Tennis takes hold of San Diego’s Humphrey’s By the Bay

A beautiful albeit slightly chill spring evening was hosted by mellow alternative pop sensation Tennis, with support from Canadian opening band Loving. Upon entrance to Humphrey’s, it was quickly apparent that this was ‘date night’, with couples casually swaying in the grassy gathering area or lining the sidewalk to the merch booth with libation in […]

Sullivan King brings Throne of Blood tour to San Diego

It was a headbangers ball at Soma San Diego on April 8th thanks to Sullivan King’s Thrones of Blood Tour, in support of his respective album Thrones of Blood. The metalcore master himself brought along a crew of likeminded artists to round out a full evening at the popular Point Loma venue. Vastive, Benda, and […]

UnderOATH headlines in San Diego for the first time in 10 years

Screamo rock legends UnderOATH brought their Blind Obedience tour to SOMA in San Diego, California on Sunday March 26th alongside djent pioneers Periphery and Liverpool natives Loathe to kick off the evening. The show comes just a few short weeks after UnderOATH released their latest single “Let Go”(on March 3rd). Additionally, Periphery released their latest […]

Shwayze brings the vibes to St. Louis

Sometimes I have to sit back and genuinely think about the fact that I have a really cool career. It allows me the opportunity to work with and run sound for some of the best bands around. Both local bands from here in St. Louis that always impress, as well as national touring acts that […]

San Diego Bayfest returns to Waterfront Park with epic lineup

Look alive, San Diego! Bayfest is back for its fourth annual single-day music festival. Saturday, July 8th downtown San Diego’s Waterfront Park will host a variety of artistry. Attendees can anticipate high-energy performances accompanied by local food vendors as well as bartenders pouring an assortment of craft beers & cocktails. The single-stage event guarantees no […]

GoldFish turns San Diego into funky fishbowl

The Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, San Diego was completely transformed to a funky fishbowl starring award-winning GoldFish on Friday, February 10th. Dominic Peters (production, keyboard, upright bass, bass guitar) and David Poole (production, saxophone, flute, vocals) make up the electronic duo from Cape Town, South Africa, who reclaimed San Diego, CA as their […]

Rising Artist Spotlight: Doah’s Daydream

Doah’s Daydream, the San Diego band that pioneered the term “island grunge”, a unique glam-rock-reggae musical genre, is on the rise! As Doah explains, “island grunge fuses elements of hard rock, punk and Hawaiin island pop reggae with powerful vocals” and that is exactly what music lovers should expect to hear when bumping Doah’s Daydream, […]

Sam Grisman Project readies for second leg of tour

The landscape of music is ever-evolving. Every decade stakes a claim to a particular genre of music. The 1940s get swing, jazz, and blues music. The 1960s saw the British Invasion of rock and roll cross the Atlantic Ocean. The 1970s was the era of disco. Glam rock and pop infiltrated the 1980s. Grunge and […]

mmeadows gains new fans at Casbah in San Diego

Kristin Slipp and Cole Kamen-Green are not new to the music industry, but they’ve come together in an entirely different journey: mmeadows. Kristin (vocals, keys/key-tar) comes from big time indie legends Dirty Projectors, while Cole (instrumentalist including but not limited to: trumpet, electronic valve Instruments, and overall music engineering/production) has a history of collaborating with […]

Seawall Prophet releases debut EP on Pacific Records

Here’s the scene… you’re walking down the sidewalk, rows of tall palm trees gently swaying in the warm salty breeze coming from the ocean just on the other side of the sandy beach. The sun is shining and you’ve got a smile on your face that has pre-paid to be there and isn’t leaving anytime […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Wonderfront Fest 2022: Day 2

As Wonderfronters gathered for day 2 of bliss in sunny San Diego, the festival vibe was in full affect. Cue the cute festival outfits, sun hats, selfie stations, and even a ball pit. That’s right, a ball pit! Wonderfront is a festival that you come to for the incredibly stacked lineup, but you could also […]