MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks was a standout album in 2024, a masterpiece of indie lo-fi songcraft. Just two years earlier, Boat Songs had likewise wowed critics and attracted fans who appreciated the Asheville, NC, native’s talky singing style and curiously stylistic lyrics. Who knew the guy could jam too?!

Fans were treated to a notable musical combination on Friday, February 7, 2025, between the genre-blurring funk band from Boston, Mass., Lettuce, and rapper GZA (aka The Genius), who is a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan. This all took place at Brooklyn Steel, located in Brooklyn, NY.

Galactic returned to the jam-friendly Brooklyn Bowl on January 31, 2025, for round three of their four-night stand at the Brooklyn, NY, venue. The band was in the middle of a Northeast run that included dates in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. They were certainly in the groove this night and brought a high-energy set of funk-jazz originals and covers.

The personality and talent that is William Apostol, also known as the illustrious Billy Strings, is nothing short of striking, surprising, and one hell of a good time.

Chesterton, Indiana, sits at the southern end of Lake Michigan and has produced several notable athletes—as well as comedian Jim Gaffigan. Lately, a number of up-and-coming bands have emerged from this small town, and tonight, I’m lucky enough to see one of them: the Watershed Ramblers, Chesterton’s own bluegrass band.

Chicago in February isn’t exactly known for its tropical vibes, but when The String Cheese Incident rolls into town, they bring enough jam-soaked heat to melt the lakefront ice. On a frigid Saturday, fans flocked to The Salt Shed—Chicago’s newly minted temple of sound perched on the bones of a former salt factory—and transformed the night into a kaleidoscopic carnival of music, lights, and borderline delirious happiness.

If ya mix some of Owlsey’s acid with a lil DNA from Jerry’s middle finger, you get Bertha. Or so Greeley Duvall described for us to open the evening of Bertha: Grateful Drag at Chicago's Thalia Hall on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
 

Papadosio kicked off their final year of touring before an indefinite hiatus last weekend in Covington, Kentucky. The Friday and Saturday night shows marked their return to The Madison Theater for the first time since March 2019, and they were also the first shows since the band made their recent announcement that they would be done touring after 2025.

That’s right. The disco banana went all the way to the Majestic Theatre in Madison, WI on Saturday, January 25th. Your favorite indie-pop-psychedelic-art-alt-dance group, Rubblebucket, brought Year of the Banana to the fine folks of Wisconsin. Whether you already know, that is the title of their newest hit album. YOTB is a monumental record for the masterminds behind Rubblebucket. Alex and Kal put the best of their brains together on this one.

The emerging electro-funk quartet Dizgo packed Dharma Bums in New Hope, PA, on Friday, January 24, 2025, and truly rocked out. The rustic venue—tucked in the attic of a local restaurant—had very little data service but provided a great platform for this Bloomington, IN-based band to bring the heat, and bring the heat they did. Their two-hour set included a pair of debuts, as well as several familiar covers. Kevin Rovner Band provided support.