A serendipitous night with Tedeschi Trucks in Syracuse

“This is just like Jacksonville,” Derek Trucks says. We’re looking out the window of a bar in downtown Syracuse, NY, admiring the architectural columns of the building across the street. “Jacksonville is the Syracuse of Florida. I love this city.” The guitar phenom from the GRAMMY Award-winning Tedeschi Trucks Band is holding a glass of $30/oz whiskey.  He […]

alt-J & Portugal. The Man back-to-back in St. Louis

It was another perfect night of music at St. Louis’ Chaifetz Arena on March 15th, 2022. To kick off the three-round alternative rock extravaganza and filling in for Sir Chloe at this stop of the tour was a band known as Windser. Born in Spring of 2020, Windser was created by Jordan Topf at the […]

Briston Maroney ends tour at The Basement East, Nashville

Briston Maroney gave an epic performance at his second-to-last show of his Sunflower Tour at The Basement East in Nashville, Tennessee. What better way to wrap up a tour than two back-to-back sold-out hometown shows? The night started with Mercury, who are Nashville natives, and Jackie Hayes. Both openers got the crowd warmed up for […]

Mayday Parade sells out Delmar Hall, St. Louis

Many of you may remember Mayday Parade from their heyday back in the early 2000s. If, like me, you happened to be in middle school between 2005 and 2010, this band was reaching the height of their popularity right around the same time as your angsty emo phase that hit so many young teenagers (and continues […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 67: Tarantula Mountain

On this episode, Eclectic Soundtrax hosts Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos are joined by John “JB” Mendez and Jasmine Jew, members of the Austin-based heavy alternative rock band, Tarantula Mountain. The duo are currently riding high off the release of their debut album, Virgo Sunday, recorded locally at Antimatter Studios. The two originally met in […]

Daughtry brings rock back to St. Louis

Walking into The Factory before the Daughtry concert felt like walking back into the year 2006. Anyone who was alive back then probably remembers a little show called American Idol. Most of them probably also remember feeling outraged when Chris Daughtry was eliminated from the competition after reaching the top four during the show’s 5th […]

Machine Gun Kelly releases rap-style “ay!” with Lil Wayne

Machine Gun Kelly dropped another song from his forthcoming Mainstream Sellout! The new song “ay!” sees MGK returning to rapping… it seems this new album will be a combination of pop punk and rap, and I’m really excited. I had the biggest smile on my face while listening to this song for the first time. “ay!” […]

Conan Gray serenades two nights in Nashville

You may know him from his undeniably catchy tunes “Heather” or “Maniac” from your TikTok “For You” page, but Conan Gray is much more than a TikTok song. Conan Gray danced and sang his heart out during his two nights at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. The acoustics are superb in the Ryman, which allowed for […]

Parquet Courts at The Pageant, St. Louis

Arriving at The Pageant in St. Louis, anticipation was in the air for a night of alt rock revelry. The show started with rock band Mdou Moctar, who played an awesome version of American rock with the added influences of their home country, Niger. Classic rock guitar riffs and face-melting solos made up a large […]

Fletcher fills The Fillmore, San Francisco

Monday February 28th, New Jersey singer-songwriter Fletcher brought her sold-out North American tour to The Fillmore in San Francisco, with tour support from G Flip and Amelia Moore. It was a packed show with long lines to get into the venue, but the lines moved quickly after verifying vaccination status with booster or a negative COVID […]

Avril Lavigne returns with ‘Love Sux’ album

It’s time for the world to witness the return of Avril Lavigne! Getting her start in 2002 with the album Let Go, this pop punk princess exploded on Billboard charts (almost overnight) with the song “Complicated”, with the subsequent single “Sk8er Boi” becoming a pop punk staple soon thereafter. Thus, the album Let Go is […]

Beach House engages Kansas City in ethereal journey through time & space

The Arvest Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri may just be the most beautiful theater I have ever set foot in. The venue’s stained-glass windows, beautiful paintings, stunning chandeliers and ornate gold details give the feeling that one is in an ancient cathedral instead attending a concert. Perhaps that contributed to the heavenly nature of Beach […]

My Forte Artist Spotlight: Bourgeois Mystics

What do you get if you combine OutKast’s The Love Below, some “Blitzkrieg Bop”, a sprinkle of funk and groove, a smattering of Bollywood and some 80s classic rock? A recipe for success? According to Austin’s Bourgeois Mystics, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.  I first discovered the band’s outrageous excellence early in my Austin years… it was probably 2015 […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 66: Emily Shirley

Emily Shirley is quickly increasing her already impressive catalogue of songs! With a myriad of singles under her belt in recent years, Shirley reflects a variety of issues and current events in the current world — some through Austin’s prestigious 11:59 Songwriting Group. Though her topics are variable, from thanking first responders for their bravery […]