SESSANTA, consisting of bands Primus, Puscifier, and A Perfect Circle, was the electric (and eclectic) way of re-opening Forest Hills Stadium for the summer concert season at large. The venue in Queens was litup by not just rock and roll, fans and friends alike, and three killer bands on stage at once, but the birthday of multi-hyphenate frontman Maynard James Keenan. On April 17, the musician turned 60 – a milestone birthday. Everyone came together on this evening on May 4 for a variety of reasons, yet the belated celebration – complete with a piñata – of Keenan was the most memorab ..read more

Discussing the songwriter’s provocative and rocking new album, UTOPIA NOW!, and her 2024 tour. Once in a great while a musical statement is created that runs the gamut of the human experience while exploring the layers of its genre; for 30-year-old singer-songwriter Rosie Tucker, that genre is the once culturally dominate, but now marginalized sphere of rock and roll. It is the remarkably catchy and thought-provoking take on that in which fills UTOPIA NOW! – the sound of Tucker’s latest record features clean, tight, alluring pop-rock grooves with the bonus of being adorned ..read more

Everynight Charley recommends the following 70 concerts in New York City this week. Contact the venue or the artists’ social media to confirm ticket availability, show times, age restrictions, COVID compliance, and other updates. Monday, May 6 Sum 41, the Interrupters, Joey Valance & Brae at the Brooklyn Paramount Andra Day at the Blue Note From Ashes to New, Point North, Ekoh, Phix, elijah at the Gramercy Theatre Pokey LaFarge at Rough Trade NYC Bradley Simpson at Baby’s All Right Steph Richards at Nublu Eddie Palmieri at the Blue Note Mary Shelley, Two-Man Giant Squid, partygirl, N ..read more

The culmination of Israel, Gaza, college campuses, January 6, and the misinformed. No one supports the idea of waving a fist and shouting random musings in large groups against aggression, suppression, and general bullshit than me. This is what this space has been about since August of 1997. I’d prefer, of course, to keep it to the words and not risk getting tear-gassed or hit with a projectile in a mob of submentals, but you get the gist – I’m into protests. The First Amendment is king around here, and even if the occasional thing gets wrecked, which happens, you ..read more

Everynight Charley recommends the following 80+ concerts in the New York City area this weekend. Contact the venue or the artists’ social media to confirm ticket availability, show times, age restrictions, COVID compliance, and other updates. Friday, May 3 Laufey, Wasia Project at Radio City Music Hall Soundwalk Collective and Patti Smith at the Brooklyn Academy of Music deadmau5, BSOD, HAYLA, Kiesza, LIGHTS, WTF? at Brooklyn Mirage BoyWithUke, Arden Jones at Terminal 5 Panchiko, Weatherday, Wisp at Brooklyn Steel The Decenberists, Ratboys at the Brooklyn Paramount Stiff Little Fingers ..read more

Except where noted, all photos are from Veronica Rajadnya’s personal collection of memories, music, and Monmouth station days. She’s the best. College radio is the best. New Jersey is the best. Like music, college radio is big in New Jersey. For decades, stations like WRSU (Rutgers), WSOU (Seton Hall), WBJB (Brookdale), and WBZC (formerly Burlington County at Rowan, which won me many free concert tickets before it was bought out by Christian formatting) have rocked local (and global now, with streaming) airwaves with up-and-coming bands, music news, and stories not seen (or, heard) anywhere el ..read more

Games We Play, the punk outlet for 24-year-old Emmyn Calleiro, put on a performance at First Unitarian Church that was an electrifying display of energy, comedy, and raw talent. From the powerful anthems like “Petty Enemy” to the intimate solo ballads such as “Round and Round,” Emmyn proved to be a versatile artist capable of captivating the audience with every note. What sets Emmyn apart from other acts that Games We Play could get grouped in with, was his engaging banter between songs. He had the crowd in stitches throughout the night as he effortlessly interacted with everyone in the ..read more

“Write what you know,” goes the standard advice, and longtime singer/songwriter Chip Taylor has taken that suggestion to heart on his new album, Behind the Sky. He has done so even though what he knows most keenly now – the experience of grappling with throat cancer – must be difficult to dwell on. In this CD’s intensely personal liner notes and lyrics, Taylor details his diagnosis, his radiation treatments, and their side effects. And he does that with impressive candor, a lack of self-pity, bravery, and, at times, even a bit of lightness. Several of these 12 affecting songs ..read more

Welcome to the latest edition of AQ’s #THROWBACK series featuring our 1987 cover story with John Cougar Mellencamp, featuring a Mötley Crüe live review and more! Mötley Crüe are scheduled to perform in Atlantic City on Friday, May 3, and Saturday, May 4, to a pair of sold-out crowds. (More info here!) Being back in New Jersey this weekend means highlighting this live review from right up the coast almost 40 years ago at the Brendan Byrne Arena (more recently known as the late, great Izod Center). It was there that we wrote the below review, and most ..read more

When I think of dynamic musical duos, three come to mind instantly – John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Each of the six is legendary in songwriting and performing in their own right, but together they are magical. Such is the case with the pairs who co-host a trio of captivating music podcasts.  Ray Koob and Markus Goldman have 50+ years of rock and roll radio experience. Many readers know their voices from Philadelphia’s mighty 93.3FM WMMR where they continue to spin records that rock our worlds. However, their combined ..read more