Everyone's a Critic
All of a sudden, there are reasons to be excited about rock music again. First on the radar for engrossing September releases is the Sheepdogs, a band that’s bringing the boogie back through their feel-good …
The inaugural SoCal Music Festival took over the streets of East Village downtown for what could evolve into an annual street festival brought back to “America’s Finest City.” Since the end of Street Scene in …
Matisyahu's Spark Seeker is not a reggae album. On the first offering from the artist since his break with the Hasidic faith, Matisyahu deftly weaves traditional Hebrew chants and Middle Eastern textures with the ego …
Following a commendable opening set from Dostoevsky-referencing Ivan & Alyosha, San Diego’s Heavy Guilt took the stage and showcased a bevy of absorbing new material. It was a sickeningly sweaty night at the Casbah that …
The Alabama Shakes brought southern soul and blues to a sold-out House of Blues. The hot and sweaty crowd swayed, danced, and soaked in the soulful voice of lead singer Brittany Howard, the blues licks …
Recorded at Austin City Limits last April, We Walk the Line effectively lobbies for posthumous 80th birthday bashes. Brandi Carlile’s opening tear through “Folsom Prison Blues” convinces us she can at least imagine shooting “a …
Jack White rushed the stage of the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, plugged in his blue Stratocaster, and started his set of high-speed blues, country, folk, and rock ’n’ roll. The opener, “Sixteen Saltines” from …
The Offspring show at the Del Mar Racetrack on Friday evening, August 10, kept sheriff's deputies, medical officials, and Elite security guards on edge all night. A large, boisterous crowd waited for the concert to …
I, like most people, only got to experience the Beatles on TV or watching clips on YouTube. Having been a Beatles fan all my life, getting to photograph Ringo Starr was one of my bucket-list …
So, Wayne Shorter remembers how he’d step up to the mic and the rhythm section — that’s Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Tony Williams on drums — would mostly or even almost …
I’ve only heard one other Buffalo Killers record, 2011’s 3. I’m thinking this one shows a steady rise into the classic-rock stratosphere. From the first ringing chord and cymbal crash, Dig. Sow. Love. Grow. is …
Left-handed fingerpicked electric guitar. This alone would be enough to set the Dirty Projectors apart from the spate of blue-eyed Afro-pop artists passing through indie-rock circles of late. But as the Brooklyn six-piece launched its …
Neil Young is one of the most prolific and eclectic music icons performing and producing music today. His latest collection is his first studio recording with the band Crazy Horse in nine years. Although the …
San Diego's Wavves took the stage in the inaugural event of this season’s 4 O'clock Fridays at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Despite playing in front of one of the smallest crowds in the events …
The second of three Guided By Voices albums arriving in 2012 is 21 songs strong in under 40 minutes. That means each track is clocking in at an average of less than two minutes. Good …
The Surfaris celebrated the 50th anniversary of their iconic surf song “Wipe Out” at the Belly Up on July 17. Bob Berryhill, the co-writer of “Wipe Out” — at the age of 15! — is …