Mariza’s Fado Odyssey: A Master Class in Storytelling at Disney Hall
LOS ANGELES, CA- We tend to revere greatness at the intersection of artistry and craft. Art is pushed forward by the innovators and the iconoclasts but the tectonic shifts are typically achieved by those who demonstrate that they’ve put in the work to both master and…
Núria Graham at Central Presbyterian Church: A Divine Experience at SXSW 2023
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE ACTS WE COVERED AT SXSW 2023 AUSTIN, TX- Especially a festival as expansive and intractable as SXSW, where the sea of good talent is so vast that it becomes difficult for otherwise excellent artists to separate from the pack. Like…
Taj Mahal + Keb’ Mo’ + The Hollywood Bowl = An Epic Evening of TajMo
LOS ANGELES, CA- Not all collaborations yield tasty fruit. Just google “bad musical collaborations” and you’re bound to end up going down a digital rabbit hole of “what did I just listen to?” video/audio clips. But sometimes collaboration is so natural … so meant to…
Sudan Archives Moves to Her Own Rhythm and She Takes the Crowd Along for the Journey
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SXSW 2018 COVERAGE! AUSTIN, TX- For most of our SXSW artist coverage, we’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. We have over 80 artists to cover, so cut us some slack! 😉 We’ll basically be formatting each post into two parts:…
Tinariwen’s Tishoumaren Blues Rock Mesmerizes The Growlers Six
CLICK HERE FOR MORE THE GROWLERS SIX COVERAGE! San Pedro, CA- … this Grammy award winning band of Taureg musicians quite simply mesmerized me with their guitar-driven melodies and rhythms. Their style of music is difficult to describe but imagine cross pollinating blues, Bollywood, and folk…
With Tinariwen, The Desert Blues Have Never Sounded More Empowered [REVIEW+PHOTOS]
SANTA MONICA, CA- Like many others in the wake of February’s drought-breaking rain, I made the trip to Joshua Tree National Park following highly corroborated promises of flowers blooming in this desert for the first time, supposedly, in years. Attached to the park map provided…
Ami Dang And The Sounds Of Bollywave [PHOTOS+REVIEW]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] For every artist we decided to catch at SXSW, we decided to review each performance with our own version of “Five Ws and One H” answering the questions: 1) Who are they, 2) What kind of music do they…
Sudan Archives’ Organic Sonics Mesmerize Stones Throw’s Superfest
CLICK HERE FOR MORE STONES THROW SUPERFEST COVERAGE! LOS ANGELES, CA- Another artist whose performance time was waaaay too short was Sudan Archives. Sudan Archives’ music and beauty was organically mesmerizing. Armed with a violin and backed by a very capable string ensemble, her performance was…
A-WA Reclaim Tradition In Modernity At The Skirball Cultural Center
LOS ANGELES, CA- What’s with the trios of Jewish sisters named Haim being radically talented musicians? Seriously though. What are the odds? How often do people procreate and have three daughters? How often do those three daughters form a band? How often is that band…
M.A.K.U. Soundsystem’s Fresh Cultural Vibes Envelop The Skirball [REVIEW]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] I can’t imagine a better setting in which to take in a M.A.K.U. Soundsystem show than in the midst of an open-air courtyard at the center of one of Los Angeles’ most picturesque museums while the sun sets. The Skirball,…
