Nashville – It’s been nearly a year since the last time I saw the Justin Kalk Orchestra live, but I remember the show vividly. A string section accompanied Kalk’s lead guitar and vocals, and the result was a positively stunning combination of classical notes and raw blues elements. Fast forward: this past Wednesday, Kalk performed
New York – Milky Chance is an explosive electro-folk duo out of Germany that welds genres together to produce a sound that’s uniquely theirs, and the work is absurdly and arrestingly good. In fact, this band’s rise to international visibility is equally as halting a thought, considering the group began two short years ago. Since
Los Angeles – The Troubadour got hot and heavy this week with scintillating sets by the indie-pop-based In The Valley Below (shown above) and neo-soul act Caught A Ghost. While the two Los Angeles-based bands have very little in common stylistically speaking, neither had any issues getting the large crowd whipped up into a dancing fervor.
Austin – I managed to grab some minutes with Wildcat! Wildcat! at Fun Fun Fun Fest earlier this month. The LA band had impressed me prior to the festival and at their set earlier in the day, and as much as anything I was interested to hear about breaking out of LA, which my friend
Chicago – When Foxing formed three years ago, the St. Louis band went in knowing they wouldn’t be around forever and neither would their music. But as historians look back on documents to understand our past, perhaps the quintet’s music will go on to be appreciated by music lovers for years to come, long after
Nashville – Stone Cold Fox found a place to shine in Nashville, debuting to local audiences at The Basement. The Brooklyn-based indie band wowed with their stunning (yet brief) set, bringing with them ethereal synth chords complimented by solid percussion. What resulted was a densely packed show that brimmed with youthful energy. Once Stone Cold
New York – Joseph de los Reyes (vocals/drums) and Koosh Saxena (guitar/keyboard/vocals) make up San Francisco’s Little Envy. The duo released their debut self-titled album this week on South X Sea Records, which they recorded with Sam Pura at Panda Studios. Little Envy is an upbeat and intricate first attempt. The songs are bright, but
New York – BestNewBands.com, a top destination for reviews, interviews and news about the world’s best emerging recording artists, has announced the winners of its 2014 Newbie Awards honoring the year’s best new Band, Male artist, Female artist, Album and Breakthrough Artist. Best New Album: The War On Drugs, Lost In The Dream Best New
Chicago – The Baltimore boys of SUN CLUB have begun to turn heads with their cheerful indie rock, energetic live shows, and goofy personalities. Songs like “Beauty Meat” and “Summer Feet,” off the debut EP Dad Claps at the Mom Prom (Goodnight Records), leave you smiling and dancing along with the young, magnetic East Coasters,
Los Angeles – Cincinnati dance-pop quartet, WALK THE MOON have released their third (second on RCA) record, Talking Is Hard. In the hands of Tim Pagnotta (Neon Trees, Matthew Koma), WALK THE MOON continue to ascend their own bright 80s-pop inclined sound. The brand-new album features 12 glistening pop jams that will keep you dancing all