[ROCK] At 25, Mac DeMarco is the perfect storm: a laid-back, slacker with a stoned musical presence that recalls the exposed nuts-and-bolts, homemade feel of Shuggie Otis’s Information Inspiration or even McCartney’s solo debut, topped with just a sprinkling of early Beck. It’s pop music for sure, but it draws from honorable influences that hipsters can abide while giving younger kids some new names to look up.
[INDIE] “It’s always slightly frustrating,” says Ted Leo, frontman of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Chisel, and most recently one half of the Both with singer/songwriter Aimee Mann. “People will say like, ‘You’re the punk guy!’ and [Aimee] ‘You’re the singer and songwriter.’ And Aimee is punk in her own way. She has a history of playing crappy clubs in Boston in her new wave art punk band before ‘Til Tuesday and starting her own record label.”
[ROCK] Head down to Mohawk Place this Friday, August 14 to experience a lineup of raw music—from the twisted psychedelia of Rhubarb to the mind-shuffling stoner rock of Second Trip, the indie rock antics of Mr.Boneless, and electronic productions from God Morgen—no crevice of the notorious venue will be spared. Gringo Starr is set to hit the&nb
[PUNK] Social Distortion has come a long way since their first appearance in 1978 as a gangly, leather-clad four-piece punk outfit that pioneered Southern California’s punk movement. Their debut album Mommy’s Little Monster (1983) was heralded as “one of the rare examples” of exciting pop punk by Maximumrocknroll. By the second album the face of pop-punk disestablishment found themselves undergoing a change in style and influence, as frontman and guitarist Mike Ness recovered from drug addiction.
[FESTIVAL] Last year Artpark, the gorgeous events venue in Lewiston, held their first ever ARTsPARKed festival. The free, all-day art and music festival was a success, so this year bringing the festival back was a no-brainer—though a lot of brains go into the planning and curating of this all local, all original art-based festival. This year more than 70 regional artists will be on hand to sell their original artwork out of the truNks of their cars as part of the Artist Trunk Show.
[FESTIVAL] Not only is Griffis Sculpture Park a unique place for a weekend hike, but it’s a great place for a mini-music festival too. On Sunday, August 16, Griffis Sculpture Park will host the third annual Summer Festival. This year the festival features seven-piece Grateful Dead tribute band Working Man’s Dead, who will perform two sets.
[COUNTRY] There’s nothing like a Zac Brown Band concert. No other mainstream country band rolls out legit covers of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in between 10-minute genre-jumping jams, from Memphis soul to funk, and even grunge.
[PROG ROCK] Eye on Attraction is the brainchild of nationally renowned drummer Andrew Merkle. The four-piece from Scranton, PA surfaced in 2010 equipped with a unique progressive rock sound and an explosive stage presence. Their slick and heavy instrumental execution didn’t hurt either. They recruited Amber Sauls in 2013 and her enchanting sugarcoated vocals top off driving melodies on songs like “Glass Castles,” kicking up EOA’s game a notch.
[ROCK] Quench your Led Zeppelin thirst with Get The Led Out—seven guys who deliver precise renditions of Zeppelin’s original recordings to a live audience. GTLO is comprised of fans, not impersonators.
[COMEDY] Comedian Jo Koy is going on vacation this week, but he doesn’t exactly know where. He doesn’t really care because he’s been touring relentlessly, and frankly he’ll take any break he can get. He actually hit the stage for the first time 1989—right out of high school—he tells me on a long-distance phone call from his home in Tacoma, Washington. “It’s my passion and it’s what I believe in,” says Koy, who comes to Helium Comedy Club this Thursday, August 13 through Saturday August 15.
Did you watch either of the two debates that Fox News held for the little league roster of Republican presidential candidates? I made it through the first hour of the frontrunners’ debate because anything more would have been masochism.
[BLUES] The list of musicians credited on Keb Mo’s latest album, 2014’s BluesAmericana, is extensive. It starts with Keb Mo’s, a.k.a. Kevin Moore’s own work on the record—ranging from bass playing to banjo strumming, guitar picking, horn blowing, and keyboard tapping—and works down through nearly 50 names. Included are composers, sax players, engineers, mandolinists, and even, at the very end, a professional handclapper. They say it takes a community to raise a child; well it also takes a community to make a damn good Americana record.