Bourbon & Beyond Fest comes back to Kentucky for Fall 2024

The anticipation is building as the star-studded lineup for Bourbon & Beyond — the World’s Largest Bourbon & Music Festival — has been announced for this fall, set to take over the Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville from September 19th to the 22nd, 2024. This four-day celebration promises an unparalleled experience, […]

2023 albums you shouldn’t have missed: Ben Harper ‘Wide Open Light’

2023 was a great year in music. In case you missed it, wolrd-renowned singer-songwriter Ben Harper gave us his best album yet — an 11-track opus entitled Wide Open Light! Following his GRAMMY-nominated Bloodline Maintenance, Wide Open Light was released as of June 2nd, 2023 via Chrysalis Records following a tease with the song “Yard Sale” […]

Music savant, Masego, encourages self-reflection with ‘Self-titled’ album

Masego is an extraordinarily gifted musician, artist, singer, producer, performer, DJ, and creative director. He is what I like to call a, “Multi-Talented-Millennial”. The number of skills he continues to gain by the year are unmistakably part of the 23 year old Jamaican-American brand. As a musician he is loved by crowds across all genres […]

G. Love and Donavon Frankenreiter sell out The Pageant in St. Louis

Woah…now THAT was a show!  When Philly-born funk rocker G. Love decided to mash up his signature special sauce with surf-rock maestro Donavon Frankenreiter, I’m sure even the two of them didn’t quite know what to expect. That being said, the musicians hit the road anyway and made their first stop of the Flying Embers […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 79: Chris Duarte

On this episode of Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, hosts Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos chat with Texas guitar legend Chris Duarte. Born in San Antonio, a young Duarte became interested in music after seeing Fiddler on the Roof on TV. He initially wanted to play violin and then clarinet, but circumstances led him to playing his […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: Chris Bowen Vibes “Brand New”

Blues rock-infused reggae artist Chris Bowen Vibes feels “Brand New” in the new music video by Raised Fist Propaganda! Top Shelf Music has the privilege to premiere the official visualizer before it hits public channels, giving you a sneak peek of what Bowen brings to the table. Bluesy meets beachy in this anthem of the […]

The Black Keys brings masterful blues rock to St. Louis

If you follow The Black Keys on Instagram, then you are undoubtably aware of the fact that they are currently out cruising the country on the Dropout Boogie Tour, promoting their newest album of the same name. You may also be aware of the fact that the band’s Instagram page was recently infiltrated by comedian […]

A night with Kingfish Ingram in St. Louis

On March 25th, it was one of those famous, midwestern, super windy evenings out in the suburbs of St. Louis, when a night of delta blues and topnotch guitar playing was enjoyed by a wonderfully diverse packed house of fans at The Factory. This group of music lovers had gathered together to see the one […]

The ‘soft opening’ of Ventura Music Hall, with G. Love

If the inside looks familiar, that’s probably because you’ve visited the building in its past life as a fusion bowling alley/small(er) music venue, formerly known as Discovery Ventura. While the bowling lanes have been replaced in favor of additional high-top seating, the large horseshoe bar, booth seating area and notable Quonset hut-style, wood-paneled ceiling all […]

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 […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 63: Teague Bass

Our guest for this episode is David Teague (aka, Teague Bass). Touted as one of the most talented bassists in Asia, this “bassist” for hire is a versatile musician whose vast repertoire spans across blues, rock, R&B, jazz, hip hop, house, reggae, ska and pop. A dynamic and energetic performer, Teague’s onstage performance and showmanship are […]

Gov’t Mule drops ‘Heavy Load Blues’ album

Conducted by GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and overall guitar legend Warren Haynes, celebrated foursome Gov’t Mule has gifted the world once again with their newest venture: a full blues album titled Heavy Load Blues, released on November 12th through Fantasy Records. The first ever head-to-toe blues album recorded by the band, Heavy Load Blues […]