The stress-free, fun-filled weekend at BeachLife 2022

This year’s BeachLife Festival perfectly reflected the famous picturesque lifestyle of southern California. Spanning the weekend of May 13th through the 15th in Redondo Beach, festival-goers experienced the warmth of the California sun, the cool breeze of the Pacific Ocean and the swaying shade of palm trees, all while listening to a variety of 50 […]

How it felt to finally witness Gang of Youths in San Francisco

On Monday May 16th, San Francisco’s Fillmore welcomed Australian rock band Gang of Youths for their Angel In Real Time Tour, featuring tour support from Quinn Christopherson. Originally formed in Sydney by frontman Dave Le’aupepe in 2011, Gang of Youths relocated to London in 2017. They just  recently released their fourth studio album, angel in […]

Pearl Jam plays Oakland Arena: Night One

Thursday May 12th was night one of two at Oakland Arena for Pearl Jam’s Gigaton Tour, featuring support from Pluralone. Dressed in my best flannel, I made my way to the NBA Warriors’ old home at the Oakland Arena for a night of nostalgic 90s grunge. This was my first official arena show that I’ve had […]

Royal Blood rocks San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Royal Blood sold out San Diego’s Observatory North Park on their North America Tour, with support from Cleopatrick on May 8th. Sometimes less is better and that was definitely the vibe of the night, for both bands were made up of two man bands. The night kicked off with Cleopatrick, made up of childhood friends […]

Boston Manor at The Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas

Boston Manor brought their headlining tour to the historic rock-and-roll venue The Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas on May 4th, with support from Trash Boat, Higher Power and Anxious. Three of the four bands on the bill were formed in England. A long way from home, the bands were eager to put on an entertaining show. […]

Rain City Drive reveals “Waiting On You” single & album drop

Rain City Drive just released their latest single “Waiting On You”! Having just undergone a total rebrand in October to reflect their brand of positivity, Rain City Drive welcomes us into their new chapter. This band has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, rebuilding from the ground up and always coming back stronger […]

Pearl Jam brings new & old hits to San Diego

Pearl Jam returned to San Diego on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022 at Viejas Arena since rescheduling their Gigaton Tour due to COVID-19 back in 2020. The sold-out show was filled with past and present fans who came together to celebrate one of their favorite bands. Pearl Jam gave fans an incredible nearly three-hour show, with a […]

Stand Atlantic & friends rock Ventura Music Hall

On May 6th, I was fortunate enough to see one the best up-and-coming pop punk bands straight from Australia — Stand Atlantic, with Cemetery Sun and With Confidence. At the new Ventura Music Hall (which I was excited to check out, because I remember what this venue used to be), the first up was a band […]

Austin City Limits lineup announced for Fall 2022

Yeehaw, it’s OFFICIAL! The 2022 Austin City Limits Festival (ACL) lineup is here and it’s impressive. Like past years, the headliners are an eclectic mix and wide-ranging, from new-to-the scene artists to billboard chart-toppers to veteran bands that have been rocking festival circuits for years. Given the prowess and clout of ACL and its history, […]

Meet New Wave experimental band Minimal Schlager

During my time at the SXSW music festival, I had the opportunity to interact with some of the coolest musicians from all across the globe. One of the most interesting bands came in the form of a New Wave electronic dance group called Minimal Schlager. Brother and sister Francisco and Alicia have been making music […]

Trevor Hall leaves St. Louis full of love & light

When Trevor Hall made his long-awaited return to St. Louis on April 21st, he was determined to bring with him his trademark aura of good vibes, along with his unbelievable positive energy. There was so much love and inclusivity in the air at The Pageant that night; it was so welcoming to feel when there […]

First night on tour with The Offspring in San Diego

The Offspring kicked off their tour in San Diego at Cal Coast Amphitheatre on the SDSU campus. I love seeing the opening night of a tour, especially after a pandemic; everyone is just stoked to be back onstage doing their thing again. That said, The Offspring did play Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2021, but this is […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 70: Zarate Zaaló

On this episode of Eclectic Soundtrax, hosts Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos chat with Karate Zaaló (aka, Squiggly Finesse) — keyboardist, vocalist and mastermind of the Bourgeois Mystics. This fantastically eclectic group of intergalactic eccentrics currently reside at their 38-acre Austin-based commune (definitely, not a cult) and make outer-worldly music to inspire (or conquer?) us mere […]