This past weekend was absolute insanity at the heat-fueled annual Boulevardia Beer, Food & Music Festival in Kansas City, Missouri. Though the latter part of Day 2 did, unfortunately, get rained out — gotta love that unpredictable midwest weather — what did transpire on the blacktop outside HyVee Arena (Kemper Arena) was absolute magic. Photographer Ashleigh Lee brings us highlights, including sets from Fitz & The Tantrums, Young The Giant, Lovelytheband, and more.
Funk artist Boulevards (Jamil Rashad) recently released his brand new fourteen-track stunner YADIG! We learned quickly that this album is going to be included in our stack of favorites for 2019, hands down. From first track “Lord Knows”, there is a sense of absolute comfort in the landscape of this album, a feeling of warmth within its funk-filled tracks.
As Boulevards bounces from topic to topic with the introduction of each new track, we are taken back in time a bit to a sound that is very reminiscent of the 70s. Funk is what Boulevards has mastered, an unconventional type that finds these tracks perfect for a gallery opening, small backyard barbecue, or a wedding day soundtrack. To find something that versatile and this lush is absolutely unheard of, and we’re floored by the artistry of YADIG!
Check it out below!
Keep up with Boulevards here.
In 2017, I was out in the most phenomenal weather, covering Bonnaroo as Editor of another publication. It was an integral year for me as a photographer and reviewer, and a whirlwind experience during which I happened to be dubbed “Mayor of Bonnaroo” by one of its creators. As Bonnaroo 2019 approaches this week, we are presenting some flashback beauts of that festival. Below, find some fun portraits of Nashville’s Creature Comfort in the artist lounge.
Photographer Christie McMenamin had the pleasure of meeting up with London-based collective The Skints in New York recently. The band – comprised of Jon Doyle, Jamie Kyriakides, Josh Waters Rudge, and Marcia Richards – was absolutely delightful, and we have some portraits to prove it!
Keep up with The Skints here.
Oliver Ray‘s debut album is an audible kaleidoscope that takes you on a winding and beautiful sonic journey, a facet so many recent releases seem to lack. Beginning with “Ol Coyote”, Out Passed Nowhere brings us track after track of subtly impactful songs, a bit of twang and a whole lot of heart added in.
Ray has a bit of a Bob Dylan flare to his vocals, particular songs like “Setting Sun” bring it out in droves, though it seems to add a level of comfort that heightens the already warm landscape. “Tower and the Star” introduces a sound that is both futuristic and of past times, enhanced by endless reverb. For those reasons and many more, it is our favorite gem off of the release.
But what’s yours? “Queen of Never”? “Wise Blood”? Share with us on Facebook!
Brooklyn-based folk roots musician W.C. Beck recently released 10-track album First Flight. There is a warmth about the work in its entirety , from the first lines of initial track “Steel Bird” can attest to that, though if you listen through “Colosseum” and the slow, gorgeous demeanor of “The Long Way Home”, you just may come to agree with us. “Unknown Bust” speeds things up quite a bit, and could easily be the soundtrack to a sunny-day montage with all of your loved ones, while “A Place to Land” is more vulnerable, both lyrically and sonically.
“Powder Blue” is inspirational and uplifting in its disposition, and while we “turn it around” after listening, “Grey” brings us to a slow, simplified track that is just as melancholic and beautiful as the color itself can be. “(Holding on” To a Coast” has a glittering, summer country soul vibe to it, and it has us salivating over our next BBQ soundtrack. But “Among the Waves” is the true beach day staple, as you can truly imagine walking over the dunes to the waves in slow motion to this gem of a track. Beck rounds it all out with a layered, crawling beaut of a track called “Cathy Jo” that seems to be the most introspective and lovely track of the bunch. By the end, we feel relaxed and admire the adventure Beck was able to carve for us sonically.
01. Steel Bird
02. Colosseum
03. The Long Way Home
04. Unknown Bust
05. A Place to Land
06. Powder Blue
07. Grey
08. (Holding On) To a Coast
09. Among the Waves
10. Cathy Jo
Keep up with W.C. Beck here.
