It’s been nearly 20 years since I last saw The Kills live. I remember it was way back in April of 2005 when my friend Liz walked into the Sunglass Hut I was working at and exclaimed “you are coming to see an awesome band with me tonight!”. I didn’t know it then, but that […]
The genre of darkwave capitalizes on feelings of emptiness, apathy, and futility to sell records… but that only scratches the surface. Sure, the guitar most often pierces a post punk song layered with a hefty amount of reverb, guiding the listener through somber sounds and monotone vocals until the very end. But there are also […]
When San Diego trio The Slashes set their sights on “Nowhere Girl” by B Movie, they embarked on a mesmerizing musical journey that skillfully traversed the post-punk landscape, melding the nostalgic echoes of the past with their distinctive contemporary flair. At the helm of this sonic exploration is Esteban Rene, whose vocals carry a raw […]
Australian psych-guitar masters, The Church is released their epic 26th album on February 24th. The Church has risen to the occasion to expand their highly acclaimed and blended post-punk, and psychedelic music vibes, it is unbelievable. Their expansive music career generated a sequence of hit songs including “Under the Milky Way,” “Reptile,” “The Unguarded Moment” and “Almost With You,” amongst […]
Woe to those that can’t attend the return of Cruel World! What some thought to have been a one-off from Goldenvoice just announced its sophomore lineup — and one that would make the inaugural year cry. If you missed it, the sad and ambivalent, the modern, yet indifferent descended upon the expansive grounds of the […]
This past Saturday night, The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville hosted music legends Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner as their latest band, The Smile rolled into town. The side project is the latest in a long list of projects for Yorke and Greenwood of Radiohead fame. After many years as a photojournalist, I could […]
We were promised jetpacks… and also vibes. That is definitely what we received at the Baltimore show. The indie rock band, We Were Promised Jetpacks hails from Edinburgh, Scotland, where Adam, Darren, and Sean grew up together, forming a band in their high school years. Rocking out since the 00s, We Were Promised Jetpacks has […]
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 […]
Oh, what a wonderful Cruel World it was! Presented by Goldenvoice, this nostalgic New Wave fest graced Pasadena’s Rose Bowl on Saturday, May 14th (with the same lineup repeating the next day). Arriving midday, Christian Death was already rocking the side stage, while Sextile was crushing the main Outsiders Stage. Despite the heat, people were […]
As a next generation New Wave kid, when Goldenvoice announced a brand new festival for late Spring of 2020, my little black heart was overjoyed. Morrissey, Bauhaus, Echo & The Bunnymen — need I say more?! Cruel World was going to envelop my entire Spotify and Pandora streaming life, all into one day. And, then, […]
Announced mid-February of 2020, Goldenvoice’s Cruel World was supposed to capture the hearts of retro rockers everywhere in May. Well, the world had other plans (as we all are aware). The inaugural event — hyped beyond belief, with headliner Morrissey alongside Bauhaus, Blondie, Devo among others — offers a title even only more applicable now […]
Top Shelf Music journalists Kristy Rose and Jenni Lynne take on the first ever Pasadena Daydream Festival at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, presented by The Cure and Goldenvoice. Despite the extreme heat of Labor Day Weekend, New Wave and punk rockers flocked by the hundreds… Despite the extreme heat of Labor Day Weekend, […]
The sizzling, southern California sun shone down brightly on August 31st for the most highly-anticipated festival of the summer season. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of The Cure’s Hyde Park show in London, The Pasadena Daydream Festival was born. With the lineup handpicked by The Cure’s Robert Smith himself, the day was sure to please. […]
Generation X packed The Music Box for an evening of flashback memories the night of August 18th, 2019. Steve West from San Diego alt radio station 94.9 was up onstage spinning 80s faves; not the usual ones we hear on the radio, but the awesome ones that only 80s kids remember. Reminisce the 80s: the […]
It’s been 40 years since Robert Smith and The Cure entertained fans at Hyde Park in London. In honor of that show, The Cure has created another summer’s end festival of epic proportions. Robert Smith says of his new Pasadena Daydream Festival, “Hyde Park was a fabulous experience, the whole day was really magical and […]
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