October 2013

Rooted in old-school R&B and soul, re-imagined for today, Australian band CLAIRY BROWNE & THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES will bring their unique indie soul back to the U.S. next month for a nationwide trek from October through December (dates below, more to be announced).

Record Store Day and its fall counterpart, Back to Black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving) are days that labels release limited-quantity vinyl (and sometimes CD) editions of records for customers to place on the non-virtual checkout counter.  In other words, you have to get up and get to a record store to participate.

Fans of the Grateful Dead will continue to seek that special feeling their music brought for 30 years, though the group disbanded eighteen years ago. Bassist Phil Lesh recently announced for all practical purposes that he is retiring from touring, sticking to his Terrapin Crossroads locale with occasional exceptions. Though the other living members of the band will likely continue to tour and perform, their music tends to evolve with them as musicians.

This month, Random Rab takes his brand new live act on the road to hubs in the Midwest and on the east coast. A staple of the west coast, transformational circuit, Rab’s latest album Release has rocketed to the top 5 in the iTunes electronic charts, and opened up the rest of the country to his new sound.

Love Crushed Velvet has released their new EP, Delusions, today! Mixed by Mark Needham (Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers), the album channels emotional turmoil through muscular, postpunk aggression, showing off exceptional emotional and stylistic range. The album is now available on iTunes, here: bit.ly/1b9OHxq.  You can also check

Elephant Revival will ring in 2014 riding a sleighful of accolades for their new album, THESE CHANGING SKIES, which they’ll celebrate with five special holiday-season appearances. The album, released Sept. 3, debuted at No. 8 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and reached No. 14 on the Americana Music Association’s airplay chart, and earned them comparisons to genre favorites Alison Krauss and the Punch Brothers.The Colorado-based quintet will perform a Dec. 28 show at Stargazers Theatre in Colorado Springs, followed by Dec. 30 and 31 shows at the State Room in Salt Lake City and Jan.