KBong starts tour in San Luis Obispo with Sensi Trails

On February 5th, KBong and Sensi Trails took over SLO Brew Rock for the first night of their tour. Sensi Trails started off the night with their surf reggae vibes mixed with a little rock and roll. Singer Kyle Rising and bassist Kaya Hall drew in the crowd with their high energy stage presence and […]

Experiencing Boomshaka 2020

On January 18th, the Boomshaka Music Festival returned to the iconic Pechanga Arena in San Diego after taking a one-year hiatus. The festival was headlined by Iration this time around and hosted by reggae’s sweetheart, Miss HIRIE. Other acts on the bill were Cypress Hill, The Green, Don Carlos, The Movement, KBong, Sensi Trails, while […]

The Green brings 10 Year Anniversary tour to NorCal

On January 31st, Hawaii natives The Green performed at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort in Lincoln, California to the delight of their greater Sacramento fans. The anticipation leading up to this tour was unreal, as The Green announced that their 2020 spring tour marks a 10 year anniversary of their self-titled first album, along with […]

Queensrÿche brings the metal to San Diego’s Music Box

The vibe at the Music Box is always great, especially at a metal show! Opening the night was Eve to Adam, a New York-based band formed in 1997 with five albums. I’m not sure how I missed them before, but definitely will check them out moving forward! I love their sound; it fit great in […]

Santa Barbara’s sOhO celebrates 25 years with The Dirty Knobs

Well, rock n roll’s best kept secret is out! Within the last couple months, The Dirty Knobs have released their first original single “Wreckless Abandon” — the title track to their debut album set to be released March 20th — and announced a national tour that sold out in literal minutes. People are finally catching […]

Annual Dimebash All-Star jam rocks Observatory OC

Dimebash, an annual tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell (guitarist of Pantera), rocked The Observatory Theater in Santa Ana on January 16th, 2020. Dimebash is where metalheads come together to remember Dimebag Darrell and his brother Vinnie Paul, all in the name of charity. The tickets were only $33 for four straight hours of all […]

Aboard MEGACRUISE 2019: Day Four

Bueños dias — Ensenada, Mexico! I actually never even left the boat. I debated going ashore, but there was so much going onboard that I wasn’t about to miss it. Day Four on Megadeth’s MEGACRUISE had a photo experience with Testament, Lamb of God (we all missed the LOG photo experience, we’ll get to that later), […]

Julian Marley interviews days ahead of 62nd GRAMMYs

GRAMMY-nominated reggae legend Julian Marley sits down with Top Shelf Music journalist Kristy Rose, days ahead of the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles. Up for ‘Best Reggae Album’ for his fourth full-length album As I Am, Julian Marley shares his feelings on his first nomination from the Academy, what’s to come for 2020, how […]

Night Two with Trey Anastasio Band at The Wiltern, Los Angeles

The Trey Anastasio Band, led by Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, took the stage at the beautiful Wiltern in Los Angeles on the night of Saturday, January 17th for their second show of a two-night run. As always, Trey brought the thunder as his collective brought the lightening, while a happy crowd stayed starry-eyed all night […]

Tool rocks San Diego after 13-year hiatus

Friday, January 10th at the Viejas Arena was a night to remember. As the stage dimmed to begin the evening, Author & Punisher appeared onstage. The local San Diegan artist, Tristan Shone, shook the entire venue with heavy, industrial sounds blaring from his custom-engineered machines. Distorted and aggressive, the sounds that came from this unique […]

Blue Oyster Cult reaps San Luis Obispo

On January 15th, I had to opportunity to witness one of the best rock-and-roll bands to ever come out of the 70s at one of my hometown venues — the Fremont Theater here in San Luis Obispo, California. I remember as a kid growing up with 70s rock-and-roll due to having older parents, so once […]

BeachLife returns to Redondo May 2020

Year Two of festivals usually capitalize on where the inaugural year went right and work out the few kinks Year One went disastrously wrong. It’s a learning curve that could make or break a fest, considering music festivals are a dime a dozen these days. Some festivals, however, know how to do it right from […]

Cali Roots 2020 completes lineup with final artist announcement

California Roots Music & Arts Festival continues to impress fans with each additional lineup drop. Through the years, Cali Roots has played it safe, with artists they knew would sell to the fans who have been dedicated supporters from the beginning. It would seem that the festival decided to take a new approach to the […]

Stick Figure sells out San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern, twice

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always a time warp, filled with general hibernation from the holidays all-around. Yet, despite the odds of staying in, one reggae-rock-alt band managed to sell out a San Diego venue, not once, but TWICE. That’s right, Stick Figure — a band on top of the music scene […]

Return to the rabbit hole March 2020 at 10th Annual Beyond Wonderland

Just as the holiday season comes to a close, Insomniac Events has kept the party alive by announcing their stacked lineup for Beyond Wonderland Festival, a storybook tale of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Journey down the rabbit hole this upcoming March 20th & 21st, with big EDM artists alongside up-and-coming head-turners for two whole days […]