The lineup for the seventh annual Outside Lands Festival, held in Golden Gate Park has just been announced, and wow is it hot. Atop the roster of extraordinary performers is Kanye West, fresh of his “impressive” performance with Jay Z at last month’s SXSW in Austin, TX. Joining Kanye to add even more star power to San Francisco’s historical park is Grammy Award winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, classic rocking Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and the English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys.
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The Year of Fucked Up (Again)
Since the release of 2012’s many-a-year-end list topper David Comes to Life, fans have been wondering whether we’d seen the best, and possibly the last, of Fucked Up, and worried that maybe it was time to prepare for the almost inevitable downfall. The sixth in their now nearly 10-year-old Zodiac Series, Year of the Dragon answers that question once and for all: Fucked Up is here to stay and they’re bringing our heads banging right along with them. Springtime may be the season for pop punk, but Fucked Up wants to make sure we don’t head into the sunshine all full of smiles and rainbows, and they’ve got a 20 minute musical onslaught that should do just the trick. Read more…
Nothing New, but Nothing to Pass Up
Rodney Crowell is a name any country music fan undoubtedly knows. When you’re discussing an artist as prolific as Crowell, there are a few things you can expect before pressing play: the songwriting is going to be meaningful and carry its own merit; the recording is going to sound pristine; and overall you can expect the album to be, at the very least, good. Tarpaper Sky certainly does not skip over any of these. Crowell was born in Crosby, Texas in 1950, and moved to Nashville in 1972 where he got a job as a songwriter and began his career in music. Recently, he has released his fourteenth album of his 36 years as a recording artist. Read more…
Where Fusion Falls Flat
Amps for Christ is an experimental side project by Henry Barnes of the outfits Man is the Bastard and Bastard Noise, power violence bands both based out of southern California. Despite Barnes’s previous experience in hardcore punk subgenres, his newest project is reflective of his appreciation for traditional folk music, combined with an aptitude and preference for eclectic electronic instrumentation. The end process of these influences is a sound similar to a combination of artists like Beck, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Antlers. These inspirations come through loud and clear on the project’s newest album, Canyons Cars and Crows. Read more…
On the one year anniversary of the tragic Boston marathon bombing, band of merry pranksters The Mowgli’s paid tribute to the victims and supported #BostonStrong with a popup pre-show. Prior to their sold out concert in Cambridge, the band gathered some wooden stools and donations from lucky passersby, Twitter savvy fans and regulars at small bar venue The Great Scott in honor of the tragedy’s one year anniversary. All proceeds from the show went to One Fund Boston , a foundation helping those most affected by the tragic bombings that occurred last year in Boston. Read more…
