A few years ago, my friend played me The National’s “Daughters of the Soho Riots” at a party, causing a few people in attendance to groan and request something “faster.” Granted, it was a party, people were drinking, probably making out in closets, but I would have none of it. I had never heard of … Read more
Photo by Chris Lay They’re playing our song They’re playing our song Can you see the light? Can you hear the hum? I still have chills, so let’s start at the end. It was the only encore of the evening, and Israel Nebeker politely asked us to halt our conversations so we could be together. … Read more
Photo by Louis Kwok Call it one drink too many Call it pride of a man But it don’t make no difference if you sit or you stand ‘Cause they both end in trouble and start with a grin Yeah they both end in trouble and start with a grin Forget about being ready. These … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay UPDATE: Stream/download the full show here, courtesy of Chris Finn. If this was the Cold War we could keep each other warm I said on the first occasion that I met Marie There was no Cold War at Plush last night. It wasn’t “hospitalization hot” or “raining from the ceiling,” … Read more
Dear friend, as you know Your flowers are withering Your mother’s gone insane Your leaves have drifted away But the clouds are clearing up And I’ve come reveling Burning incandescently Like a bastard on the burning sea I first heard “Sleepyhead” in the beginning of a budding romance, and maybe that’s why I fell in … Read more
UPDATE: Download the show here. What you once were isn’t what you want to be anymore Things change, people change. There was a rather long period in my life where all I listened to was Neil Young and, to a lesser extent, Bob Dylan. And while Young is still my all-time favorite artist (just listen … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen If it’s the wish to run away Then I will grant it Take whatever what you think of While I go gas up the truck Pack the old love letters up We will read them when we forget why we left here There’s a fine line between being hopeful and admitting … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN Words by Jason Gonulsen Dawes’ new album tells it like it is. Things happen. Sometimes it’s too late and it’s just too bad. Even the title track, “All Your Favorite Bands,” is just a hope that things will stay like you want them to. There’s even a track named, “To … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY LOUIS KWOK “We talk about this venue and street,” Tegan said from The Pageant’s stage on Saturday evening. Of course, if you live in St. Louis, you know the street is Delmar. And you might also know that it took a while for Tegan and Sara to build their audience to reach … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY LOUIS KWOK Are you living the life you chose? Are you living the life that chose you? “A lot of people request this song and ask this song to be dedicated to a loved one, but I just can’t do it,” Jason Isbell said to the audience at the Peabody Opera House … Read more
Written by Elisa Regulski Growing up in southern Alabama, the smell of boiled peanuts and fried poboys greeted me everywhere I went. Auburn University’s blue and orange flags waved proudly over sandy driveways, and honey-coated drawls often had a twinge of passive aggressive bitterness slip in. Gulf Shores, not surprisingly, mixed up a sentimental cocktail … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY BRIDGETTE AIKENS Words by Ryan Self; Photos by Bridgette Aikens. This is an article about the new Kanye record. Except this isn’t an article about the new Kanye record, it’s a rock concert review. Except no, it’s an article about modern pop culture, which realistically means it’s an article about the new … Read more
Photo by Ben Rayner Written by Ryan Self Current indie darlings Parquet Courts have already released five albums including their 2013 debut, yet have only played North Carolina twice. On Friday night, I saw show number two, as co-frontman Austin Brown asked the close to-sold-out crowd in Carrboro, North Carolina who had seen show number … Read more
Photo by Jason Gonulsen Here’s why it’s a bad idea to talk about what Neil Young might do before his show begins. Actually, I told three young women from Houston what he will do. This was during Grace Potter’s set, and Sarah, McKenzie, and Colleen were contemplating whether to see Neil or Weezer. They asked, … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN On April 8, 2009, a baseball player named Nick Adenhart pitched his season debut for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Just after midnight the next morning, Adenhart was involved in a fatal car crash, ending his dream of a long Major League Baseball career. He was 22. Later that … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN “I never lived in St. Louis,” said Jeff Tweedy, a Belleville, Illinois native. “But I worked here. Not very hard.” Tweedy was referring to his days as a Euclid Records employee, a store where Wilco, earlier in the day, had played an acoustic set for 150 fans. And while Wilco … Read more
