Somewhere in the Northeastern United States there is a stage. At the edge of the stage are speakers carrying a fast and powerful sound that powers a frenzied crowd skanking and moshing, sliding around each other as sweat and PBR mix with spit, as machine gun verses explode into melodic shout-a-long choruses shot blindly into the night. Barely above the commotion of the crowd, center stage, stand Boston's own Have Nots, one of the most driven bands to come out of the legendary New England punk scene. .. get the full story
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| FEATURE: Maus Haus
Serendipitous" would be an appropriate word to describe the formation of Maus Haus. From their initial meetings to their creative process, everything about this San Francisco electro-synth sextet seemingly fell into place... get the full story
FEATURE: The New Up
In the 1960s, San Francisco was the epicenter of a peace loving, free-for-all culture that featured music as its voice. .. get the full story
SPOTLIGHT: Hammock
We now live in perhaps the most immediately gratifying era of human history. Ours is a society fueled by instant-everything; for the technology-savvy, a step out of bed is no longer necessary to be immersed in the day's news or gossip... get the full story
SPOTLIGHT: Jeff Jones
Raised in a Baptist family of musicians, he grew up singing gospel and playing piano in his grandma's house. "On my dad's side are the Baptists, so singing and playing piano at home was huge - there was always a piano being played," he says. After trying out a number of instruments, Jones settled on the versatility of a guitar... get the full story
SPOTLIGHT: Pinot
Pinot gets the party started. A Los Angeles funk band comprised mostly of graduates from the University of Southern California, they bring a new energy out when they come to rock out with a crowd of students. In a social scene dominated by Top 40 music, they drive audiences wild with live funk jams influenced by hip-hop and jazz... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: ALO
The fact that ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) played an outdoor amphitheatre with a fortified and oft-used Shakespearean background set behind them speaks volumes - not only of the band's laid back attitude (heartily mirrored their music), but also of their ability to make use of anything at their disposal. During a second set the band performed on the second floor of the set, churning out "Girl I Wanna Lay You Down" with sparse instrumentation, the largest of which was an accordion, which accompanied singer Zach Gill... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Clem Snide
Clem Snide is the alt-country lyrical genius of Israeli-born Eef Barzelay. Given that Barzelay's band borrows its name from a William S. Burroughs character, it is no wonder that the campfire worthy, guitar picking tunes of Clem Snide pack a one-two punch combining wit and weirdness. Barzelay employs those same witty devices to segue from tune to tune, and to keep his audience engaged in the stories behind his sometimes perplexing word play. .. get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Clucking Blossom Festival
The smiling faces, exotic costumes and performing musicians are all present in spades, but there is something noticeably absent- ads from corporate sponsor... get the full story
The newest festival to break onto the scene, Nateva Music & Camping Festival, already has a lineup that will make other large-scale events drool... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Neutral Uke Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is a bombastic, haunting oddity that many have become obsessed with... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Sage Francis
Hip-hop artist Sage Francis stopped by Portland, ME recently to support his new album Li(f)e. .. get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: San Cha
Cafe Trieste was hit with a vivacious fury of style and soul Saturday May 8th as the eccentric performer known as San Cha took the stage, backed by a band pumping out jagged guitar and a fierce beat on the drums... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Tealights
After releasing their debut EP Take us By Sea last year, Tealights have been gaining fans throughout their Atlanta home. Residing in an already musically diverse city, Tealights add a great deal to their scene by crafting some of the most unique music in town. They come across as a mix of trip-hop, chamber pop, and classically infused electronica... get the full story
LIVE REVIEW: Weaver
On what is usually the dance floor in Portland's vast, industrial bar and art space, Holocene, sits a small wooden house with a tin roof and tea lights in its open windows.. get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Aqualung
Matt Hales, aka Aqualung, is still at it and has his guns (or in this case, keyboard) blazing with his latest release, Magnetic North... get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Beautiful Supermachines
Imagine a world in which the lo-fi frenzied Guided By Voices extruded all those thirty-second songs into worthwhile longer songs. Austin's Beautiful Supermachines may have hit close to that mark, deriving their sound from a staple of '90s indie rock heavyweights: the thrusting guitars of Pavement and the indulgent noodling interludes of The Pixies... get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Brad Heller and The Fustics
Brad Heller and The Fustics make music that radiates from an earnest and honest place. If Heller isn't singing songs echoing a good time, he's painting pictures of life that many can identify with. The singer's heart-on-the-sleeve style is wrought with people he's met during a life of travels, and influences ranging from Son Volt to Bruce Springsteen... get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Brit and the Cavalry
The band will also soon release their second EP The Hiker, and they already have two music videos for the tracks "Melt into Flames" and "Cassandra." A final warning: You will be bewitched. (Self Released).. get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Brothers McCann
Brothers McCann is certainly impressive in a few key ways. Their newest album Different Colors showcases their ability to combine a strong musical backdrop with catchy, fun, and intriguing songwriting tactics... get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Caribou
Caribou, otherwise known as Daniel Snaith, has definitely made a name for himself in the indie-electro dance world, but his most recently work has caught listeners off guard, pumping out an organic yet dance-worthy sound that is somewhat set apart from previous albums... get the full story
RECORD REVIEW: Flying Lotus
Often overwhelming and occasionally underwhelming too, the music of LA-based producer Flying Lotus is exceptionally difficult to pin down. Perhaps that's part of what makes it so appealing. Not fitting squarely into any of the past decade's new fragmentations of dance music or hip-hop (dubstep, "glitch", the current wave of electro or J Dilla-inspired rap beats), Fly Lo manages to draw inspiration and borrow pieces from all of the above, while filtering it all through a noisy, pumping and extraordinarily unique production curve... get the full story
