I’m going to have my reservations with shows at Newspeak from now on, but if Wiki’s ever playing there again, I’ve learned that you should show up a lot later than you would think.

From the free-flowing beer, excessive sponsorship, sweaty heat and 3,000 showcasing bands, Austin actually gets super-sized tenfold every March for nine days of arts and culture.

On Saturday February 20th, I found myself in a quite literally underground music environment that showcased the wide array of musical talent involved in music collective Oh Hi.

Chris Baio chose the coldest place to end his Northeast tour for his debut full-length album, The Names.

A fantastic night at the Belmont that perfectly illustrated the difference between a critically acclaimed, touring rapper and a local hype machine. 

Ought is built for the live performance. Their songs are completely built around energy. The droning, repetitive licks build into these massive moments of courageous punk glory.

Passovah Festival is one of the many great Montreal Music events and luckily I saw a couple shows there over the course of the last week. Here are some of my favorites.

Early this month, Montrealers filled Metropolis to see Brooklyn-based rocktronica duo Ratatat.

AH! did a great job putting together a show with all different types of music that would appeal to a wide range of listeners.

The music ended but the humans remained, unable to step away from this sonic rainforest. Just for a moment, it finally felt like spring.

Inside the venue’s doors were high spirits and an unmistakable sense of excitement, as the performance of alternative rockers Taking Back Sunday was only a few hours away.

On Saturday February 7th, Monomyth, Brazilian Money, and Homeshake took the stage at La Vitrola.

Last Friday Flying Lotus sold out the S.A.T. on Saint-Catherine street in Montreal leaving a lineup of disappointed fans out in the cold.

The Kills filled L’Olympia, a much larger venue then I was expecting, with their massive sound. You felt like you were a basement with them oh so close to you bouncing around.