MUSIC REVIEWS

There’s no understating how important a part guitars have played in the development of blues music, and in the new record Live At the Bluesberry Café, singer and songwriter Johnny Riley reminds us of how vital that part remains in the genre to this day. Though best described as an instrumentally …

With an alluring but rather mild swing and Thin Lizzy-reminiscent overdrive over the guitar, the beat that starts off Insane in “Good Ol’ Stupid Me” is definitely the kind of scene-stealer that would normally make it impossible for us to focus on anything else, but under Tom Tikka’s command, it’s but one …

Rising from the darkness like a new day’s sun breaking the horizon, Austin English’s “Willie Nelson T-Shirt” gets rolling with a pulsating, palm-muted strum that immediately lets us know what kind of excitement is waiting around the bend. English starts to sing, and while his vocal is wildly melodic, it …

Skulking into focus with a pendulous swagger, we find the opening cut in Daniel Tortoledo’s Through out These Years, “Dark Times (Brothers and Sisters),” ready to crush us with its sonic presence just as it would the grim-shaded imagery of its music video. Tortoledo’s voice meshes with the melody of the …

Casually strutting into focus from beneath a layer of ominous silence, “See Me See Me” welcomes us with open arms into the new album Live from Lockdown by Streaking in Tongues, and though its initial demeanor is icy, it warms at the first appearance of a vocal harmony. From this track on, …

In The Garden by The Collect Pond is an EP to watch for, and it is the brainchild of pacific northwest artist, Danny Moffat. But the travels of Moffat reach from Bellingham, WA, to the east coast and ultimately as far as New Zealand. Moffat also did session for hip-hop/EDM …

Some bands don’t mind using the same formula over and over again, and while 308 Ghost Train haven’t been in the business of making rock music for very long, they’re already proving that they’re not a part of the aforementioned group of artists in their new single “Bleed Over Me.” …

AV Super Sunshine’s music has long fixated on making people smile. He’s just that type of artist that always has some positive reinforcement for his listeners. He’s back with his genre-shifting spectacle “Baby Goodbye”. Like a roadmap for what awaits the day’s itinerary, AV Super Sunshine returns to keep things …

Unearthing rock’s gauntlet, Zero Theorem teases what’s about to be unleashed in the first single from their Killing II EP (out later this year) in the explosive “Swarm”. Rob Zombie or Disturbed re-imagined, Zero Theorem is a Los Angeles-based band with brazen guitars and perceptive lyrics. “Swarm” is just one …

Jesse Lynn Madera’s debut studio album Fortunes brings a high degree of musical and songwriting acumen together in a stylish package. The collection is brief, only seven songs, but Madera synthesizes country, jazz, and soul with such completeness that few listeners, if any, will feel cheated by its length. She builds her …