Touring, touring and more touring: That’s what Southern-bred trio The Whigs has been up to for the past year or so, and they’ve been playing packed stadiums and crowded holes-in-the-wall alike abroad and across the country. Though their sound on record (especially on 2008’s Mission Control) is one that feels right at home in a dimly lit, gritty, made-for-garage-rock kind of spot, The Whigs are indisputably a live band that drum up a contagious, electrified energy that inspires even the most heavy-footed of concert goers to move their feet and bob their heads.

Scandinavia, on the whole, has given us some revolutionary [Vikings!], aesthetically pleasing [Minimalism! Ikea!], and whimsical [The Little Mermaid! Abba?] icons in popular culture.  Naturally, a Danish band like The Raveonettes is going to be pleasing to our palate:  Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo are on a mission to get beautiful people on the [...]

It may be snowing in October, but the wet, murky gloom of an early uninvited winter was decimated last night once The Avett Brothers took the stage for their nearly sold-out show at Boston’s House of Blues. Read on for an exclusive look inside the songwriting of The Avett Brothers, their life-changing plans for the future and why Boston is a city they look forward to hitting on tour each and every time.

As they took the stage of the Comcast Center on Friday night, the Followill boys, known to the world as explosive rock powerhouse Kings of Leon, ambled from the wings to the solemn, soaring crescendoes of “Lacrimosa” from Mozart’s Requiem.  The shadows remained as the Kings grabbed their guitars and swung the straps over their [...]

Few things are better than watching a group of talented, guitar and tambourine-wielding friends share their music and hometown pride on stages across the country, and for that reason few bands are more invigorating at the moment than Chapel Hill seven-man (and woman!) indie act The Love Language.  Back in April, The Love Language somehow [...]

Day 2 of the Newport Folk Festival- August 2, 2009
(for our thoughts on Day 1 of Folk Festival 50, click here.)
Josh Ritter’s Contagious Glee, 11:30am:
There couldn’t have been a more appropriate kick-off for the second day of the Newport Folk Festival than with Josh Ritter’s morning set.  The singer/songwriter, who hails from Idaho, was [...]

“So, where are we going, Matt? What’s going on?”

As the fog rolled in off of Narragansett Bay and onto the main stage of the Newport Folk Festival, Jessie and I found ourselves scurrying up one of the hills contained within the walls of Fort Adams in hot pursuit of Deer Tick and the Ice Cream Man…

Walking through the lipstick red hallway at the Paradise Rock Club on July 11th was like tripping through a rock and roll minefield. When Jessie and I had arrived at the venue to meet up with pop punk international heartthrobs The Click Five before their opening set at The Luxury’s CD release party, we did our best to stay out of the way of the members from all four bands as they scurried on and offstage setting up for the evening’s big event while dodging amps and guitar cases and other miscellaneous show equipment. After we found Joey Zehr and Joe Guese upstairs stringing guitars and answering emails, we settled down with the boys at the tables that now stand in place of the stage of the former Paradise Lounge. That was the very stage where The Click Five had their first residency back when they were shacking up in Allston and finishing up at Berklee, and we know now that there couldn’t be a more perfect backdrop for a conversation with a Boston band about the journey they’ve made between their first days playing together and the level of international fame they’ve reached.

I had noticed his hunter green, poppy-emblazoned cowboy shirt before our official introduction, but Chris’ warmth and contagious enthusiasm for music, Canada and all things Rock Plaza Central left a far more lasting impression than his sick fashion sense.

What’s not to like about a band that brings their own “stage monsters” on tour? While getting their gear ready for their set at TT the Bear’s in April, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down had a slew of propped up imaginary creatures, painted on plywood, with shaggy fur, horns and toothy smiles nestled amongst their cables, amps and kick drum. The whimsical touch was a fitting one for the fiercely talented threesome, who has solidified their place in the hearts of indie rock lovers across the country with their sing-songy melodies, uplifted beats and lesson-teachin’ lyrics.