Streetlight Manifesto brings serious ska to San Diego

Ska punk legends Streetlight Manifesto brought their upbeat, skank-pit inciting, horn-heavy performance to San Diego’s House of Blues on July 13th, with direct support from Elder Brother. Stoked to see these legends again live, it destroyed my soul when I realized that I had torn my knee — like, really messed it up. Didn’t matter, […]

80s night in Anaheim, with The Motels & more

On July 1st, the 80s flashed back in Anaheim at the House of Blues. The Motels headlined with night with support from Gene Loves Jezebel, Bow Wow Wow, When in Rome and The Untouchables. The Untouchables hit the stage first, getting everyone warmed up with favorites like “I Spy (For The FBI)”, “Free Yourself” and “Wild […]

Aftershock spans four days for Fall 2022

The west coast’s biggest rock festival, Aftershock, is returning to Discovery Park this October 6th through 9th! And, 2022 is aiming to be the biggest edition of the festival yet by expanding to four days, adding a fourth stage and featuring over 90 bands! After last year’s attendance of 145,000, this year is looking to […]

Bright Eyes illuminates Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre

A cool breeze blew through The Greek Theatre, reminding concert-goers that summer had just begun just a few days ago. Cate Le Bon took the stage as fans trickled in. Her unconventional stage presence was noted immediately as conversations swarmed around her chain metal renaissance outfit, complete with purposefully smudged makeup worn by all band […]

A lovely night with Norah Jones in Los Angeles

It was calm and clear Wednesday night at The Greek when Puss N Boots walked onstage to a decently filled audience. With the headliner, Norah Jones, on the drums, the trio wove through songs from their Sister album and finished with a cover of Dolly Parton’s “The Grass Is Blue”. As the set began, with “Just A […]

Circle The Earth hosts an industry showcase in Los Angeles

Circle The Earth hosted an industry showcase at SIR Studios in Los Angeles on June 22nd, complete with catered food and drinks to promote their unique blend of modern rock, including their new devilishly delicious pop rock single “Sweetest Pain”. The band has made it clear that they’re here to stay, even in a city […]

The sights & sounds of the Del Mar Fair

For those in southern California, we know that our fair hits different. The Del Mar Fair is special. It’s so much more than a traditional carnival; it’s a whole experience. From the minute you walk in, you are overwhelmed with sensations — smells, lights, food, shopping. And then, of course, there’s the music. Being the […]

A Wilhelm Scream at Santa Ana’s Observatory Theater

There are two rooms at The Observatory in Santa Ana. I was surprised to see the lineup of A Wilhelm Scream, Brendan Kelly of the Lawrence Arms and the opening band, MakeWar, in the smaller of the two rooms on a Saturday night. Okay, so these bands are recognized more on the east coast, since […]

A chat with Cydeways at California Roots 2022

Top Shelf Music journalist Allie Adams interviews Cydeways at California Roots Music and Arts Festival 2022. The band talks about upcoming projects, tour and are even surprised by Atmosphere‘s own “Slug”! You never know who’s gonna walk into the Cali Roots media room! From the band’s website: “Cydeways [is] an alternative band out of Santa […]

Boyz II Men perform with the San Diego Symphony at Rady Shell

Boyz II Men rolled into San Diego’s Rady Shell in Jacobs Park on June 26th, 2022. The Rady Shell opened the summer of 2021; you absolutely cannot miss this gorgeous architecture on the edge of San Diego Bay near Seaport Village! San Diego is beautiful with many historic wonders, the Coronado Bridge, the Midway, Top […]

Tori Amos takes over Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre

After a five-year hiatus from touring, Tori Amos closed out her US tour with three unprecedented sold-out nights at the magical Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Touring in support of her recent album, Ocean to Ocean, Amos also celebrated the 30th anniversary of her highly acclaimed debut album, Little Earthquakes. Her devout following […]

Santana’s Miraculous Supernatural Tour hits Mountain View, CA

Man, it was a hot one June 21st at Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre for Santana’s Miraculous Supernatural Tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. Temperatures were reaching triple digits across the Bay Area, but that didn’t stop Santana fans from coming out early on a Tuesday night to catch Earth, Wind & Fire! At 7:15pm sharp, the […]

An acoustic night with Ani DiFranco in San Diego

Famed folksinger Ani DiFranco graced a sold-out crowd at San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern on June 21st, 2022. It still being the COVID(ish) era, it was a wild surprise to witness DiFranco solo up on stage, sans full band! Apparently, all her band members were “dropping like flies”, with only a trusty drummer left by […]

BeachLife Festival 2022: Day Three

Day Three of BeachLife 2022 in Redondo Beach, California encompassed the perfect blend of live music energy with the low-key vibes of a beautiful Sunday on the beach. The day kicked off with performances from ALO and The Altons. Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Wall of Sound helped kick the party off. Midday, there was […]

SOFI TUKKER concludes Wet Tennis Tour in San Diego

Not a lot of things would get me out of my habitual television-binge Monday nights after a long first weekday back at the office. Actually, probably only a few things: the end of the world, dolphins magically shooting confetti and cash out of their blowholes at Seaworld and my first official SOFI TUKKER experience are […]