men’s race – vying for attention. Those races run, it was time
Los Angeles – You either shudder or smile when the term “family band” comes to mind. For every Angus/Malcom Young, or Barry/Robin/Maurice Gibb who successfully perform together for decades, there is a mountain of Davies or Gallaghers who never could cope with the intimacy of sibling collaboration. Perhaps what dooms the band is that one
Austin – “Excellent choice,” said Charlie Salt, bass player for Blossoms, when he saw The Zombies playing on my Spotify. It wasn’t a coincidence—before our interview I had been double-checking my suspicion that The Zombies were a primary source for Blossoms’ music. (Ed., Best New Bands’ interview with Blossoms took place during last month’s SXSW.)
New York – As the longest, coldest winter since the Ice Age comes to an end, we (in the Eastern and Northern parts of the U.S.) look forward to switching from layers of sweatshirts, scarves and coats to eventually just a long-sleeved T-shirt. Despite nature’s cruel sense of humor, Best New Bands decided to ignore
London – The annual Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition offers unsigned artists based in the U.K. or Ireland the chance to compete for a spot on one of the main stages at this iconic festival in June. This year over 7,000 entries were received and Best New Bands’ London correspondent was one of 40 music writers