“I bet those blink,” my lady-friend and I muttered to one another, pointing at the giant JR JR letters that provided the backdrop to an otherwise barren stage. This was just the second in a string of underestimations about the Detroit-hailing, genre-defying (Dale Earnhardt) JR JR. My first misconception came long before I arrived at…
Colby Pines
Sledding With Tigers: ‘A Necessary Bummer’
“Not folk enough for folk and not punk enough for punk.” These are the words we’ve seen used to describe Sledding With Tigers, who just released a new album at a name-your-own-price rate on their website. Despite finding themselves in genre limbo, the band’s latest offering, A Necessary Bummer, manages to capture the honesty that…
Girl Talk & Freeway: ‘Broken Ankles’
Girl Talk recently teamed up with former Roc-A-Fella MC Freeway to release the Broken Ankles EP. The project was released free on DatPiff, and I was so hype to get to write my first review on a hip-hop project. I looked up to 2Pac, Biggie, Eazy-E, and the remaining Rap Gods, but they stared down…
Shaky Knees Founder Tim Sweetwood x Vinyl Mag
For the second year in a row thousands of rock & roll fans will flock to the heart of Atlanta for the Shaky Knees Festival. The weekend-long musical extravaganza kicks off Friday, May 9th and features plenty of must-see musicians. The anatomically unstable festival is not without its changes though. 2014 brings with it a new…
HOLYCHILD x Vinyl Mag
There might not be a more fun genre than indie-pop. If you don’t believe me, then give HOLYCHILD a listen. With the uncanny ability to create catchy tracks with depth, it’s no surprise that the band has gained quite a following. After earning early success for their song “Happy With Me,” the LA-based duo recently…
Challenger: ‘Back to Bellevue’
Challenger, the electro-indie band from New York City, plans to drop their second full-length album on May 27th. Led by producer/songwriter John Ross, Challenger debuted their first LP, The World Is Too Much for Me, in 2012. Their sophomore effort is titled Back to Bellevue and features eleven epic pop tracks rooted in indie electronica….
Juan Wauters x Vinyl Mag
As one half of The Beets, Juan Wauters gave us laid back garage rock that garnered the band comparisons to The Ramones. Juan Wauters is legit. Eager for a new musical endeavor, in 2012 Juan set out to write and record a solo album. The result is 2014’s N.A.P. North American Poetry. With a gentler folk…
Kristin Hoffmann: ‘New Directions’ EP
Kristin Hoffmann recently released a follow-up EP to her full album, The Human Compass. The EP, New Directions, is comprised of three remixes to songs from the previous album. While the EP attempts to transform her ethereal Renaissance pop songs into something more electronic, it fails to realize the true purpose of a remix, which is to…
The Lovers Key: ‘Here Today Gone Tomorrow’
I have three Spotify playlists that I feel like I can listen to no matter my mood. The first is a bipolar irrelevance made up of a hodgepodge of genres. The second is dedicated to the soulful sounds of Motown, and the third is filled with 60s rock (minus The Beatles, whose music is “Spotifyless…”…
NGHBRS x Vinyl Mag
Propelled into the public eye thanks to their Instagram video for “Hold Up Girl,” NGHBRS plans to bring their energetic Rock & Roll show to SXSW 2014. Hailing from Long Island, these rockers boast a sound that is both punchy, smooth, and melodic. We got the chance to talk with Ian Kenny of NGHBRS about…