Acclaimed singer/songwriter Greg Holden made his return to New York City on September 23rd. Opening for Butch Walker, who produced his single, “On The Run,” Holden’s performance was like a homecoming. It’s a rare thing for an opener, especially one singularly armed with an acoustic guitar, to hush Irving Plaza from front to back, but Holden managed to wield this uncanny power with effortless ability.
When Holden first emerged from the side of the stage, the crowd’s vigorous, impassioned applause was astonishing. He strolled out with an unassuming, quiet confidence and began strumming as the audience quickly fell silent. As his 7-song set kicked off, Holden was oftentimes chatty between songs, lending an affable familiarity with a room of people whom he’d never met, treating them like valued friends. Constantly encouraging the crowd to sing and clap during parts of his songs, Holden’s set was interactive, a joint, group effort.
On “Home,” Holden issued a command for the audience to stop their feet in time to the beat. In turn, he received an eager assent as the stomps echoed throughout the venue and shook the floor. Holden’s newest track, “The Power Shift,” was prefaced by a quick lament, noting Donald Trump was currently in the city. The audience loudly booed, prompting Holden to launch into this political song, calling others to recognize the link between power and inequality, and one that was more than well-received in New York City.
“Boys In The Streets,” arguably Holden’s most moving song, showcases his lyrical prowess, one that is omnipresent throughout his work. Telling the story of a father struggling with his son’s sexuality, it’s only on his deathbed that he makes a confession: his intolerance was due to what he was taught growing up. He finally understands and encourages his son to be himself. Holden’s live performance evoked the pathos and pain of both son and father, and cheers went through the crowd as Holden reached the uplifting conclusion.
Lastly, Holden performed “Hold On Tight,” a triumphant, empowering song that bursts into a big, gleeful chorus as he sang an urgent warning: “don’t take your life for granted.”
It was an awe-inspiring set from a seasoned musician, one who will no doubt be back to New York City in the future.
On Saturday, October 6th, Hippo Campus took the stage at The Riviera Theatre with support from The Districts. Photographer Sarah Hess was on the scene, nabbing only the best photos of the evening. Hippo Campus regaled the audience with an incredible performance on the second stop of their tour. The set list is included below.
Set list:
Bambi
Honestly
Doubt
Baseball
Simple Season
Bubbles
Why Even Try
Monsoon
South
Golden
Mistakes
Way It Goes
No Poms
Western Kids
Butter Cup encore: Violet
On September 28th, Car Seat Headrest played to quite the crowd at Crossroads KC in Kansas City, MO. The first chilly night of the year, the band welcomed the crowd with gloves, turtlenecks, and long sleeve tops, clearly prepared for the occasion. We nabbed some fun photos. Enjoy!
Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan’s Lower East Side was packed to the brim on September 1st. Darryl Rahn took the stage to support the release of his latest album entitled Making Strangers. Darryl’s personality and demeanor lend him a unconscious honesty, and his stage show is saturated in it. From the heartfelt opener “The Grey” it was an almost effortless captivation.
Darryl switched between playing with a full band behind him and going it alone with just an acoustic guitar. The standout from the unaccompanied portion seemed to “Reason To Run”. The crowd hung on the emotion of the lyrics and finger picked melody. It isn’t often that a palpable room-wide reaction to a performer can be spotted, especially on the Lower East Side where everyone is seemingly already over the next big thing. Darryl finds a way to connect through his songwriting its just folk enough to mean something more than a pop song, and its just pop enough to get put on a subconscious loop the following day. You can check out all the songs mentioned and keep up with Darryl’s socials via the links below.
2018 has been a pretty big year for genre-bending collective Juice, made up of Ben Stevens (vocals), Kamau Burton (acoustic guitar/vocals), Christian Rose (violin/vocals), Dan Moss (guitar), Miles Clyatt (drums), and Rami El-Abidin (bass), and Michael Ricciardulli (guitar). In June, they brought us their 4 track EP Workin’ on Lovin‘. As impressed by their talent as we’ve been, we have yet to see them live. But that all changes in September as they head out for several amazing shows. They’ll bring their own brand of magic to Kansas City on September 12th as they perform at Knuckleheads Saloon. Good news is that they released a music video for their track “Sugar” this past spring, and it gives us a glimpse into their live performance tactics… though we’re certain that they’re going to bring it all up a notch for an amazing evening out. Check them out, listen to their EP below, and then grab your tickets and hang with us on the 12th!
