Tag: alt

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Concert Photography

alt-J // The Dream Tour

Nashville celebrated the night of Mardi Gras by attending the co-headlined Dream Tour at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and alt-J was the final band to play. alt-J opened up their set with “Something Good,” and revealed to the audience the screened-in box that made up their stage. Projected images danced across those screens, resulting in visuals that were ethereal, abstract, and mesmerizing.

alt-J played songs off of their latest album The Dream, including “Bane” and “U&ME.” The screens around the stage lifted for the duration of “Matilda,” in which the audience was invited to sing along to the more intimate song, and then the screens came back down for the rest of the night. Along with the new music, alt-J played all of our old favorites, closing out the show with “Left Hand Free” and “Breezeblocks.”

Take a look at our gallery for photos of the night!

Categories
Concert Photography

iDKHOW at Brooklyn Bowl

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me opened up their show in Nashville on February 21st with their latest hit “Leave Me Alone” to the delight of hundreds of fans. They kept the energy high up until the proclaimed sad portion of the show where they played “Need You Here” and “Door” before moving into the proclaimed selfish portion of the evening. Here, lead singer Dallon Weekes decided to play a cover of “Someday” by The Strokes just for his own enjoyment.

iDKHOW also included a couple of songs from The Brobecks, the former band of Weekes and drummer Ryan Seaman. The band had the crowd sing along during these two songs, even going as far as to have the audience harmonize, which was a daring decision with beautiful results.

They closed out the show with fan-favorite “Razzmatazz” while teasing that it was up to everyone at Brooklyn Bowl if that was going to be their last song or not. Of course, the crowd chose encore performances.

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Concert Photography

Walk the Moon and Jany Green

On November 2nd, St. Louis gathered at The Pageant to see headliner Walk the Moon – who were back for the first time since 2018 – and opener Jany Green on the Dream Plane Tour.

Jany Green kicked off the high-energy show, and had everyone moving and dancing early in the night, especially while singing his hit single “Little.” Though only joined on stage by his drummer, Jany Green had no lack of presence and captivated the audience completely with his infectious personality and music.

Walk the Moon took the stage after, and front-man Nicholas Petricca asked about how many people in the crowd were at their first show back since the pandemic began. Nearly everyone raised a hand. The magic and gratitude that was felt in that moment from everyone in the venue was palpable. St. Louis had another special moment – Nicholas Petricca grew up in the Lou and had family at the show! The crowd gave them a bunch of applause, too.

And of course, Walk the Moon had the entire house bouncing from start to finish. They played hits including Shut Up and Dance as well new music from their upcoming album that releases on November 12th titled Heights. They came back out for two encore songs, finishing with fan-favorite “Anna Sun,” which, if I do say so myself, was a spiritual experience.

Take a look at the gallery below with photos from the night.

Photos by Lauren Hayes

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Music News

slenderbodies release dreamy EP “are we”

The indie-pop duo slenderbodies released their latest EP today titled are we. Having already dropped four of the tracks as singles before now, we were excited to listen to the other half and the EP as a whole.

slenderbodies gives us dreamy, slightly groovy, feel-good, indie jams that seem like the perfect music to welcome summer night drives with the windows down. The songs invite you to flow, and it’s impossible to not move with the smooth falsettos and snapping beats.

Take a listen to are we, and watch the lyric video for “mirror” right here.

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Music News Reviews

Killed by Rock and Roll and The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless released their fourth studio album on February, 12, ending a several year wait for new music. Titled Death By Rock And Roll,” I knew that I and fans of The Pretty Reckless would not be disappointed. With 12 tracks, an average length of four and a half minutes per song, and features with Tom Morello, Matt Cameron, and Kim Thayil, Death By Rock And Roll is here to provide us with an incredible amount of rocking out.

The album kicks off with the title track, which we are all familiar with as it was released as a single previously. Somehow this means that “Death By Rock And Roll” may end up being only one of your many favorite songs on the album. So get excited.

Mixing soft, haunting melodies and tolls with headbanging drums and guitar solos, the music of Death By Rock and Roll is going to stick with you. Constantly touching on themes of life and death and with passion emanating from all of Taylor Momsen’s vocals, the album tells a story and could easily be the soundtrack of its own movie.

The Pretty Reckless graces us by turning it down for a couple of songs. One of them is “Got So High,” which both makes you want to cry and scream the lyrics joyously at the same time. And then they throw in a little interlude with “Broomsticks” that’s a little Halloween fun and sets us up for “Witches Burn.”

So what’s worth living for? And what’s worth dying for? Is it love or rock and roll, or is it nothing at all because the world is so messed up? Take a listen and you might find out for yourself.

Take a listen to Death By Rock and Roll, and then join me in impatiently waiting for The Pretty Reckless’s rescheduled tour dates to finally happen.

