Crab cakes and reggae, that’s what Maryland does!

Reggae Rise Up Maryland returns to the Baltimore Peninsula for the second year in a row following their wildly successful 2022 first-year installment. Boasting a lineup stacked with all your favorite reggae acts–plus some newcomers for funsies–the three day festival takes place June 23-25 and all but screams summer vacation. With estimated temperatures hovering in […]

Best mainstream live performance of 2022!

2022 ushered in what many considered the first full year of music without restriction since the pandemic began. This year, the photojournalists and writers of Top Shelf Music have had the privilege of covering some pretty amazing shows! In true end of year fashion we have compiled a list of some of our favorite live […]

Fans wrapped around The Fillmore in anticipation for Jessie Reyez

It was a chilly Monday night, perfect for a concert. I was really excited to see Jessie Reyez live. I remember the first time hearing her voice on the song “Nice Guy,” her collaboration with Eminem and I immediately wanted to know more about her. Walking up to The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Fans wrapped […]

Maxwell brings generations of fans together in Baltimore

Crowds of people walked towards the doors of The Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. Daughters, mothers, fathers and grandparents all smiled while they got their food and found their seats. Multiple generations came together for one reason, to witness Maxwell’s beautiful voice and sensational music. However, first up was Alex Isley. She walked the stage with […]

We Were Promised Jetpacks brings thunder and lightning to Baltimore

We were promised jetpacks… and also vibes. That is definitely what we received at the Baltimore show. The indie rock band, We Were Promised Jetpacks hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, where Adam, Darren, and Sean grew up together, forming a band in their high school years. Rocking out since the 00s, We Were Promised Jetpacks has […]

Steve Lacy sells out the Baltimore Soundstage

Steve Lacy’s Give You The World Tour is a SOLD OUT TOUR — let’s start there. With the highly anticipated album Gemini Rights released back on July 15th, Steve Lacy landed his first #1 spot on the Billboard Top 100. Shaking the Internet with his song “Bad Habit”, the singer-songwriter-producer showed off his limitless vocal talent […]

Reggae Rise Up Maryland 2022: Day Two

Some walked, some ran, others skipped, but no one missed Day Two of the first-ever Reggae Rise Up Festival in Baltimore, Maryland. For the second day in a row, festival-goers were lucky to experience 11 straight hours of feet-moving music. Gates swung open at noon with music starting an hour later, leaving ample time to […]