Make sure to catch them at Knuckleheads, and keep up with Juice here.
It’s time to get lost in Joe Wood‘s new song “Parking Lots”! Prior to this song, Joe Wood took off from his booming success due to hit single ‘Had Enough’, where he basically states that he’s had enough! All of the success from this song led him to land great publications and many significant reviews! You may be thinking, “how can it get better than that?”, but in his new song ‘Parking Lots’, Wood sets all of the bars for fellow indie pop stars on the rise. In this song, Wood talks about the concept of getting lost and being free, and that is exactly how you will feel when listening to this song. The upbeat tempo and indie pop style of ‘Parking Lots’ will leave you feeling happy without a care in the world; not to mention, you will also be left wanting to keep this song on repeat. Sometimes all it takes to feel free, is driving circles in parking lots!
Make sure to check out all of Joe Wood’s new music here, and if you get the chance, go see him live on August 30th!
Talk about an empowering new album! Artist Whoa Dakota has recently released her new album ‘Patterns’ on August 17th! Jessica Ott, who you may know better as the artist of Whoa Dakota speaks out about her new album saying, “This album is about everything that made me. Patterns weaves two main narratives: breaking free of our own destructive cycles through accountability as well as reconciling how our roots continue to shape our identity.”This multi-genre album with 80’s inspired vibes is all about becoming who you are and finding yourself throughout your life while also breaking through the same vicious routines that may hold you back. Growing up with her parents and grandmother, Ott learned many valuable lessons and stories in which she uses in her music nowadays. The track ‘Patterns’ is an upbeat and catchy yet teachable song that inspires you to break away from your unhealthy patterns. “Patterns” is the one song that sets the mood for what you can expect on the whole album. Songs such as “Animal”, as well as countless other tracks on the album also refer back to the same old cycle that you do not want to get caught up living in; you just need to break free of all the cycles and patterns. While listening to Whoa Dakota’s new album, you may hear many vocal similarities when compared to alternative/indie artist, St. Vincent. Both artists are strong female singers that you do not want to pass up.
Take the time to go listen to Whoa Dakota’s new albumPatterns‘, and you will not be disappointed! If you have the chance, make sure you also go to see Whoa Dakota live!
If you haven’t seen Lauren Ruth Ward yet – no matter what type of music you’re into – you’re 110% missing out. An incredible rock songstress with a slight twang, Lauren Ruth Ward’s music reaches far and wide in its influence. But her live performance is absolutely unheard of, which is why it was so easy for Christie McMenamin to dive in and get photos of this young talent during her recent show at Zone One in some breathtaking lowlight.
You may have already heard of the talented quartet My Brothers And I from their many features on popular TV shows such as ‘Pretty Little Liars’ which featured one of their well known songs ‘Nowhere To Run’. Their music has also been featured on commercials here and there, which helped the band get to the successful place they are at now. This quartet is made up of very talented artists including: Jordan Roach, David Wurgler, Scott Wurgler, and Erik Wurgler. These four have recently released their new EP Heartbeat today, August 17th! One of the reasons this quartet is so successful, is because they include aspects of many different genres. In their new EP Heartbeat, you can hear the likes of pop music with a blend of indie and alternative styles. Primarily in the songs ‘When You’re Ready’ and ‘My Heart’, you will hear many vocal similarities between My Brothers And I and fellow pop artist Troye Sivan. When comparing all of their other songs, ‘Temporary Love’ is one of the more darker tracks on the EP that includes more of an upbeat alternative style. With this EP, it is impossible to pick just one favorite song. Each track is completely different, but equally as great as the next. Just from the first listen, I can already that this EP will be on repeat everywhere around the world! In celebration of their new EP release, My Brothers And I will be going on a small EP release tour which you will not want to miss!
