To go with Philadelphia’s forever-held reputation for carb-loading local foods and harsh-mellowing opinionated sports fans, is the loving fact that this city’s history of homegrown music is second-to-none. From opera, classical and jazz to R&B, blues, rock and hip hop, the dazzling accomplishments and innovative work created by its musicians, producers, vocalists and composers is equitable to, if not greater than, those of New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Cleveland and beyond (Nashville, however wins for country, we must pay respect there). So, if Holly ..read more

For those of you unfamiliar with the word “Coachella,” but woke up with it in your feed in the last few days with the alarming screech of a bomb detonated near the White House, allow me to explain and to put out the flames. See, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (doesn’t that sound bucolic) started out as a cool vibey, low key party within the large desert-ish confines of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and was initially meant as an indie response to acts such as Pearl Jam boycotting large-scale venues controlled by Ticketmaster. Yet, between in 1999 start and 2023, Coach ..read more

If you’re looking for a fun event to attend this spring, there are tons of upcoming concerts in Philadelphia for fans of every genre! Whether you are a jazz aficionado or pop superfan, you can score tickets to an unforgettable show in the City of Brotherly Love’s finest venues. Here is a list of Philly concerts you don’t want to miss!  Snarky Puppy: Empire Central North American Tour (Friday, April 14, 2023)  If you are a jazz fusion lover, Snarky Puppy’s show at Union Transfer is the perfect way to spend your Friday night! The Grammy-winning instrumental group is known for their hi ..read more

Made up holidays usually start off pretty weird, but wind up becoming poignant and necessary. Take Valentine’s Day, and its design to sell greeting cards – who can live without its chocolate-covered romanticism. Jazz Appreciation Month? The JAM was created by Washington D.C.’s National Museum of American History – a Smithsonian Institute affiliate – in 2001 so to “recognize and celebrate the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz for the entire month of April… and stimulate and encourage people of all ages to participate in jazz – to study the music, attend concerts, listen to jazz on radi ..read more

If anyone was questioning the value of what a $5,000 ticket looked and sounded like after his long Ticketmaster pricing debacle of dynamic pricing, on Thursday night, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band proved they were worth every penny. On a tour that is taking them next to University Park, PA’s Bryce Jordan Center (March 18), Boston’s TD Garden (March 20), Buffalo’s KeyBank Center (March 23) Greensboro’s Coliseum (March 25) and Washington, D.C. and NYC before it European dates, Springsteen & Co.’s pre-St. Patty’s Day attack on Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center was, quite frankly ..read more

Everyone is allowed a level of eccentricity. Idiosyncratic behavior is a staple of human DNA, the thing that keeps us weird, and away from the norm of solely watching network television medical programs and eating fast food. It’s good for you to be eccentric. It keeps your life amusing and your friends, lovers, employers and employees guessing as long as you’re not actually endangering anyone. For example, Ezra Miller was eccentric until he kidnapped people. Nic Cage was eccentric until the mid-2000s and that slate of dozens of independent films – those were just bad acting choices. When it co ..read more

This year’s Apple Music Artist of the Year and newly-minted multiple 2023 Grammy nominee, Bad Bunny, is way more than the sum of his parts. Which is why we are taking a deep dive into the man who made his fifth album, Un Verano Sin Ti, into 2022’s biggest selling album, and his summer-autumn American tour into one of this season’s highest grossing live showcases. That’s because the Puerto Rican rapper, composer, and performer born as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio has forever been prolific beyond his newest album and tour schedule. If nothing else, Bad Bunny – along with J Balvin and Rosalia ..read more

You things are toast for Ye or Kanye West or the Fuhrer – whatever name he chooses going forward – when the talent for which we used to know his for gets ignored:  he just released his first new single in a minute with “Someday We’ll All Be Free.” Did you know the song was out? I work in the music business, and I barely knew. The under-3 minute track, which samples the late Donny Hathaway’s plea for equality, “Someday We’ll All Be Free” (poor Hathaway must be spinning in his grave with West’s use) is certainly influenced by all of the backlash to his recent pro-Nazi rhetoric and spew ..read more