Cold War Kids at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Alt lovers gathered from far and wide the night of Friday, November 15th for an intimate performance by Cold War Kids, supported by Samia, at San Diego’s Observatory North Park. Being a smaller venue (versus big amphitheater performances by CWK), the Observatory filled up real fast as opener Samia took center stage. Cool, complacent, yet […]

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 […]

The Black Keys & Modest Mouse rocked San Diego

The Black Keys‘ headlining tour, featuring Modest Mouse with Shannon and the Clams, hit San Diego’s Pechanga Arena on Sunday, November 14th. Shannon and the Clams started the night off right with some upbeat jams that got the crowd going. The quartet, based out of Oakland, consists of Cody Blanchard on vocals/guitar, Shannon Shaw on […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Dyado “End of Your Song”

Alternative Americana duo Dyado is making major waves this month, releasing two lead singles off their EP out early next year. Following a full-length album entitled Dreamcountry, cousins Matt Lohan and Luisa Stancoiff have joined forces to bring forth melodic indie-folk music, infused with their “signature hazy California spirit” and a sound quickly gaining them […]

Papadosio performs “Catalyst” live at The Caverns

Alternative music masters Papadosio gives fans and those new to the band a taste of what they bring to the table with this extensive live video for their song “Catalyst”, filmed live at The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee on August 10th, 2019. The Caverns, natural underground caves turned music venue, are famous for their acoustics, […]

Judah & the Lion at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

It was a night of alt rock magic on October 17th, with San Diego’s Observatory North Park packed to the brim for openers Flora Cash to be followed by the ever so popular Judah & the Lion. With lights low and a minimal stage plot, Flora Cash came out to entertain the early guests — […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Como Las Movies “¿YPQSP?”

Austin, Texas is known for its diverse musical inhabitants, with up-and-coming bands in every genre gaining more and more momentum every day. One band combining classic cumbia with new wave and indie rock is Como Las Movies — a quartet with a ‘Nuevo Wave’ sound. Following an EP with the same title, Como Las Movies […]

Bastille & Joywave at The Greek

Bastille continues their North American tour this fall, spending the night of Saturday, October 12th October at the beautiful Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. This tour was in support of their new album Doom Days, which was just released this past June. They brought their American fans an outstanding set of 20 songs, along with […]

Lana Del Rey brings joy to San Diego

What to say about Lana Del Rey… The renowned ‘Xanax rock’ queen has had anthems in big budget Hollywood films, been recognized several times by the GRAMMY Academy and has garnered countless hours of radio play over six studio albums — on top of being drop-dead gorgeous. But, one thing I didn’t understand until the […]

Spafford releases vibrant, groovy new EP ‘The Gaff Tapes’

Arizona-based jammers, Spafford released their electrifying new EP The Gaff Tapes at the beginning of this month and it kicks! The five-track collection ranges in a blend of styles, including rock, reggae, jazz, blues, ska, funk and electro-pop. Humbly speaking, the most attractive thing about this EP is how excited it gets me to see […]

How Lana Del Rey dazzled Sacramento

It was a beautiful night in Sacramento on October 8th… 73 degrees and the sky was dimly lit, yet full of stars. There were two large lines of excited fans circling around the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. As the crowds entered the venue, many were walking as fast as they could to the pit and seats. […]

KAABOO Del Mar 2019: Day One

A rush of anticipation hit Del Mar, California at the crack of noon on Day One of the 5th Annual KAABOO Del Mar Festival. The best weekend of the year was upon SoCal residents and everyone came prepared. The first of three days of A-list entertainment kicked off with turn-of-Millennium alt rock band Plain White […]

Ingrid Michaelson at San Diego’s Observatory North Park

Ingrid Michaelson kicked off The Dramatic Tour this Thursday, October 3rd at San Diego’s Observatory North Park. Starting off the show was talented singer-songwriter/musician Maddie Poppe, known for winning Season 16 of Fox’s American Idol. Coming a long way from a small town in Iowa, Poppe was invited to tour with Ingrid one year following […]

The enigmatic Same Same But Different 2019 experience

Same Same But Different Festival, familiarly ‘SSBD’, kicked off their second year in flying forum on September 20th, 2019! Even before entering the gates, crowds were pulling up to the site and the energy that transcended down from the Lake Perris campgrounds was already unmatched. All of the parking attendants were jamming on ukuleles, drinking […]

Pasadena Daydream 2019 official Top Shelf after movie

Top Shelf Music journalists Kristy Rose and Jenni Lynne take on the first ever Pasadena Daydream Festival at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, presented by The Cure and Goldenvoice. Despite the extreme heat of Labor Day Weekend, New Wave and punk rockers flocked by the hundreds… Despite the extreme heat of Labor Day Weekend, […]