independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
During this late summer evening, the first signs of autumn were evident in the Badger State’s capital. Citizens and visitors mingled, enjoying all that the city had to offer from fine eateries, university-chic coffee houses, and the interspersed taverns and bars of beautiful downtown Madison. On this night though, my focus was on local venue... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles-based alt-rock outfit Allah-Las brought their sun-drenched vintage vibe to the Music City recently; they played their hearts out to a packed house at Exit/In, where eager Nashvillians were standing elbow to elbow to soak up their Southern California sound. Allah-Las released their latest album, Calico Review, the band’s third, on September 9th via Mexican Summer;... Continue Reading →
If you follow this site (and if you don't, you really should), you'll remember that we sent our trusty contributor, James Farley, to Louisville to cover the Forecastle Music Festival in July; dear James was rendered utterly speechless by the performances he witnessed, but he managed to get himself together long enough to jot down... Continue Reading →
Colorado singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov took the stage at Marathon Music Works in Nashville before a packed house recently; the artist has made a quite name for himself over the years as a folk singer, making tunes that paint beautiful pictures of the mountains and meanderings of the landscape of his adopted home state. While... Continue Reading →
It was a balmy evening at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater, or maybe we had just been thoroughly warmed up by the illustrious and incomparable Preservation Hall Jazz Band—either way, we were ready for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Just as the crowd began to get restless, the lights went out, and a small army of people... Continue Reading →
Veteran alt-rockers Silversun Pickups graced The Ryman stage last week, with Foals and Joywave providing opening support. The crowd bestowed a warm Nashville welcome upon the headliner as they took the stage without fanfare, beginning the set with “Cradle (Better Nature)” the first track on their latest album, 2015’s Better Nature. SSPU began the... Continue Reading →
In Nashville, there’s no such thing as a school night when it comes to live music, so it was no surprise that there was a healthy crowd at Mercy Lounge last Tuesday to witness the raw energy of Charleston-based progressive Americana outfit SUSTO. The band has been on tour for a while playing shows coast-to-coast, recently... Continue Reading →
A sizable crowd had amassed at 3rd & Lindsley to see Lissie, who is currently touring in support of her newest album, My Wild West, out in February via Lionboy Records and Thirty Tigers. Lissie supporter Robert from Paducah, Kentucky graciously invited us to share a table with him; “What do you enjoy about her... Continue Reading →
Scott McMicken,Toby Leaman, Zach Miller, Eric Slick, Frank McElroy, and Dimitri Manos took the darkened Ryman stage without fanfare, and began their set. I had seen them at almost a year ago to the day at the same venue in 2015, and as I pondered what to write about this performance, I realized that I... Continue Reading →
Gritty blues rock artist TRUETT provided opening support for blog favorite Rockicana artist Ron Pope and his band The Nighthawks at the Mercy Lounge recently; TRUETT began with a song called "Left In The Dark", and wasted no time showing us what he could do. His guitar-shredding prowess coupled with his band's consistently funky low-end support and... Continue Reading →
