From their home base of Kalamazoo, Michigan, the five members of Greensky Bluegrass have forged a defiant, powerful sound composed of seemingly irreconcilable elements. While rooted in classic string-band Americana, the tension and release between tradition and innovation, prearranged songs and improvisation, and acoustic tones and electric volume is what makes this act so thrillingly […]
Sometimes personal crises are the inspiration behind the most expressive art, as showcased on Tim Showalter’s recent album HEAL. Under the moniker Strand of Oaks, Showalter demonstrates through his love of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s rock and pop that the process of healing is often a combination of clarity, confusion and euphoria. Tying together three decades […]
Local rapper, emcee and producer Mitch Wise lays down rhymes from his under-ground, independent rap album, Saturn Return. His complex beats laced with folk and electronic influence add an unexpected layer to the wild dichotomy of grounded lyrics and a soaring rhythm. Wise is joined by rap artists Keese, B Cope and Brian Moon for a […]
The Prism Coffeehouse fall series kicks off with An Evening with Mollie O’Brien, Rich Moore and Todd Burge. O’Brien stands out as an accomplished vocalist who challenges musical boundaries, while Moore’s onstage commentary and seasoned guitar skills string together an intuitive, high-quality set. Burge draws from his rich life experiences, writing songs from a different […]
In 2010, upon the release of Down Wires, an album described as gritty, soulful and startlingly Dylanesque, Anthony D’Amato exploded onto a revitalized folk music scene. While his brethren were busy cashing in on a highly produced, four-on-the-floor-driven sound (think the throbbing undercurrent of Mumford & Sons’ 2009 Billboard-topper Sigh No More), D’Amato was stripping […]
For those in the LGBTQ+ community, there are still challenges ahead. Legally, Virginia law doesn’t prohibit the discrimination of gay people in areas of housing or employment. Gay seniors are ducking back into the closet as they enter conservative nursing care. Homosexual (and pansexual and gender queer and transgender…) teens still feel ashamed to be […]
The name evokes a tempestuous clan of freckled redheads taking no prisoners as they blast through a set of fiddle-driven pub rock in the heart of a Celtic village, but, in reality, Gaelic Storm is a group of friends who met in Santa Monica, California, and made it big after appearing as the steerage band […]
Xilent’s rise to prominence has been meteoric, to say the least. At just under two years since his debut release, Choose Me II, marked the arrival of a serious new talent, he’s become one of the most talked about names in dubstep. Maintaining a global DJ schedule alongside his production and remix work, Xilent is […]
In 1965, amid the notorious counter-cultural hub of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district, began what would prove to be one of the most influential experiments in rock history: Jefferson Airplane. As headliners of those now legendary festivals—Woodstock, Altamont, Monterey Pop and Isle of Wight—like the roaring sound of the zeitgeist itself, the music of the Airplane […]
The electrifying duo Low Cut Connie formed in 2010 when singer-songwriters Adam Weiner and Daniel Finnemore got stuck in a freight elevator together for four hours. The unlikely pair joined forces to create their own variety of righteous rock ‘n’ roll and have enjoyed adoration from NPR, Rolling Stone, MOJO and even President Obama, who added the […]