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 […]

Spoon packs San Diego’s Belly Up Tavern to capacity

Heading to Solana Beach’s Belly Up on a weeknight felt almost nostalgic… I hadn’t done it since the pre-COVID era. Despite having work in the morning, one of my favorite bands from my high school and college years was coming to town and it was simply unacceptable to miss. Spoon… the last time I saw […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 72: Katerine Duska

Greek-Canadian singer and songwriter, Katerine Duska, joins hosts of Eclectic Soundtrax Skunk Manhattan and Victor Ramos from her home in Montreal, shedding some light on her impressive music career. A “late bloomer” and initially a self-trained singer, Katerine began her musical career after exploring various academic options, including law school. Her debut album “Embodiment” was released in […]

The War on Drugs reminds St. Louis rock is still alive

It was a packed house at The Pageant for the Philadelphia-based rock band The War on Drugs and their opener Lo Moon. Fans packed into the historic St. Louis venue on a Monday night and chattered in anticipation for what was regarded by all to be an epic show. The opening act, an indie rock […]

Experiencing the down-to-earth Just Like Heaven 2022

It’s as if our prayers were answered this year at Just Like Heaven in Pasadena, California this year! With an insane lineup for any 20/30-something with an alternative taste, it was like a fun reunion you can bring the whole family to! From perfect weather to divine food and music to complement it all, you […]

This Ain’t No Picnic coming to Pasadena in August 2022

In the fine words of Sheryl Crow, “this ain’t no disco” and “it ain’t no country club, either”. That’s right, because alternative rock is harder and here to stay. In this same vein, the fine festival producers over at Goldenvoice introduced This Ain’t No Picnic to high acclaim, set to grace the Pasadena Rose Bowl […]

Animal Collective lights up Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre

It was cool, cloudy and hazy Friday evening in late May at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The stage, however, was lit with a range of bright colors and a backdrop of rozy panels for the headliner, Animal Collective. As I waited in the pit for the music to start, there were talks amongst […]

Modest Mouse floats on through St. Louis

Before even arriving at the venue, the night began with excitement. There were torrential downpours on the drive to see Modest Mouse at the Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights — so much rain, you couldn’t see the lines on the road. As traffic slowed to a crawl, I started to wonder if the […]

Eclectic Soundtrax Podcast, Ep. 71: Static Limit

On this episode of Eclectic Soundtrax, hosts Victor Ramos and Skunk Manhattan chat with Rom and Diana of the instrumental progressive metal band, Static Limit. The south Texas-based group was formed in 2003 by Rom Garza (guitars/synth), along with Jay Juarez (bass) and Mario Rivera (drums). After cutting their teeth playing regional shows around “The […]

Girl Named Tom lights up Los Angeles, with Claire Wright

With a perfect four-chair turn in their audition, in front of millions of people all over the world and winning NBC’s The Voice — Season 21, Girl Named Tom stole the hearts of America with their harmonious harmonies and put on a show-stopping performance at the world famous Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA.  Opening the […]

Sigur Rós brings meditative music to a serene night in Seattle

Wow, what an eventful night it was in beautiful Seattle! Sigur Rós played an extraordinary show, but first, let’s talk about the vibe at Paramount Theatre. Fans were in line and excited to see the Icelandic rock band. All different ages, the fans were smiling as they walked into the theater. There was plenty of […]

A phenomenal night with Phoebe Bridgers at Red Rocks

Morrison, Colorado — home of the bucket-list inducing venue, Red Rocks, just outside Denver. This natural amphitheater set the stage for Phoebe Bridgers on a gloomy Tuesday night. I was lucky enough to get to the venue super early, around 4pm, so I could try to scope out the heralded Red Rocks layout. To my […]

The stress-free, fun-filled weekend at BeachLife 2022

This year’s BeachLife Festival perfectly reflected the famous picturesque lifestyle of southern California. Spanning the weekend of May 13th through the 15th in Redondo Beach, festival-goers experienced the warmth of the California sun, the cool breeze of the Pacific Ocean and the swaying shade of palm trees, all while listening to a variety of 50 […]

How it felt to finally witness Gang of Youths in San Francisco

On Monday May 16th, San Francisco’s Fillmore welcomed Australian rock band Gang of Youths for their Angel In Real Time Tour, featuring tour support from Quinn Christopherson. Originally formed in Sydney by frontman Dave Le’aupepe in 2011, Gang of Youths relocated to London in 2017. They just  recently released their fourth studio album, angel in […]