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Music News Reviews

KiNG MALA introduces herself in GEMiNi

Areli Castro, better known as KiNG MALA, released her debut EP GEMiNi this month. After several singles were put out in the last two years, we finally have a collection from the alternative soul artist!

“I realized that as different as each song is, the whole EP is just 2 sides of the same coin playing out over and over again, 2 versions of the same character. So that is the reason I chose the name gemini, to represent the balance and chaos between two halves of the same thing,” says KiNG MALA. With that as an introduction to the EP, I was more than ready to dive in.

If I had to pick a favorite, it would be “If I Try to Find You,” which was released as a single earlier this year. The song weaves us through mellow verses with a simple beat but overlaid with haunting background vocals, and then erupts into a passion-filled chorus.

We get three songs on the EP that we haven’t heard before: “B4U,” “Give Me,” and “Funeral.” In all of the songs KiNG MALA shows us her badass, confident side, but then flips and shows us someone who wants to stay home or escape the life she’s living. And while both of those sides seem so different, she shows us that in life and in music, they are in balance.

Take a listen and let us know what you think of GEMiNi!

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Music News Reviews

Sound Of Kalima releases “6789ten”

Here’s a duo to pay attention to. Sound Of Kalima is made of up Pete and Sal, two young musicians from Vancouver. They captured the USA’s attention with their single “Wild Trash,” an urgent commentary on the destruction of our planet. Self-described as having “no respect for the limitations of genre,” Sound Of Kalima is here to give us electronic music that holds a human element. Today, the duo released their latest, “6789ten.”

“6789ten” is a song filled with variety. The electric guitar and percussion make you want to jam, there’s prevalent anger, and yet some element makes you want to dance. The refrain of “6789ten” is easy to get stuck in your head, but my favorite part of this song are the verses. The melodic contrast with the chorus grabs your attention and the lyrics run deep.

In this world I’m not an equal / that’s not heartbreak to you, why should I bother?

“Wild Trash” showed us that SOK isn’t afraid to write about controversial topics, and “6789ten” is no different. The lyrics address prejudice based on skin color, racial injustice, and lack of faith in the system, and the siren that seemed like a fun sound effect on first listen takes on a new meaning as you pay attention to the words.

I’ll be keeping tabs on SOK, eagerly awaiting to see what they have to say next. Until then, take a listen to “6789ten.”

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Music News Reviews

Leo Varella has a “Pocket Full of Change”

Brazilian guitarist, singer, and songwriter Leonardo Varella has a new single out, and it’s going to make you feel good. “Pocket Full of Change” has a retro vibe that makes you wish you were on a beach, grooving to the music. The chorus is easy to learn, and the verses tell you to stop stressing, and don’t worry about all the bad things that happened to you today. And of course, that nearly 30 second guitar solo is something you didn’t realize you wanted, but you’re going to listen to it again!.

Along with “Pocket Full of Change,” Leo Varella has two other singles out for you to take a listen to, and collaborations across the globe. Each of his songs show his influences of jazz, hip hop, rock, and Brazilian music. We’ll be sticking around to hear his guitar-playing!

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Music News Reviews

Skyler Cocco takes us on “The Drive”

Skyler Cocco is much more than an indie pop artist. With too many hyphens to put in her title, she does it all. Producing, writing, mixing, and performing, there’s no end to her talents. Today she released another single, one of many this year, called “The Drive.”

Skyler Cocco’s breathy vocals, turning staccato at times, mixed with the dreamy synths paints a picture of the open road ahead and wide sky above. “I thought about it on the drive” is a line we can all relate to, as getting in a car provides little distraction and all the time to think and to overthink. She sings of a mistake made by herself and the hopes to start anew, and while the words should be painful, the music is hopeful and fun.

Go take a listen to “The Drive” and stay tuned for more singles from Skyler Cocco, which we most certainly can expect!

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Uncategorized

Middle Part tells us to go ahead “& Cry” in latest single

Middle Part is an artist bringing us synth-laden indie pop music that speaks to the soul. Unafraid to use music as therapy, Middle Part writes deeply personal stories in his songs. “& Cry” doesn’t stray from that, and gives us permission to shed tears when things are overwhelming.

“& Cry” is an incredibly moving and cinematic piece. The chorus is simple in lyrics – “Go ahead & cry” – but the emotional impact is heavy. “I really wanna hold you / I’m just not all there,” Middle Part softly sings, speaking volumes in those few words about not being mentally able to take on the things that you want. Preceding those lines is “I hate when I’m like this,” and when you hear it you might start crying yourself into a cathartic release. Falling just under three minutes in length, I suggest keeping the song on repeat as one listen isn’t enough.

Middle Part will be releasing an EP in the near future called I Wish I Was Alive, so keep your eyes out for that and stream “& Cry” in the meantime! We certainly are ready to dive headfirst into his intense music and hope you are, too.