Plenty of musical do-it-yourself bands have been inspired by punk legend Mike Watt’s most famous piece of advice, “If you ain’t playin’, you’re payin’.” But not...

Electronic dance music, or EDM, has emerged as the next big thing for American mainstream music. Key components include Las Vegas' Electric Daisy Carnival, a festival that has become notorious for...

Turn off the electricity and a majority of musicians would lose their ability to make their sound resilient. You can’t say the same for The Navasota String Band. Their instruments resonate, even...

Amid the glory of Adele’s wins, the return of her astounding voice from surgery and the solemn rememberance of Whitney Houston’s recent death during Sunday night’s Grammys, there was...

Indie rock group Islands has risen to prominence since it released its debut, Return to the Sea, in 2006. The group’s soft, melancholic sound compliments its name: wavy, reverberated guitars rock...

That voice — The Voice. No adjective except the definite “the” could do Whitney Houston’s vocals justice. Whether she was exclaiming she wanted to dance with somebody or longingly...

It’s been a good year for Merrill Garbus, better known by her stage name, tUnE-yArDs. Since releasing her sophomore album w h o k i l l to critical and commercial success last April, Garbus’...

Ben Kweller answered the phone when I called his record label, The Noise Company, to request an advance copy of his new album, Go Fly A Kite. Kweller said hello and directed me to someone who could send...

The longtime collaboration between The Mars Volta’s Juan Alderete and singer-songwriter Lisa Papineau (well known for contributing vocals to M83), Big Sir’s minimal setup harbors a complex...