Sometimes, it feels like a talent booker tries too hard to match up the opening act with the headliner. In the case of We Are Twin, the support act for Foxes at L.A.âs Troubadour, it almost seemed that you saw the same vocalist twice. Although they are not, in fact, twins, Nicolas Balachandran and Foxesâ doppelganger, Gabi Christine,...
Saucy British singer Kate Nash goes retro in her colorful video for âFri-end?â Nash rocks white platform heels, short dresses, and matching headbands for a go-go girl (read: grrrl) inspired look. But donât let her nonthreatening appearance fool youâNash lets out her aggression in her dancing as she scolds, âWell the way you dress was more important to...
Many musicians and bands can give an amazing performance, but rare are the times a performance has the ability to move the audience, to give something so special, so extraordinary, so remarkable, that the night feels magical and you leave the concert feeling changed, inspired and blown away by the night. Janelle Monåe delivered that kind of...
If you werenât among the terminally hip New Yorkers, you may not have been aware of Lizzy Plapinger, co-founder of the 7â-only Neon Gold Records and its accompanying blog, until about six months ago. As one-half of MS MR (completed by Max Hershenow) Plapinger is not going to be able to keep her cooler-than-cool street cred for...
The Happy Hollows are an enchanting indie rock outfit based in L.A. This summer they will release their sophomore album, Amethyst (Pesky Fruit Music), a synth-drenched, textured record of driving, dark pop anchored by frontwoman Sarah Negahdariâs powerful voice and guitar skills. Negarhdari is an incredibly enthusiastic musician whether performing or having a chatâfull of energy, gratitude and...
Itâs rare when a group manages to sustain its former success upon replacing its lead singer. Astonishingly, Belgiumâs Hooverphonic has had this experience three times yet is thriving. Turns out, fourth timeâs the charm with their latest figurehead, NoĂŠmie Wolfs. It isnât just the voice of Hooverphonic that keeps changingâthe groupâs overall sound is constantly evolving. Over...
Whether you love âem or hate âem, thereâs no doubt that everything involved in the production of a music festival demands a certain type of respectâthe artists, the organizers, the fans.Take the musical entity that is Bonnaroo, for example. A mere week ago I returned back to reality in Arizona from the middle of Tennessee, as...
Letâs set the record straight: Pony Boy is not a slicked-back greaser whoâs about to take his sweetheart on a drive down to teenage tragedyville. Pony Boy is actually doom wop chanteuse Marchelle Bradanini, a blonde bombshell with candy apple red lipstick and usually sporting a leather jacket who could probably get a rebel without a cause...
As the first book devoted entirely to women in bluegrass, Pretty Good for a Girl might seem like an off-putting title at first. But the compilation of untold and unsung stories of females in this genre touches on a much deeper historical and informational level. And it shows that this phrase women have endured throughout the history...
For anyone listening to relevant music at the height of alternative culture, the Breedersâ 1993 album, Last Splash (4AD), was a crucial part of the post-punk pantheon. The Breedersâespecially the Last Splash-era lineup of twin sisters Kim and Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macphersonâare widely, and deservedly, recognized as essential alt-rock icons. But not for the same...