Meet New Wave experimental band Minimal Schlager

During my time at the SXSW music festival, I had the opportunity to interact with some of the coolest musicians from all across the globe. One of the most interesting bands came in the form of a New Wave electronic dance group called Minimal Schlager. Brother and sister Francisco and Alicia have been making music […]

How The Resinators bring Muffin But Good Vibes

If you’re a San Diego resident and a reggae lover, chances are you’ve been exposed to the growing presence of a reggae-infused bakery rising to the top known as Muffin But Good Vibes. If you’re unaware of MBGV and wondering ‘how the hell does a bakery infuse reggae??’, simply taking a look at their website […]

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 […]

A look into new ‘Trip Around Saturn’ LP with Little Stranger

Alternative rock/hip hop duo Little Stranger is a name that’s growing more and more familiar within several music circles. Hitting the road hard again since April of 2021, they have been winning over audiences at notable events, such as Summer Camp Music Festival, Dirty Heads Orlando Vacation and Holidaze. To top off a successful year […]

Ritt Momney sits down with Top Shelf Music

Ritt Momney, aka Jack Rutter, has made quite a name for himself in the music industry over the course of the last few years! One minute, he was just a young kid posting music on his TikTok and the next, he is a seasoned touring vet with two albums under his belt. He may have […]

An after-tour talk with Iya Terra frontman, Nathan Feinstein

A while ago, I sat down for a Zoom call, as you do in the age of COVID, to have a conversation with Nathan Feinstein, lead singer and guitar player for one of my favorite reggae bands currently out right now, Iya Terra. The band had just gotten off the road after a successful nine-week […]

Michigander meets with Top Shelf at Shaky Knees Fest

Jason Singer, the 29-year-old also known as Michigander, has been very productive during the last couple of years. He lost some weight, wrote some new music and got engaged. Instead of succumbing to the negativity that COVID brought to so many people, Jason decided to turn that time into something positive, writing his latest EP, […]

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 […]

How new ‘Castles’ album hoists The Elovaters sky-high

A month to the day after this Boston-based sextet dropped their third studio album titled Castles, I hit The Elovaters’ Nick Asta and Matty Link’s recents and chatted them up, regarding the many aspects that make Castles unique and, well, for lack of a better phrase, utterly addicting. From their multifaceted collaboration styles to their […]

A chat with BeachLife band Fortunate Youth

One of southern California’s favorite reggae rock sextet, Fortunate Youth, has been busy over the last year and a half working on their newest album, Good Times (Roll On), set to be released on October 1st! They also announced an upcoming tour with Katastro, Artikal Sound System and Joe Sambo. Coming together in Hermosa Beach […]

A chat with Calliope Musicals outside their show in Nashville

Austin, Texas and Nashville, Tennessee are — in my opinion — the two best music cities in America. On any given night, you can find an amazing show in one of many great concert venues… not to mention that if you throw a rock in any direction, you are liable to hit a musician in […]

Get to know Out on the Weekend

Psychedelic rock outfit Out on the Weekend, a.k.a. artist Nathan Scholz and friends, is a great one to tune in and drop out to… in the most modern of senses. Harmonic, reverberating and full of rock motifs (from alt to grunge to classic rock to turn-of-the-millennia indie), Out on the Weekend walks you through the […]

KATASTRO comments on slammin’ new ‘Sucker’ album

Hip hop alternative conglomerate KATASTRO is back in action with the release of Sucker, a 12-track full-length LP, marking number six for this established band. And, if you’ve been really keeping track, that’s one album a year since 2016 (with several EPs and single drops in between)! Clearly, no global pandemic or quarantine is going […]

Get to know rock trio Summer Rain

Rising Canadian rock band Summer Rain has hit over a million streams with their single, “South Of The Border”, with a new song “Hold Her Hand” out now! What’s their secret to success, you ask? We had to find out, as well! Clearly, this band has a formulated and meticulous approach to the music industry […]

A talk with LA rock band TWIN XL

Los Angeles-based rock trio TWIN XL have been up to big things so far coming out of quarantine. As a band, you’d think that they have new music or they’re touring… well, they are doing that and THEN some! They’ve even developed their own immersive video game! From music to multimedia, TWIN XL is climbing […]