The Sounds of Summer

Memorial Day is here, and you know what that means: barbecues, shorts and those summer jams. With summer right around the corner, we’re making sure that you have the right tunes you’ll need to start the season up right. Here’s Elmore’s list of summer songs.   “School’s Out” Alice Cooper... [read more]

5 Reasons Why Nashville Rocks

Recently we were down in Nashville where we came across some killer bands that are revolutionizing Nashville’s music scene. Jack White and the Black Keys may be responsible for popularizing the shift in trends after their moves to the city, but there are plenty of other reasons why this Tennessee... [read more]

Cover Songs that Kick the Originals to the Curb

As an artist, it’s always great to be original, an innovator. And sometimes, the best artists are the best thieves. Art is all about recycling—taking something old and reforming it into something new and original. Sometimes the original stands, and sometimes it just has to take a knee to its... [read more]

The SteelDrivers – 5/31 – Highline Ballroom (New York, NY)

The SteelDrivers’ Hammer Down was one of 2012′s best albums. Elmore’s Jim Hynes lauded the band’s resilience in the wake of a couple of key departures from the band, saying that even... [read more]

Royal Southern Brotherhood – 5/28 – Brooklyn Bowl (Brooklyn, NY)

Royal Southern Brotherhood combine New Orleans groove, roots, and good ol’ Southern rock and come up with some of the best rock n’ roll to come from down south in... [read more]

The So So Glos – 5/26 – Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY)

It’s taken a while, but people are finally catching on to the So So Glos. The Brooklyn-based punk quartet has been adamant about doing things their way, from setting up... [read more]

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals Announce Tour, Share Video For “The Lion The Beast The Beat”

Any Grace Potter album is a good album in our book, but last year’s The Lion The Beast The Beat was impressive even by her lofty standards. Writer Nicholas Caruso praised the album for its live, loud production and Potter’s “chameleon-like ability” to shift from tender moments... [read more]

Tony McManus Announces New Album

Irish guitarist Tony McManus, often cited as the greatest living Celtic guitarist, will release a new album, Mysterious Boundaries, on June 25th. The fingerpicker’s new album veers from his Celtic roots towards classical music, featuring pieces by Bach, Francois Couperin, and Claudio Monteverdi, among others. McManus... [read more]

New Documentary Explores Bond Between Springsteen and Fans

If you’re a Springsteen fan, you’re a Springsteen fan for life. Or so it seems. Bruce Springsteen has some of the most loyal fans in the biz and is known for being able to make his concerts into intimate, personal experiences. So what exactly is... [read more]

Ray Wylie Hubbard – Hill Country Live (New York, NY)

“Snake Farm—sounds a little bit nasty. Snake Farm—well it pretty much is,” was Ray Wylie Hubbard’s opening salvo, and it pretty well described the deliciously naughty set which followed. Hubbard’s songs walk a line of disrespect without ever straying into... [read more]

Todd Rundgren – Bearsville Theater (Woodstock, NY)

Heading to Rundgren’s sold-out show at the Bearsville Theatre near Woodstock NY, I remembered the ’70s and the slow-paced hits I loved such as “Hello it’s Me.” I knew that Rundgren had lived in the Woodstock area and had a... [read more]

Pure X – Mercury Lounge (New York, NY)

The unseasonable May chill last night was enough that you could see your breath at points, but it wasn’t enough to stop a crowd of eager New Yorkers from crowding into Mercury Lounge for Pure X’s album release show. If... [read more]

Fitz & The Tantrums – More Than Just A Dream (Elektra)

The ever-fashionable and ever-retro sextet returns with its sophomore album, More Than Just a Dream. Known for their smart indie-pop-soul sounds that mix genres and traverse generations—from the ‘60s to the ‘80s and beyond—Fitz and the Tantrums bubble with enthusiasm... [read more]

Commander Cody & His Modern Day Airmen – Live From The Island (Woodstock Records)

Commander Cody (George Frayne), with an evolving cast of musicians, has been around since 1967 after forming the original group in Ann Arbor.  Although there have been multiple personnel configurations and periods of relative inactivity, they have endured almost in spite... [read more]

John Medeski – A Different Time (OKeh Records)

Even fans of Medeski, Martin & Wood may find A Different Time a somewhat surprising departure for the group’s fearless piano player. In his first solo recording, John Medeski has allowed himself to drop the habits of twenty years playing... [read more]