On Tour

Louisiana natives Sweet Crude brought their up-beat, drum-heavy pop sound to a quiet corner of Soho on Monday night. The band took the stage at the Ludlow House, a members-only club that the lead singer of the band, Sam Croft, referred to as “a weird freaky place with no signage” – calling out its nondescript exterior and the enticing mystery of the venue.

It’s a winter night in Manhattan and the three members of Edison are unloading their gear in the exclusive underground stage of the infamous Rockwood Music Hall. There’s an electric excitement buzzing between them - the kind that only comes when you’re busy doing what you love. After this show they’ll load their gear back into their van, which doubles as their home, and drive through the night to be on a radio show in the morning, hundreds of miles away. It’s all part of the magic.

In a three-set, five hour night of music at the Warfield Theatre on February 25 that began with an unusual David Nelson Band performance, the current, proficient Melvin Seals and JGB turned in an fine set before giving way to special band roster, also led by monster organist Seals, but with the addition of Stu Allen on lead guitar, Oteil Burbridge on bass and 1980s-‘90s-era JGB v

The original rhythm section of the seminal Swamp Rock pioneer band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought to life an arsenal of classic rock and blues tunes, Thursday night, February 23 at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez. The packed Samala Showroom burst into a cacophony of light, sound, and multimedia, right on time at 8 pm. It was unusual for the show to begin on schedule, but proved to be a great surprise to the adulate fans, allowing for a full two set of 19 very classic American tunes.

How many lead guitarists does it take for one to sufficiently experience Jimi Hendrix? Well, according to the Experience Hendrix Tour that rolled through the Mondavi Center in Davis, California, on Feb. 22, the correct answer is seven. Now gone for 46 years, the music and legend of Jimi Hendrix, still recognized as among the top rock guitarists of all time, still survives and flourishes.

Billy Bragg stopped through Chicago as a one off concert en route home from his performance at Kansas City Folk Festival 2017. A perfect setting, Old Town School of Folk provided an intimate stage for this sold out show. Solo with only his guitars and a mic, Bragg delivers so much punch. Again proving lyrics and social commentary is not only powerful but essential, particularly in these times. 

A sold-out crowd of avid music fans packed The Roxy Theater on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, on the last day of January, for a very special concert. Starset, who may have created their own musical genre of Heavy Metal Space Rock gave a “demonstration” of their latest live show to adoring fans in the packed little theater.

One of the most talented singer-songwriters to come out of the Northeast in a decade, Eric Hutchinson, brought his Indy power pop music and savvy wit to a sold-out performance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.