Capyac packs the funk out of Winston’s OB

If you’ve never witnessed the glory that is Capyac IRL, you have no idea the enigmatic out-of-body energy they bring to the stage. Captivating — emphasis on the root word ‘captive’ — is the closest definition one can muster. For these two brilliant house-meets-funk-meets-a-giant-girating-question-mark musical men combine their talents onstage in a way that metaphysically […]

Night Two with Trey Anastasio Band at The Wiltern, Los Angeles

The Trey Anastasio Band, led by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, took the stage at the beautiful Wiltern in Los Angeles on the night of Saturday, January 17th for their second show of a two-night run. As always, Trey brought the thunder as his collective brought the lightening, while a happy crowd stayed starry-eyed all night […]

Tool rocks San Diego after 13-year hiatus

Friday, January 10th at the Viejas Arena was a night to remember. As the stage dimmed to begin the evening, Author & Punisher appeared onstage. The local San Diegan artist, Tristan Shone, shook the entire venue with heavy, industrial sounds blaring from his custom-engineered machines. Distorted and aggressive, the sounds that came from this unique […]

The Almost at Pittsburgh’s Rex Theater

The Almost returned to the stage full force on January 11th, 2020 at The Rex Theater in Pittsburgh, giving an unforgettable performance. As the tour made its way through the eastern part of the country, many members of the group became sick with the flu, causing a cancellation in Washington D.C. Their first day back […]

BeachLife returns to Redondo May 2020

Year Two of festivals usually capitalize on where the inaugural year went right and work out the few kinks Year One went disastrously wrong. It’s a learning curve that could make or break a fest, considering music festivals are a dime a dozen these days. Some festivals, however, know how to do it right from […]

TSM #HotList: January 15th, 2020

Host Alexia Johnson is back to share the artists you should know! This week, our Top Shelf Music Artist #HotList highlights Tent City Christ, The Dirtnaps, Mo Moshiri and The Resinators — all with a diverse sound, ranging from reggae to hip hop. Make sure to follow us on Instagram @topshelfmusicmag to be the first […]

New Year’s Eve with The Hip Abduction

Everyone packed in and crowded the streets (and surrounding local bars) in downtown St. Petersburg, prepared to rock out all night long as the New Year’s Eve party began. At the center of it all, Jannus Live welcomed The Hip Abduction and Artikal Sound System, who threw a raging party with their amazing energy and […]

Top Shelf Music News: Episode 1

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Top Shelf Music News, with your host Matt Cook & Kristy Rose guiding you on this daring quest. It being right after the holidays, a lot is going on in the music industry, from festival announcements to new music to hot gossip of the bands you love. This episode […]

Sublime With Rome at House of Blues Anaheim

On December 27th, Sublime With Rome headlined a sold out show at the House of Blues Anaheim, directly supported by Tyrone’s Jacket. Walking around the packed House of Blues Anaheim before the show, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Everyone was excited to party hard at the pre-New Year’s show. Sublime came out […]

Coachella 2020 is here!

The moment all mainstream music lovers have all been waiting for is here — Coachella 2020 has been revealed! That magical unveiling always warrants your money well-spent if you secured your passes from festival’s pre-sale, prompting others who haven’t splurged for a ticket yet into a panic for when whatever’s leftover goes public. You never […]

Okeechobee Fest returns to Florida for 2020

Tucked away in the serene grasslands of Sunshine Grove, Florida’s own fun and freak fest is back on for 2020! After hitting its first year out of the park in 2016, Okeechobee Festival and its down-to-earth vibrations grew in 2017 and 2018, before coming to a grinding halt for March 2019… apparently it was due […]

Illenium lights up Sacramento

Another amazing experience at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento! As I walked into the arena, I saw many fans dressed for an EDM concert. There were girls in fishnet cosplay and guys wearing white t-shirts with lights. There were many fans lined up at the merchandise tables before the show began. Everyone was so […]

Thievery Corporation at Belly Up Tavern, San Diego

Seeing your favorite bands at smaller venues is always a treat: intimacy abounds as interaction between players and audience members amplifies immensely. Such a venue is San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern along the coast of Solana Beach. A variety of acts cycle through the Belly Up; most returning as an annual or biannual gig. One […]

Thurston Moore at The Empty Bottle, Chicago

On December 13th 2019, The Thurston Moore Group performed at The Empty Bottle in Chicago, with support by Devin Brahja Waldman. The venue was a perfect setting for the show, providing an up close and personal atmosphere, soon to be amplified by the performance. Thurston Moore took the stage and the audience’s attention instantly gravitated […]

Happy Cat Jay hits in house single, “Era Of A Niche Hero”

London is the perfect place to pinpoint some underground house and EDM artists. Rising up through the EDM ranks is one funky self-sufficient artist by the name of Happy Cat Jay. Not only does Jay assume the role of sound engineer for his tracks, but this multi-instrumentalist pretty much composes the whole thing himself! From […]