By GENE STOUT Here’s something a little different for Jazz Alley: Ricky Skaggs, the reigning king of contemporary bluegrass, performs June 13 at the downtown…
Read Full ArticleNoise for the Needy announces initial lineup for 2013 festival
By GENE STOUT The initial lineup for the 2013 Noise for the Needy festival June 20-23 features Said the Whale, Polyrhythmics, Smokey Brights, River Giant,…
Read Full ArticleAmericana/alt-country singer Star Anna throws a ‘benefit’ for her new album
By MIKEL TOOMBS Think globally, buy locally. That seems to be the current philosophy of West Seattle’s Star Anna, who last October headlined the Seattle…
Read Full ArticleSinger-songwriter Courtney Jaye adopts a country-pop vibe on her new CD
By GENE STOUT Singer-songwriter Courtney Jaye has made many journeys in her musical life, beginning in her hometown of Pittsburgh and later in Georgia, Texas,…
Read Full ArticleFormer ‘American Idol’ runner-up Crystal Bowersox tours behind her 2nd CD
By MIKEL TOOMBS The late, great rock critic Lester Bangs, portrayed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous,” once dubbed an LP by…
Read Full ArticleBuenos Aires’ 34 Puñaladas quintet draws from tango’s dark past
By MIKEL TOOMBS Seattleites know that there’s much more to Argentina than the new pope. Notably, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra rang out 2012 with a…
Read Full Article‘No Show (George) Jones’ plans one final show in Nashville
By MIKEL TOOMBS Make your travel plans now. On Nov. 22 George Jones, 81, will perform his final concert, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Jones is…
Read Full ArticleLeni Stern’s new CD, ‘Smoke, No Fire,’ was recorded in war-torn Mali
By MIKEL TOOMBS “My last album before this one, ‘Sabani,’ was a really happy album. Times were good in Mali,” Leni Stern explained in a…
Read Full ArticleSession musician Petra Haden goes ‘Psycho’ on new soundtrack album
By GENE STOUT Petra Haden, a talented session musician who has worked with Beck, Foo Fighters, The Twilight Singers and The Decemberists, among many others,…
Read Full ArticleCanada’s Steph Macpherson opens her West Coast tour in Seattle
By GENE STOUT Up-and-coming Canadian singer-songwriter Steph Macpherson, who made an appearance at the 2010 Lilith Fair and has opened concerts for such artists as…
Read Full ArticlePHOTO GALLERY: Grammy-nominated Lumineers shine at Deck the Hall Ball
The Lumineers were among the headliners at the 2012 107.7 FM The End “Deck the Hall Ball” Dec. 4 at KeyArena, performing a set of…
Read Full ArticleCD REVIEW: Soundgarden returns with first studio album in more than 15 years
By GENE STOUT On Tuesday, Nov. 13, Soundgarden releases its first studio album in 17 years. For longtime fans, it’s a cause for celebration. With…
Read Full ArticleCONCERT PREVIEW: Seattle harpist Anna Cate gets in tune with ‘This Old Radio’
By MIKEL TOOMBS “It was difficult writing indie rock on the harp,” Anna Cate begins. It is a truth universally acknowledged, you nod, and then,…
Read Full ArticleFantagraphics presents readings for two graphic, historical biographies
By GENE STOUT Alternative cartoonists David Lasky and Noah Van Sciver have delved into U.S. history to create two fascinating graphic novels – Lasky’s “The…
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