ALL PHOTOS BY JOE O’TOOLE Words and photos by Joe O’Toole On an abnormally brisk evening in Phoenix, Mike Gordon (Phish) brought his talented and diverse band to the Crescent Ballroom in support of his 2017 solo release OGOGO. This 550-person capacity venue quickly filled to the brim with eager fans as Mike’s band took … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen Written by Jason Gonulsen Ever since Josh Ritter picked up a guitar in Moscow, Idaho, he dreamed about playing the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. I only know this because he told us exactly that, early on in his debut performance at the legendary venue this past Friday. And midway through … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen Gonna leave the pain behind Gonna put the fools in line… Those were the first lyrics Neil Young decided to sing. He hadn’t delivered them live in 17 years. Fitting for me, since I recently left my job of 17 years. Funny how that works out. “I’m still living the dream … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN I was tired. And I was already a day late. Make that a day in a half, thanks to road construction and a lovely detour through winding Kentucky back roads. Part of America I wouldn’t otherwise see, Clark W. Griswold would have said. But I wasn’t headed to Walley World; … Read more
PHOTO BY ADAM SCHICKER Written by Jason Gonulsen They could have turned in — turned in for the night, a Monday night — but they turned out. I’m not talking about the band. I’m talking about the 40,000 who waited out a two-hour weather delay in the steamy halls of a baseball stadium that first … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN But I got smarter I got harder in the nick of time Perhaps writing this is all therapy for me, I really don’t know. Enjoying music in 2018 — specifically new music — has become a challenge. Your “best albums” list is going to be different from mine, I get … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN Words by Jason Gonulsen “Stop Factory Farms.” My first time in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and that’s what I’ll remember most. Farm Aid was back for its 32nd year. I thought of that many times over the day: 32 years. Thirty-two. Wherever you walked inside KeyBank Pavillion, you met a person wearing … Read more
Words and Photos by Agatha Donkar Glenn Boothe, who owns the Local 506, told me this great story a few years ago, one night when I was sitting at the bar and there were, at best, maybe 20 people there for the show — I couldn’t even tell you who was playing, that’s how empty … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen I know that things can really get roughwhen you go it alone A part of me has always really wanted to love The Shins, but perhaps only in small doses. Because when the band led by James Mercer is on, they are fabulous, providing hooks and melodies that you shouldn’t deny. … Read more
Photo by Chris Lay It’s around 10:35 pm at Off Broadway in Saint Louis, and I’m greeted heartily by a man who wants to be called Papa Joe. He’s got a PBR tall boy in each hand, and although Whitey Morgan & the 78’s haven’t played a note, he asks me, “They great, ain’t they?” … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen I knew a kid once in high school, his name was Bob. Bob liked to order fries from the cafeteria and stuff them in his pants pocket, perhaps to store a few away for fifth hour when he got hungry. Sometimes, you would be talking to Bob and he would just … Read more
Joy Williams and John Paul White at The Pageant | Photo by Louis Kwok “How about a happy song?” John Paul White asked the sold-out Pageant audience before launching into “I’ve Got This Friend,” a stellar track off Barton Hollow. “We have one of those.” And although most of the songs played last night at … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen If I don’t fall apart Will my memory stay clear? So you had to go And I had to remain here But the strangest thing to date So far away and yet you feel so close I’m not going to question it any other way It must be an open … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys was once the captain of his high school soccer team. He probably wore Umbro shorts, the kind where the double diamond logo would peel from the bottom left corner. The kind where the material was so thin, it would immediately stick to your sweaty … Read more
Jeff Tweedy blows a kiss to his wife, Susie | All photos by Jason Gonulsen (***NOTE: To download this show via torrent, go here.) When we came here today All I wanted to say was how much I miss you Jeff Tweedy isn’t a sentimental guy. He told us that during the latter stages of Friday … Read more
Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires | All photos by Nate Burrell Written by Jason Gonulsen Back in the early 90’s, when my dad, brother, and I followed Sangamon State University soccer, we would take road trips down south to experience the NAIA National Tournament. This was a huge deal for us, as it basically represented … Read more
Ha Ha Tonka, backstage after their second encore of the evening | Photo by Jason Gonulsen I see me as I was, you as you were Me as I was, you as you were Before the color began to bleed Out of us One day all of this will end. The post-Thanksgiving Ha Ha Tonka … Read more
All Photos by Joe O’Toole Photos and words by Joe O’Toole. It’s a wonder why this is Big Head Todd & The Monsters’ first show in Flagstaff, AZ. The hard working foursome formed nearly 27 years ago in Colorado and has toured relentlessly since, all the while enjoying a devoted hometown fan base in the … Read more
Bob Dylan | Photo by Jason Gonulsen When I travel to see live music, I go in looking for a feeling. A part of me will always need these journeys away from home to seek something familiar in a different environment. I go to see what will happen. I go because I still believe in … Read more
Emily Haines of Metric | All photos by Jason Gonulsen “Can you hear my heart beating like a hammer?” sings Emily Haines during “Help I’m Alive.” She’s singing while she’s pumping her shoulders and hips in unison — one side goes up, the other goes down. When she’s done doing this, she moves from one … Read more
Sudden popularity and music is sometimes an odd mix. In Matt Nathanson’s case, one song, “Come On Get Higher,” has vaulted him into the “radio-friendly” artist realm, and in some respects, he is still riding some of the wave that his hit off his last album, Some Mad Hope, gave him. To be clear: I’m … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen Some people get religion Some people get the truth I never get the truth I never get the truth I want to get this out of the way, even if I’ve already said it numerous times: Brandi Carlile is ridiculously good at what she does. If you haven’t found her songs, … Read more
I am not a musician, but I cannot begin to imagine how frustrating it must be to hear a music fan or critic say these words: It all sounds the same. Of course, there are many other damning words that can be said to describe music that doesn’t leave a favorable impression, but when it … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen UPDATE: Download a recording of the show in FLAC or MP3! Links are at the end of the review. If God’s up there he’s in a cold dark room The heavenly host are just the cold dark moons He bent down and made the world in seven days And ever since … Read more
It’s the summer of 2001 that I miss the most. I still went to record stores often. I didn’t have an iPod. There was no Facebook or Twitter. I gladly waited for everything, and I didn’t care about the urge to broadcast every little moment that I experienced (something that I’m trying to care less … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen In 2002, I went to my first music festival — the inaugural Austin City Limits Music Festival — and I’ll fully admit it: I had no idea what I was doing, who I really wanted to see, or how to navigate such an immense offering of art before my eyes. Really, … Read more
Photo by Sarah Cochran Yes, there were balloons. And confetti. But, I want to talk about the balloons. They didn’t fall from the ceiling; they weren’t even pre-blown. They were tossed out into the audience by Matt and Kim, in their flimsy, rubber state, all multi-colored and new (well, I’m hoping they were new). They … Read more
Photo Credit: Chris Lay When trying to come up with a mission statement for Over the Rhine, songwriter Linford Dertweiler joked that the band kicked around a few ideas. “We make sad people happy,” Detweiler said from stage at The Old Rock House, “and happy people sad.” “We skipped the Prozac and went straight for … Read more
Photo by Chris Lay Let’s start with the obvious: Lucinda Williams is one of the best songwriters of her generation. Yeah, I know. That’s easy. It’s as obvious as choosing her best album: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. Like many of you out there, Car Wheels was my first introduction to Williams’ music, and … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen The grids, they are what lure you in. You see them the day they’re released and that’s when you think you stand a chance to have it all — they look so clean, so structured, so inviting. You block out the crowds, the lines, the sun, the hunger, and the … Read more