JJ Wilde @ la Maroquinerie, Paris - December 6th, 2021

Canadian rock sensation JJ Wilde is embarking on her first ever European tour, and this is was her first proper concert in France apart a few acoustic promo showcases and radio appearances. Ruthless, the album she released last year, is a great slice of hard driving, good old fashioned rock full of groove and melody.

Upcoming gigs

Here are some of the next shows we'll be covering in the upcoming months. Hope to see some of you there!

Friday's Playlist: Madchester and Rave Rockers

This Friday's Playlist focuses on a particular time and place, namely Manchester in the early nineties. Inspired by New Order and similar artists that blended psychedelic pop and electronica, the artists in this Playlist created this specific idiom that is informed equally by rock and rave culture.

The Black Lips @ Trabendo, Paris - December 2nd, 2021

The reformed bad boys of garage rock have been on a country tangent since the release of their excellent new record Sing in a World That's Falling Apart. But their version of country music is very informed by the seedy, druggy sounds of the Velvet Underground and they end up sounding like murky, punk version of Exile-era Rolling Stones, or Royal Trux attempting Americana, or an even more chaotic version of the Clash. Needless to say, that's a good thing.

Steve Hackett & Genesis Revisited @ Salle Pleyel, Paris - November 30th, 2021

While (what's left of) his former band is wrapping things up with one last tour of the world's arenas, the ex-Genesis guitarist is also embarking a nostalgia trek of sorts. But where his erstwhile bandmates concentrate on the hits of their post-Gabriel (and post-Hackett) career, pleasing aging yuppies and soccer grandmas, Steve Hackett is here presenting a veritable prog extravaganza consisting of the very best of his Genesis days as well as a couple of solo pieces.

Ayron Jones @ New Morning, Paris - November 29th, 2021

Ayron Jones' music isn't easily categorizable: it's equally indebted to soul music and alternative rock but also features elements of blues. His major label debut Child of the State is one of this year's best releases and landed him the opening slot for The Rolling Stones U.S. tour this past fall.

Rozedale @ New Morning, Paris - November 29th, 2021

Opening for Ayron Jones on his first European concert at the legendary New Morning jazz club was Rozedale, a local duo comprised of a singer and a guitarist.

Friday'sMonday's Playlist: George Harrison: 20 years gone

 Hard to believe it's been twenty years since George Harrison passed away. I don't know if he was my favorite Beatle (my ranking changes several times a day) but he released my favorite solo Beatle album. No, I'm not talking about Wonderwall Music...

Friday's Playlist: Prog-Rock Pond Scum

Are you busy right now, or do you have a little time on your hand? And by a little time, I mean SIXTEEN F*CKING HOURS! Because that's how long this playlist lasts.

That's right, it's a behemoth of a playlist. Over seventy tracks. Several hundred musicians. Fifty billion time signatures. Massive, we tell you. Excessive in every way. In that regard, it's coherent with the subject: Progressive Rock.

Friday's Playlist: Power Ballads

Two and a half years ago we gave you a sprawling playlist the wonderful atrocities committed by Hair bands. Well, consider this part two. It's all there: schmaltzy lyrics, syrupy melodies, ham-fisted power chords, cheesy synthesizers...

Friday's Playlist: Shredders

Happy Friday! You know, sometimes you just have forego subtlety completely. Restraint is for the timid. This playlist is ostentatious. It's flash. It's loud. This playlist is about that over-the-top style of guitar playing that was pioneered by Eddie Van Halen: lightning-fast, brash and unapologetic. The players in this playlist don't believe that less is more. They believe that more is not enough.

Gary Lucas @ Sunset/Sunside, Paris - November 6th, 2021

Journeyman guitarist Gary Lucas is celebrating forty years of a multifaceted career at one of Paris' premier jazz clubs. It is quite a privilege to hear him play and regale us with stories in such a setting. Accompanied   by five high-caliber musicians hailing from extremely diverse musical and geographical horizons, the evening was an exquisite blend of jazz, blues, classical and contemporary avant garde.

Listen to the new Jethro Tull song here.

Jethro Tull has released a new song. Listen to Shoshana Sleeping below. 

Friday's Playlist: Awesome Bass Solos (pt. 2)

Happy Friday! Almost five months ago we debuted the new Awesome Bass Solos series in our Friday playlists, and finally here is the second episode that is all about that low end.

Right off the bat, a little caveat: these are not necessarily solos exactly. Sometimes it's just a fill, sometimes it's a chorus, sometimes it's an intro, sometimes an interlude. It just means a certain section of the song prominently features the electric bass. So don't get on my case over semantics, ok?

Listen to U2's new song here.

Check out U2's new song below. it is part of the soundtrack for the upcoming film Sing 2.