Toronto-BASED indie-rock collective Do Make Say Think is enchanting the audience at its November show at the Echoplex. Cheers erupt between songs. But the crowd is otherwise quiet. Fans sway gently, eyes closed, listening. But no one sings along. There aren’t any lyrics to sing. Trumpets blare, drums pound, a violin wails. It’s a rock […]
Read More »John Fogerty has made peace with his past and his present, and his live show is all the better for it. He finally settled his notoriously acrimonious dispute with Fantasy Records, which kept him from playing Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in concert for decades. His bitterness gone, he’s written some of his most powerful material […]
Read More »Diana Ross has done her best to halt time. Impeccably coiffed and made up Tuesday for her 90-minute set at the Gibson Amphitheatre, the regal entertainer still manages to look much like she did at the height of her career, rather than her age of 63. Her stage show was pure old-school glitz, from the […]
Read More »Colbie Caillat just may be the people’s pop princess. With her sweet, unassuming stage presence, the 22-year-old Malibu native looked like any of the 500 attendees packed into the rustic Malibu Inn for her sold-out show on Friday night. In fact, Caillat was more casual than her stylishly clad female fans. Wearing a vivid halter […]
Read More »It’s been 11 years since the Trashcan Sinatras last did a proper U.S. tour, but nothing has changed since then, according to singer Frank Reader. Well, okay, a few things have changed. “I think my bladder is a bit weaker than it was the last time,” he says with a laugh over the phone from […]
Read More »Women with guitars are nearly as common as men with guitars these days; not to mention women with harps, pianos and samplers. Finding a niche is no easy task. Up-and-coming L.A. singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop is doing so with a distinctive talent for darkly seductive, genre-bending songs that dabble in everything from folk and pop to […]
Read More »British pop-punk quartet the Futureheads (right) displays a confidence and charisma far beyond its years. Just consider the band’s cover of Kate Bush’s ‘‘Hounds of Love’’ on its selftitled debut album or its rollicking live shows. Hailing from the backwater of Sunderland, band members met at the Sunderland City Detached Youth Project, which aimed to […]
Read More »British pop-punk quartet the Futureheads (right) displays a confidence and charisma far beyond its years. Just consider the band’s cover of Kate Bush’s ‘‘Hounds of Love’’ on its selftitled debut album or its rollicking live shows. Hailing from the backwater of Sunderland, band members met at the Sunderland City Detached Youth Project, which aimed to […]
Read More »”They say I’m wise beyond my years,” 20-year-old Willy Mason sang during his hour-plus set at T.T. the Bear’s on Wednesday night. It’s true that the Martha’s Vineyard-based indie folk troubadour is known for songwriting sophistication and onstage poise. Even more remarkable, the lyric was from one of his older songs, ”Live It Up,” a […]
Read More »Singer-songwriter Chris Trapper, frontman of local pop-rock trio the Push Stars, bounced through odd jobs for years before the band’s late-1990s breakout album, Meet Me at the Fair, earned it favorable comparisons to the Replacements. The 38-year-old Westwood resident has since recorded half a dozen albums, toured the country, and landed songs in TV shows […]
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