Julien Baker headlines Oakland’s Fox Theater

On Saturday November 6th, Julien Baker was back in the Bay Area, after a surprise opening set with Boygenius bandmate and friend Phoebe Bridgers a mere few weeks ago at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. Tonight’s occasion was for the Little Oblivions Tour in honor of Baker’s new full-length album of the same name. Baker’s third studio […]

Outside Lands 2021: an extra special Halloween

Halloween in San Francisco was one for the record books this year! After being postponed two years in a row (and then rescheduled for Halloween weekend), the beloved Outside Lands Music Festival returned to Golden Gate Park for its usual three-day event, starting Friday Oct 29th and ending on Halloween night. Headliners included The Strokes on […]

Rock on the River 2021: two terrific days in Timmins, CAN

Welcome to a small town rock festival in the far-off north! It’s a place where friendly, happy-go-lucky organizers are as serious about good music as they are about making sure there’s enough cold beer to go around. And, it was a bigger than big rock lineup — we’re talking nationally acclaimed artists — The Arkells, […]

Same Same But Different 2021: Day Two

After a frivolous Day One, everyone emerged out of their camping spots along Lake Perris for yet another crazy day of Same Same But Different Fest! I unfortunately was running a little late (with hopes to interview the boys of Capyac, who performed the night before), so when I arrived on the scene to set […]

Boy Harsher & friends pack Empire Garage for Levitation Fest

Empire Control Room & Garage was absolutely packed Thursday for Day Two of Austin’s annual psych rock fest, Levitation. The five-day experience prides itself in showcasing some of the coolest and most unique shows anywhere in America. This night, Empire would be hosting some rising artists, such as Nation of Language and Rosegarden Funeral Party, […]

A chat with The Collection at Shaky Knees Fest

The Collection is an amazing seven-piece band hailing from Saxapahaw, North Carolina. Their wild live shows and upbeat blend of pop rock have earned them a 2019 NPR Tiny Desk judges pick, as well as a recent opening spot with Larkin Poe. Their latest single, “Get Lost”, was released a few weeks ago and they […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Nolo Grace “Don’t Wanna Go Home”

Alternative pop rising star Nolo Grace returns with her “Don’t Wanna Go Home” single, premiering exclusively with Top Shelf Music before it hits all digital outlets on November 5th! The Korean-American songstress debuted earlier this year, after learning to embrace her voice and vision over quarantine with producer husband Martin Wave. No novice to production […]

The full Shaky Knees Fest 2021 experience

Shaky Knees is Atlanta’s premiere alt and indie rock music festival and Friday would mark its triumphant return to the Peach State after a 2020 absence. Located in the heart of downtown in Central Park, the festival would be a sight for sore eyes for many hungry music fans excited to return to live music. […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 60: The Dodies

Air date: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 Top Shelf Music is proud to present Episode 60 of Eclectic Soundtrax, hosted by Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos! On today’s podcast, Manhattan and Ramos chats with The Dodies, a two-piece garage rock duo from the southern desert of Israel. Yoni Avittan fronts the band as lead vocalist and […]

IDLES & Gustaf destroy Atlanta

Friday, October 22nd was one of those days that absolutely drained me. I left Nashville around 8 o’clock in the morning to drive four and a half hours to the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta. It would be an understatement to say that, by the end of the evening, I was completely exhausted. Anyone who […]

Beth Crowley talks her spooky single “In The End”

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Beth Crowley melds mystical folklore with soothing sounds in her hauntingly beautiful new single “In The End”. Based off Netflix’s The Witcher series, this song tells a familiar tale of star-crossed lovers, whose love will “burn until there’s nothing left”, yet will ultimately lead to their downfall. Sometimes “twin flames” can destroy as […]

A night with Badflower at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Badflower played a rare San Diego show at the North Park Observatory on October 17th! They don’t play in San Diego that often, so it was a pretty special show, with support from Dead Poet Society and Teenage Wrist. Dead Poet Society has a really unique sound that I really dig! They mostly played songs […]

Jimmy Eat World & Taking Back Sunday rock Paso Robles

Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday brought their double-headlining tour to Vina Robles Amphitheater in Paso Robles on October 19th, with special guests The Beaches. First up was The Beaches, an all-female Canadian rock band. I haven’t heard of this band, so it was cool to see someone new. I was most excited for […]

Same Same But Different Fest 2021 brought the beach party

The third annual Same Same But Different Festival (SSBD) returned this September 9th through 12th in full force, representing all that is freedom and love in the hidden gem of Lake Perris, California. A beautiful, hot weekend perfectly complimented with a cool dip in Lake Perris was a combination made in heaven. Gleaming the best […]

311, Iration & Iya Terra absolutely stun Irvine

On October 15th, 311’s Live From The Ride Tour made its Orange County stop at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine. They were joined by tour support bands Iration and Iya Terra.  Iya Terra started the night out strong, hitting the ground running.  Even with some minor technical difficulties, they still put on an amazing set. Next up […]