A Trainwreck with Kyle Gass hootenanny in San Diego

It was a rainy Monday night in San Diego on March 28th — the kind that scares SoCalians into little balls on the couch with sweatpants and Thai food. Yet, before this epic storm, I had heard that one half of the majestic comedic rock band, Tenacious D, was to be performing in my town […]

Brooke Fair dives deep into “First Love” feels in new single

Hitting streaming platforms on April 1st, award-winning artist Brooke Fair has released her latest single “First Love” off of her upcoming full-length studio album The Things We Were — distributed globally by Zojak World Wide on May 20th. A very talented young artist, this 17-year-old Memphis native was named ‘Songwriter of The Year’ by the […]

WORLD VIDEO PREMIERE: Dust City Opera “Angie”

Emerging grunge-meets-indie folk band Dust City Opera debut another song off their forthcoming sophomore album Alien Summer with the video for “Angie”! Due out March 4th, the album follows the band’s first full-length Heaven in 2019 and will feature previously released tracks like “The Unkind”, “An Okay Way To Go”, “It”, “Tile or Linoleum” and “Stars”. “Angie” […]

An acoustic night with Satsang at The Wayfarer, Costa Mesa

Drew McManus, lead singer of Satsang, set out on a short three-city tour in southern California, following a successful full-band winter tour promoting the new album All. Right. Now. McManus played an intimate show at The Wayfarer in Costa Mesa on Saturday, January 29th, 2022 and the evening was filled with a mix of fan-favorites, […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: John Noble Barrack “Finding Friends”

Rising folk singer-songwriter John Noble Barrack debuts his “Finding Friends” single today only on Top Shelf Music! Whether or not you’re familiar with his tunes, you might recognize Barrack from his other ventures — namely, appearances on hit TV shows, like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Bull. He also is an avid charity donor to […]

WORLD TRACK PREMIERE: Marc Borde “It’s Starting To Snow”

Country folk artist Marc Borde surfaces with an icy tale in “It’s Starting To Snow”, the first single off his forthcoming It Always Rains On My Goodbyes debut LP to be expected later this year. Premiering exclusively today on Top Shelf Music before it hits all digital outlets January 28th, “It’s Starting To Snow” illuminates […]

Jamestown Revival riles up Sacramento’s Ace of Spades

Music flowed through a packed crowd on January 22nd at the Ace of Spades music venue in Sacramento, California. Opening the show was a quartet, based out of North Carolina named Mipso. The band was composed of Jacob Sharp (mandolin/vocals), Libby Rodenbough (fiddle/vocals), Wood Robinson (bass/vocals) and Joseph Terrell (guitar/vocals). Their incredible twist of traditional […]

BeachLife 2022 announced once again for May

After a year postponed and an unusual fall placement for the second annual, Redondo Beach’s best music and arts festival returns to its original May positioning for 2022. Of course, we’re talking about BeachLife, Orange County’s unparalleled weekend event where multi-genre music meets California beach culture unlike any other. As of this morning, BeachLife fans […]

Donavon Frankenreiter rings in 2022 at The Venice West

After two fantastic hometown New Year’s shows, Donavon Frankenreiter and his band put on a unique and intimate show in Venice on January 2nd at The Venice West. I had the chance to chat briefly with Donavon, who expressed what a special and emotional night this was for them: this was to be drummer Jara […]

How The Dead South conquered Lake Tahoe

On December 18th, in snow-capped Lake Tahoe, The Dead South packed the auditorium at Bally’s Lake Tahoe Casino Resort. The opening act for the night was artist Willy Tea Taylor. His deep voice and intricate picking on his 1920s Martin 4-string guitar was reminiscent of the old cowboy songwriting days. His mix of folk music […]

A night with Satsang at Felton Music Hall

On Wednesday, November 17th, Montana-based quartet Satsang brought their All. Right. Now tour to Felton Music Hall, located up in the Santa Cruz mountains. Self-produced by frontman, Drew Mcmanus, the new album was entirely written and recorded during the bands hiatus from the road. Drew flew the band up to Montana, where they rented a cabin and recorded what is now, All. […]

An evening with James Taylor in Anaheim

On October 30th, after over a year-long delay, James Taylor took to the stage at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. After a quick set change, following an incredible set by Jackson Browne, the lights dimmed and a triangle-shaped cloth was dropped from the ceiling to the stage. At the same time, videos of fans […]

Beth Crowley talks her spooky single “In The End”

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Beth Crowley melds mystical folklore with soothing sounds in her hauntingly beautiful new single “In The End”. Based off Netflix’s The Witcher series, this song tells a familiar tale of star-crossed lovers, whose love will “burn until there’s nothing left”, yet will ultimately lead to their downfall. Sometimes “twin flames” can destroy as […]

Same Same But Different Fest 2021 brought the beach party

The third annual Same Same But Different Festival (SSBD) returned this September 9th through 12th in full force, representing all that is freedom and love in the hidden gem of Lake Perris, California. A beautiful, hot weekend perfectly complimented with a cool dip in Lake Perris was a combination made in heaven. Gleaming the best […]