Everyone's a Critic
For someone who has made his living for the past two decades playing punk rock in gloomy Washington state, things were going a little too smoothly for MxPx frontman Mike Herrera. The weather for his …
It was suggested that I listen to some newer artists for review, so I downloaded Jake Bugg's self-titled debut, thinking, You can't get much newer then a 19-year-old. Bugg is a British singer/songwriter who's a …
Ernest Greene, aka Washed Out, has let us into his fantasy world. Paracosm, Greene’s second full-length, opens with sounds of a fairytale forest morning where you don’t know whether the day will be great or …
Heart started off lackluster, as the set’s early songs sounded like 45s being played at 33. Opener “Barracuda” dragged. As they worked their way through “Heartless,” “What About Love,” and “Magic Man,” things didn’t get …
It was a warm seaside evening as thousands crowded the Del Mar racetrack’s concert stage awaiting L.A. alt-rockers Weezer. It was difficult to distinguish the rumble of the passing Amtrak from the roar of the …
Tift Merritt’s sounding more like Patty Griffin than ever, and the choice of a Griffin tune to this singular mind-meld of classical piano (Simone Dinnerstein) and whatever it is Merritt does, seems to wink conspiratorially. …
“Healing, like fire from a gun/ Kneeling, my God in the sun,” wails Josh Homme on “My God Is the Sun,” the first single from Queens of the Stone Age’s new album. The song sounds …
Rocket From The Crypt played a small, secretive show at Bar Pink earlier this year, but their concert at the Del Mar track was the first RFTC reunion show in San Diego truly open to …
After a notorious kiss and tell Playboy interview, John Mayer moved to remote Montana to escape the flack and recover from throat surgery. Lucky for us, while there he produced some of the best lyrics …
L.A.-based urban-Latino band Ozomatli once again ignited the stage of San Diego Summer Pops Thursday night. From the moment they took stage, the audience was bumping to the rhythm! During the first set, they played …
With his recognizable voice and picture-painting lyrics, it's hard to imagine a more iconic singer-songwriter than Willie Nelson. Accompanied by his guitar "Trigger" and backed by the Hollywood Bowl orchestra, Nelson treated the near-capacity crowd …
I cannot believe she programmed those drums (not to mention everything else) all by herself. They sound live, crisp, and swinging, ever more complex with each listen. I better believe, though, that after 33 years …
Every once in a while you just got to get your fiddle on. Austin, Texas–based Americana roots-rock band Whiskey Shivers got the job done on a warm Saturday night at the Soda Bar. The Whiskey …
In 2010, Superchunk came back from an "extended hiatus" with the aptly titled Majesty Shredding. Now, after a three-year hiatus, the Chapel Hill fearsome foursome returns with I Hate Music. Apparently the hatred of music …
San Francisco-based flugelhorn specialist Dmitri Matheny hit a three-hour L.A. traffic jam on the way to his Dizzy's gig, arriving in P.B. just in time to meet the local rhythm section of bassist Justin Grinnell …
The Smith Westerns’ self-titled debut album came out when the Chicago-based band members were teenagers. Four years later, their naive garage-rock vibe is not so naive. The trio still has youth to its advantage but …