Words by Amanda Koellner “I guess you could say I’m one of the neighbors,” said local author Michael Perry from the Eaux Claires main stage moments before Bon Iver premiered 22, A Million in Justin Vernon’s tranquil hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He continued, “From the moment of inception, this festival has been built on … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN It was not all yellow. It was green, blue, orange, magenta, all mixed together. It was less about Coldplay, and more about you. “You only know me because I was married to Gwyneth,” said lead singer Chris Martin while on the “C” stage, which was implanted in the audience. But … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY AMANDA KOELLNER Photos and Words by Amanda Koellner Pitchfork Music Festival turned 11 this year and decided to gift Chicagoans with a Union Park party marked by some of the best weather the weekend’s seen in years, an onslaught of incredible local acts (shouts to Twin Peaks, Whitney, Homme, et. all), and … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JOE O’TOOLE Brian Setzer Shreds Christmas Cheer Words and Photos by Joe O’Toole Legendary rockabilly guitarist Brian Setzer and his 16-piece orchestra (and two beautiful backup singers) threw the Christmas party of the year on Thursday night to a sold out crowd at Phoenix’s famed Celebrity Theatre. This being the 13th Annual … Read more
Written by Elisa Regulski Though it takes place just across the street from August’s maddening music circus, Fun Fun Fun Fest never tries to be like the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Often hailed as the “Anti-ACL,” this three-day whirlwind simply and honestly lives up to its name. Even during in the bone-chilling drizzle (55 … Read more
Ryn Weaver | Photo by Jason Gonulsen What if there’s more? What if I need just a little bit more? Time moves fast, even if you have a plan. And as Mike Tyson once famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” So when Ryn Weaver threw her wild uppercut … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay Gave you the moon and the stars to keep But you gave them back to me This past winter, I didn’t do much at night but drink a reasonable amount of whiskey and listen to vinyl. Might sound bleak or beautiful depending on your point of view, but I was … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN And I wonder When I sing along with you If everything could ever feel this real forever If anything could ever be this good again I remember hearing about Kurt Cobain’s death. My cousin and I were driving toward Lake Springfield in Illinois, and the news came on the radio … Read more
Brandon Flowers at LouFest | Photo by Jason Gonulsen And so long to devotion You taught me everything I know Wave goodbye Wish me well You got to let me go When I was in high school, I thought I would play soccer for a living. In fact, I was quite sure of it, for … Read more
Maggie Rogers’ debut EP won’t be for everyone, but you’ll be glad you found it if it hits you in the right place. And that place is somewhere in the middle of beats and a gifted voice. Sunnier than Banks and Sharon Van Etten, darker than Maren Morris, Rogers is only 22, and her song … Read more
I love a song That doesn’t care what you want “Hustle up starlings,” Matthew Ryan sings on the title track of his latest release. “The bats are coming.” Death is nothing new; we expire, we disappear. Life is today. It’s also tomorrow, and the day before yesterday, and it’s sometimes taxing, brutal periods of time … Read more
I grew up in a car. Well, that’s not entirely correct, but stay with me here. A vast majority of my weekends growing up were spent traveling the Midwest with my father, Yavuz, as we listened to Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Pearl Jam, and Bob Dylan. Our two favorite songs? Young’s “Heart of Gold” and … Read more
Written by Elisa Regulski With the refreshing Texas breeze sweeping across the Hill Country, a thousand twangling instruments humming in the air, and a fair amount of craft beer, you’d think Old Settler’s Music Festival was bluegrass utopia. Despite it’s familial atmosphere and earthy roots music, however, I wouldn’t rush into naming this Americana heaven. … Read more
ALL PHOTOS BY JASON GONULSEN The memories come easy. There’s Tom Petty, dressed as The Mad Hatter in the video for “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” I watched it so many times on MTV. That one always seems to come first, for whatever reason. But there’s another one I think about often. 1995, my … Read more