Let me just say, “Dr. Feel Good’s Traveling Medicine Show” by Great American Taxi sounds just like what I would expect from such a band performing an album with such a name. This is not to say that the album is bad or bland—very far from it—but that this is a “feel good” show that… Continue reading Great American Taxi | "Dr. Feel Good's Traveling Medicine Show"
There is something undeniably appealing about music that evokes the desert landscapes of the American West. The imagery of sun-soaked plains of dust beneath a never-ending blue sky has pulled at my heartstrings since I first heard the Dead’s “Jack Straw.” This landscape has had a clear influence on psychedelic and improvisational music and provides… Continue reading BIG Something | "Tumbleweed" | Review
The reclusive former member of the Indie music duo Civil Wars, John Paul White has come out of the shadows to perform songs from his new solo album, Beulah. After a short tour, last summer, he is following up with a 15-date tour of the across the United States and England. The tour included a… Continue reading John Paul White | Troubadour | Review
Sound Tribe Sector Nine has been a uniquely special force in the music world for many years now. Their evolution as musicians has been as otherworldly as the content of their music. Like any true long-lasting band, evolution is necessary for longevity. Innovation has been at its forefront for two decades. Their energy and creativity… Continue reading STS9 | The Fillmore | New Years | Review
Jazz is thriving elsewhere besides its living alumnus of prestigious inheritors from the classic eras. Much has evolved since the groundbreaking free jazz of the 1950s and 1960s from the likes of Pharaoh Sanders, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. As some have satirically put it, ornithology or: the study of Bird (Charlie Parker that is)… Continue reading Kamasi Washington | Miner Hall | Review
2016 was a year that much of the country would like to do over. Between deaths, elections and Kanye West, it was year of unremarkable lows. However, for Chicago, IL, 2016 was granted a hassle-free All Access Pass when the Chicago Cubs, the beloved baseball team from the North Side, broke a 108-year drought and… Continue reading Umphrey's McGee | New Years | Chicago
Up and coming electronic duo, Phantoms, brought the party (and the Jameson) to the San Francisco Bay Area. On what was a rather warm evening, and I mean really quite warm for 9 o’clock on a day in mid-November, Phantoms returned to the city of San Francisco with their ever-so-catchy electronic synth beats and dark… Continue reading Phantoms | Regency Ballroom | Review
Keller Williams is a genre-fusing multi-instrumentalist and vocalist best known for his eclectic one-man-band performances. Williams’ live shows are delightful showcases of musicianship, as Keller employs loop pedals and multiple instruments to provide the audience with an experience not unlike the interplay of a full band. This approach has made Williams a perfect fit for… Continue reading Keller Williams' KWahtro | "Sync" | Review
Shelter Live Tour returns to northern California for one more night of pure bliss! Porter Robinson and Madeon make their way back up California to touch ground in Sacramento. Halfway through the North American leg of the Shelter Live Tour, an additional date was added in northern California to the surprise and delight of thousands… Continue reading Porter Robinson + Madeon | Review
Everybody’s past has a soundtrack. It’s an often-random selection of music that has accompanied, and in some cases, defined stages of our lives. As we grow older, tastes change and more is added to the soundtrack. Songs and artists are archived in our memory, assigned specific events or entire periods of our lives. Until listening… Continue reading Iration | "Double Up" | Review
