Weeks ahead of time, I had eagerly awaited my Friday schedule at the 2018 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. With the day containing a mix of rising artists I had somehow missed throughout the winter concert season, as well as a few artists that I could not wait to see again, I had assembled the…
Whether it’s from the awe-inducing first year at the festival when the true magic and spirit of the experience washes over you for the first time, the memory of a one-of-a-kind show, the gathering of friends old and new, the head-clearing moments of pure musical joy, or the wild combination of all the above, every…
With the skyline behind the stage and a shimmering oak tree mural backdrop, downtown Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater creates a perfect setting for a night of music. The Revivalists, who headlined the venue recently, had the crowd grooving from the very first guitar riff. This band from New Orleans continues to grow, and with their…
Sometimes, we have to endure the mundane in order to achieve the marvelous. Such is the story of “Going Through The Motions,” the new tune from Dallas-based seasoned songcrafter Salim Nourallah. “Another songwriter I admire once said this about the ‘occupation’ of songwriting: ‘Most of the time to those around you, you don’t appear to…
It’s a family thing y’all–that was the takeaway message from Calexico’s recent performance at Portland’s Revolution Hall. The show was sold out, a formula for some high-level energy. And as Calexico, on tour supporting their latest (and ninth) studio record, played their hearts out, they delivered in spades. Their eclectic style of American pop, mariachi,…
Shangri-La is a distant, imaginary place, one where everything is pleasant and you can have everything your heart desires. Nashville-based art rock duo Fox Grin brings that idea a little closer with their new and appropriately-titled single “Shangri-La,” a tune from their forthcoming album Dusk, due out early next year. “‘Shangri-La is about the escaping feeling…
It’s a deflating experience when it’s supposed to be your special day, but the world just doesn’t cooperate—and we’ve all been there. New York City-based singer/songwriter Nick Cianci, who will release his debut EP, High-Fidelity Depressed next month, introduces us to one such unlucky lady in “Sparkling Jenny,” the first single off the EP. “In…
While her teenage peers were gushing over gossip and “The Gilmore Girls” way back in the day, Jilian Linklater was teaching herself to play guitar. Now, years later, after releasing two EPs garnering her millions of Spotify streams and thousands of YouTube followers, significant placements in Disney movie trailers, television shows, and cuts by other…
“I hold my hands and pray that you’ll be there on my final day, and if you are, will you come with me?” sings London-based singer/songwriter George Taylor in his new single, “Come Follow Me Down.” With its slinky groove awash in a minor key and a sinister edge, Taylor’s “come hither” vocal style would…
With its eleven powerful tracks that pay tribute to the swampy southern blues of their origin, edged with gut-punching rock n’ roll, mostly Mississippi-based outfit Bishop Gunn’s new album Natchez, named for their hometown, represents the sound of the South as they know it. The band is made of Natchez sons Travis McCready (lead vocals),…