Delicate Steve is merely an illusion. The moniker of instrumental guitarist Steve Marion has been mythologized much in the past decade. Having worked with Paul Simon, the Black Keys, Dirty Projectors, and been a staple for some time now in contemporary music as a studio musician, it’s a miracle he hasn’t yet become a household…
One look at Chinese American Bear, and it would be difficult to peg them down as what one would call a “traditional” band. The musical brainchild of Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten have modest origins: growing up in suburban Seattle as school orchestra students with nothing to little in common – but that’s precisely what…
The albums of 2024 packed in some heavy hitters – good doses spread throughout the year where there was never a single moment when there wasn’t a great album to talk about. Electronic, folk, post-punk, hip-hop… the albums of 2024 didn’t just provide nostalgia or escape, but a hard launch into the rebellion that will…
“Can we talk about whether or not we want to say on the record how we got our name?” lead guitarist Cormac Brown asks his four-piece band, the noise-punk outfit Molly Horses. “It’s important to note that I have never had a more difficult time doing anything in my entire life than the difficulty we’ve…
High up on the historic intersection of Hollywood and Vine sits the Bardot Hollywood – a one time VIP section attached to the Avalon that hosted the likes of Jerry Lewis, the Ramones, and Frank Sinatra. But not tonight. As I approach the venue, I hear a swath of synths emulating from inside, leading me…
If all the years felt like they were too good to be true, then, they probably were. With the second weekend of Coachella upon us, this year’s run of main slate festivals is officially underway, albeit to some underwhelming response. From Coachella, to Bonnaroo, to Governor’s Ball, this year’s festival lineups have been met with…
Ranking 10 albums to sum up the year in music feels pretty daunting if not impossible. How does one define a year in music with such a brief amount of material? You look at not just the albums themselves, but the lore, atmosphere, and external world they conjured with them. Hundreds of great albums were…
This year, we had the atom bomb vs. the Barbie doll, simultaneous writer and actor strikes, and oh great, now artificial intelligence. The toughest year on the industry in a generation served as a wake up call to those who thought it couldn’t get any worse. Stingy CEOs, a “vacuum in leadership,” and the burst…