Crab cakes and reggae, that’s what Maryland does!

Reggae Rise Up Maryland returns to the Baltimore Peninsula for the second year in a row following their wildly successful 2022 first-year installment. Boasting a lineup stacked with all your favorite reggae acts–plus some newcomers for funsies–the three day festival takes place June 23-25 and all but screams summer vacation. With estimated temperatures hovering in […]

The Resinators drop new single, ‘Cut Slack Girl’

San Diego’s favorite trio, The Resinators is dropping a new single tomorrow! And in typical Resi fashion, “Cut Slack Girl” blends a multitude of music genres while painting a lyrically relatable picture.  Frontman, Kyle Cameron uses a catchy guitar riff to pull the listener in while Broc Sanders (drums) supports him with quick yet steady hi-hat […]

Rising Artist Spotlight: Bridges Ablaze

Every once and a while you are fortunate enough to meet someone who changes the entire direction of your life for the better. One moment you are completely unaware they even exist and then, suddenly, in a single unlikely meeting you are now happily stuck with a person you can’t imagine your life without. In the […]

Rising Artist Spotlight: Advents

Metalcore is one of the most common subgenres of heavy metal and it’s arguably the most popular. Combining the best elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, metalcore is brimming with aggressive breakdowns and mosh inducing hooks. Advents, a rising metalcore band from the outskirts of NYC are working tirelessly to ensure they bring innovation […]

Red Calling is rising to the TOP

Venezuelan vocalist, Jessica Pons has come far to start a new life, and becoming what she was meant to be, a musician. Tampa’s Red Calling is one serious metal band. I came across them on facebook and was pleasantly surprised to see a fierce woman on the front lines. It’s not that common to see […]

2023 is shaping up to be a big year for BALLYHOO!

Raging since 1995, BALLYHOO! has become the music OG’s not missing a beat. Staying true to its own vibes and style, BALLYHOO! creates unforgettable and mind scrambling blends of ska, punk, reggae and even metal. If you have never seen these bad boys, you’ve got to add them to your list. Unstoppable hits one after […]

Best mainstream live performance of 2022!

2022 ushered in what many considered the first full year of music without restriction since the pandemic began. This year, the photojournalists and writers of Top Shelf Music have had the privilege of covering some pretty amazing shows! In true end of year fashion we have compiled a list of some of our favorite live […]

Monique Powell of Save Ferris gets candid and personal in exclusive interview

COVID-19 ended live shows, diminished studio sessions and new album releases, put countless crew members on hiatus and it ruthlessly harmed one of the things so many of us love. No band nor venue was spared. But through it all, and many other life challenges over the years, Monique Powell, the radiant, charismatic, strong, and […]

Wonderfront Fest 2022: Day 3

It was day three at Wonderfront Festival and the grounds were busier early in the day, full of festival goers shopping around at any of the incredible vendor booths that were filled with one-of-a-kind art, clothing, jewelry and all the other festival accessories of your dreams. Over on the grounds on Embarcardo North, a stationary […]

2003 is coming to 2023 thanks to DCFC’s tour announcement

The kings of indie rock Death Cab for Cutie are back again for another tour in 2023, but this one is different.. this is HUGE! Co-headlining the tour is Death Cab’s frontman Ben Gibbard’s long lost project The Postal Service. Thats’s right, for the first time in a decade, Jimmy Tamborello and Jenny Lewis will […]