Los Angeles - Ben Howard‘s quick success is well deserved. The British singer-songwriter’s performance at the El Rey Theatre on Monday showed off minimalism at its finest. His show is a model for how indie-folk should be presented — intimate, grabbing, and powerful enough to bring tears to the eyes. Though his latest album, I Forget Where
Seattle – Boston trio PVRIS will be releasing their debut album, White Noise, this Tuesday, November 4, the follow-up to their acoustic EP that was released in April. Since then, this band has been unstoppable. In June, they signed to Rise Records, a label mostly known for its metalcore bands. They became the first female fronted band on Rise,
New York – Indie folk-rock band Roadkill Ghost Choir have released a video for their song “A Blow To The Head,” from their recent album, In Tongues, just in time for Halloween. About the video, lead singer Andy Shepard said: “We found a box of old VHS tapes at this thrift shop in Deland, Florida. One was
New York – Indie band Walk The Moon have announced the release of their second album, Talking Is Hard, on December 2 on RCA Records. The album is produced by Tim Pagnotta (Neon Trees, LP, among others). “Shut Up and Dance,” the first single off the album, was released last month and held the #1
Austin – Ultimate Painting was introduced to me as a supergroup. Not in those words, but there must have been some hope that name-dropping Veronica Falls and Mazes would entice me to listen to their music. I’m not sure if, by the strictest definition, there can be such a thing as an indie supergroup. The
Los Angeles – Kenny Vasoli of Vacationer is the happiest guy I’ve ever seen on stage. When I saw him perform with his band this past Sunday night, I took notice of how he plays every song with a huge, infectious smile. He’s finding his own relief, which coincidentally happens to be the title of
San Francisco – HAERTS is a hard band to get an audience with. There have been a few times over the past year that I thought I would see the indie pop group, but each time they slipped through the cracks. The first was a show in which they were scheduled to open for Au
New York – Mark Foster commanded the stage like a cult leader at Friday night’s Foster The People show at the historic United Palace. Such a grand venue was the perfect setting for the band’s brief CMJ stop. The gilded stage was populated by synths and drum sets creating a visually staggering environment within the
Brooklyn – Secret Someones have made vocal harmonies a science. The voices of the indie band’s guitarist Bess Rogers, synth-player Hannah Winkler and bassist Lelia Broussard very possibly sound better live than they do on CD. While they all bring equal skill to the band and Winkler could surely sing Rogers’ part in “Chase Your
New York – English-American indie rockers CYMBALS brought a high-energy set to Cake Shop this week as part of this year’s CMJ Music Marathon. The band played the concert hall hidden under a coffee shop, battling minor technical difficulties and ultimately coming out on top. It was a rough start, with the band desperately trying