more by Christopher John Treacy
[PUNK] Technically, this Celtic-punk 6-piece from the Windy City were pioneers, pre-dating Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly by a few years each. With a dedicated tin-whistle player (Aaron Duggins) and violinist (Emily Ruth Constantinou), plus lead singer T.
[ROCK] Emerging some 15 years back as one of the most impressive artists from Boston’s indie scene, Sarah Borges released a striking debut, Silver City, in 2005, attracting enough attention to get her singed to Rounder-subsidiary, Sugar Hill, for her next two discs
[ROCK] Nearly 52 years ago, The Association kicked off the Monterey Pop Festival, the first true rock festival in the tradition that still carries on today.
[AMERICANA] Having gotten swept up in some #metoo accusations of sexual coercion, Pinegrove frontman Evan Stephens Hall agreed to take a year off from touring and, essentially, put his band on hold at a time when the indie world was watching intently: the band, which had already...
[ROCK] Most are familiar with Winston’s solo piano recordings for Windham Hill, which have collectively gleaned him five gold and three platinum or multi-platinum albums between 1980 and 1999—making him one of the most commercially successful solo pianists of all time.
[BLUES] If you’re a blues fan then Tab Benoit is likely a very familiar name. As a contemporary bluesman, Benoit (pronounced ben-wah) is known to champion the swampy Delta style with his electric Stratocaster, sweetening the stew with soulful bits along the way.
[BLUES] A globally celebrated guitar god known for his innovative approach, Adrian Belew was originally plucked from obscurity by none other than Frank Zappa.
[ROCK] If the band name strikes you as oddly familiar, then it’s an effective metaphor for what they do. This Canadian collective simulates a trip around the radio dial, pulling from multiple eras and genres to provoke a sense of nostalgia that touches on just about everything.
[INDIE] A Minneapolis-born group, Bad Bad Hats (amusingly, named after a character in the Madeline series of children’s books) makes indie pop that’s built around Kerry Alexander’s breathy warble.