Lil Yachty : Let’s Start Here.

So when my 19-year old daughter texted me over the weekend and asked if I’d heard the new Lil Yachty album, my initial reaction was “Huh?” But instead, I replied “Well, I’ve heard of him.” So she proceeded to tell me to give it a listen as she thought I’d like it. Given that I’ve […]

The Rutabega : Leading Up To

It’s been six long years since we last heard from South Bend’s “Carp Rock Duo” The Rutebega. The band, which consists of singer/guitarist/songwriter Joshua Hensley and drummer/spiritual guru Garth Mason, has made endearing and emotionally buzzing alternative rock for the better part of 20 years. Hensley has a knack for pulling the listener into his […]

Silversun Pickups : Physical Thrills

LA’s Silversun Pickups have been bopping along for 20 years now, with their debut Carnavas dropping in 2006. What has followed in the ensuing years is a series of decent enough alternative rock albums that like to think they’re shoegaze, dream pop, and post-punk. But really, they’re merely reflections in a scuffed up mirror of […]

Dehd : Blue Skies

Blue Skies, the latest from Chicago’s Dehd continues the band’s melody-heavy, jangly indie rock vibes they established on 2020’s Flower Of Devotion. The powerful, raspy howl of singer/guitarist Emily Kempf continues to amaze and astound, while the rhythm section of Jason Balla and Eric McGrady lay a solid foundation for the songs to spring forth […]

“It’s Not Supposed To Be Easy” : A Conversation With Jeremy Porter Of Jeremy Porter & The Tucos

Once in a while I get the privilege to help promote a cool local show that’s happening in my general vicinity. In doing so I get to chat with some pretty amazing rock and roll road warriors. Long haulers touring the highways and byways of the great Midwest in search of cool stages located in […]

Band of Horses : Things Are Great

Ben Bridwell and Band of Horses came out of the gate running. The Seattle-based indie rock band got college-age and the thirtysomething demographic swooning with their first two albums, Everything All the Time and Cease To Begin. With Bridwell’s engaging lyrics and vulnerable vocal delivery, along with catchy melodies, melancholy jangle, and shimmering guitars Band […]

Midlake : For The Sake Of Bethel Woods

Midlake came out the early 2000s indie rock scene and had a vibe all their own. They had a dark folksy sound that veered somewhere between Fairport Convention, Fleetwood Mac, and touches of Black Sabbath thrown in for good measure. The Denton, TX six-piece wrote songs that felt both medievel and futuristic. Sci-fi elements mixed […]

Jerry Cantrell : Brighten

When I think of Jerry Cantrell I think of a little rock and roll dive club in Niles, MI called The White House in the summer of ’92. It was this literal old white house in the outskirts of Niles that had the best cover bands in the Michiana area. There were some bad ones, […]

My Morning Jacket : The Waterfall II

It’s been over five years since My Morning Jacket have released an album. That album was The Waterfall, a solid set of pop and rock tunes that followed in the footsteps 2011s Circuital. Circuital seemed to be looking for a middle ground musically between the shoot-for-the-moon audacity of Evil Urges and the band’s earlier, more […]

Real Estate : The Main Thing

New Jersey’s Real Estate have been reliable harbingers of breezy, jangly indie rock for a decade now. Despite the simplicity in the sound of their songs, there’s a depth in the longing they sing about. Songs about longing for those backyard parties, garage band shows, and haunting suburban streets long past curfew. In the decade […]