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 […]

Sublime With Rome hits TopGolf Las Vegas

Fans of all generations gathered together in fellowship to celebrate and venerate the music of Sublime, carried out by Sublime With Rome on January 8th at TopGolf in Las Vegas. Some wore tie-dye and flowers in their hair, many opted for a 90s grunge style, while others donned the iconic ‘Sublime sun’ on their apparel […]

Blue Oyster Cult reaps San Luis Obispo

On January 15th, I had to opportunity to witness one of the best rock-and-roll bands to ever come out of the 70s at one of my hometown venues — the Fremont Theater here in San Luis Obispo, California. I remember as a kid growing up with 70s rock-and-roll due to having older parents, so once […]

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 […]

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 […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day Three

Still reeling from the previous two days, I was a child at Christmas impatiently waiting to open my presents or, in this case, the festival gates. I knew the festival grounds like the back of my hand by now; I had my sets lined up and now I just needed a beer. Local breweries were […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day Two

Day Two — let’s go! First off, kudos to Wonderfront for their festival companion app! I’ve never seen a more polished festival app that was intuitive, fast, reactive and a must-have for the festival-goer. I started my day with the app and a cup of Joe. Selecting all the acts I wanted to see then […]

Wonderfront 2019: Day One

November in San Diego can be a toss up: sometimes cold and rainy; other times, it feels like the middle of summer. The weekend of November 22nd would be where these two extremes met to create the perfect stage for Wonderfront’s inaugural bayfront festival. Seven stages spanning 1.5 miles of the treasured San Diego bayfront […]

Bad Cop Bad Cop at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach

It was a proper night of angst and love as punk rock fans packed the famous Alex’s Bar in Long Beach to see a stellar lineup of Upper Downer, Bella Novella, Bar Stool Preachers and Bad Cop Bad Cop. California locals Upper Downer started the night off with a raucous set that got the crowd […]

Soultry Dubs impresses with ‘Soultry Sound’ album

Bursting onto the music scene from Long Beach, California, the progressive dub artist Soultry Dubs has released her debut album this month, making its way across the digital universe. The 13-track Soultry Sound is a psychedelically flavored album, with an all-female roster including appearances by Nattali Rize, Lion Child, Mpress Kandace, Sistren Kim and Ashley […]

Dirtwire ‘Electric River’ album review

California trio Evan Fraser, David Satori and Mark Reveley together form Dirtwire, a progressive, acoustically-poetic group who offer up a complex mixture of beats, blues and African, Asian and South American sounds. Their latest offering, Electric River, is an accessible album suitable for certain occasions. Not that it’s a bad thing; this album is fairly […]

KAABOO Del Mar 2019: Day Three

KAABOO Del Mar started Day Three 2019 with a big public announcement — this is the last KAABOO Del Mar day EVER! Never to fear: KAABOO is simply relocating due south to downtown’s Petco Park, rebranding in the process to KAABOO San Diego from here on out. With that in mind, attendees made the most […]

After effects of Aftershock 2019

Wow! Can’t believe this is the 8th year of Aftershock in Sacramento, CA. This year, the festival took place at Discovery Park and had a sold-out crowd, including huge headliners. The bar was set very high, but the music, fans and overall experience definitely delivered. Fans were dressed in metal, gothic, and alternative clothing on […]

The Who at the Hollywood Bowl

When a living rock band legend like The Who comes to town, it’s a huge event for everyone. Even in Los Angeles. Especially, when the venue is a legend itself. People get excited: some looking forward to relive their youth; others, to learn about classics and make sure that they still rock. Sometimes, they rock […]