Photo by RaRa Photography Music festivals in America and abroad are beginning to hit critical mass. It’s our generation’s sign of approval to any artist if they find themselves on a bevy of festival lineups come summer, they’re doing something right. Perhaps the most prevalent “music for the people” approach in the industry, festivals allow […]
[Feature] Freeway Ricky Ross: Hustlers Mentality
Photo by Andres Herren Fourteen years ago in Florida, a correctional officer by the name of William Leonard Roberts II had grown tired of the long hours, low pay and disrespect that being a prison guard afforded. A fan of hip-hop, Roberts decided to try his hand at the craft and, to further pad his […]
[Songs of the Day] 3/26/14 (Feat. Chance The Rapper, SZA, Sam Smith & More)
Alright, an post-SXSW Song of the Day is back with a ton of good tracks to get you through the hump of the week. Leading things off is Chance The Rapper’s latest, “Home Studio”, produced with his team, The Social Experiment in his California-based home studio. The track features more of Chance’s evolution into singing […]
[SXSW Interview] Cheers Elephant, SXSW Veterans
Photography by Andrew Zeiter Watch Cheers Elephant for even a fraction of a sogn and you can tell they’ve been doing this for awhile. The majority of the upbeat, indie rock from Los Angeles by way of Philadelphia has been playing together since grade school, plenty of time to get to know one another and […]
[SXSW Interview] The Tontons, Well on Their Way
Photography by Andrew Zeiter Back in November I was in Austin for a different festival, Fun Fun Fun Fest, where I first met Asli Omar and the guys from The Tontons. At the time, the four piece blues-y rock group from Houston was riding a wave of publicity en route to their breakthrough project, Make […]
[SXSW Interview] Bishop Nehru Embodies ‘The Twenty Year Loop’
Photography by Asia Ashley For the length of my career covering music, one theory has always stayed planted firmly in the back of my mind. Explained to me in one of my first interviews, with 9th Wonder in 2009, the ‘Twenty Year Loop’ has shaped much of the way I have consumed and understood music, […]
[SXSW Interview] The Radkey Brothers Are Bringing Punk Back
Photography by Ra Ra Photography By the time I had gotten to The Hangar on 4th and Colorado, SXSW had begun to weigh on me. In what is easily evident from the journals throughout the week, this year’s South By was filled a bit more to the brim with corporate positioning and exclusive shows than […]
[SXSW] Music Festival 2014 Recap
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski In 1977, a water skiing Henry Winkler wore a leather coat and life preserver and attempted to ‘jump the shark’ in a move that become synonymous with the beginning of the end of a good thing. In that regard it was the long-running “Happy Days” sitcom. Last week in Austin, Texas, it […]