September 14, 2026

Jon Madof Trio: "Invisible Alchemy (for John Zorn)" video

Watch the Jon Madof Trio video for Invisible Alchemy (for John Zorn), a track from their Netzach album: "Madof steers his trio along all the sights, paying tribute to his heroes John Zorn, Nick Cave and Derek Trucks, who also carved their own niche. The mood is both joyous and introspective, going through hills and valleys. The musicians reach for the sky, fully aware that the destination will remain out of reach. The neverending journey ensures that more of these adventurous and intricate compositions will see the light of day in the future." The clip was directed Elijah Rappaport.

Live date:

» jonmadof.com

HCTF review of Netzach

Courtney Barnett: live on KCRW

Australian rock singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett stopped by American radio station KCRW's Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica again. This time she and her band barrelled through ten songs, most of them from her latest album Creature Of Habit.

Setlist:
  1. Stay In Your Lane
  2. Avant Gardener
  3. Small Poppies
  4. Site Unseen
  5. Turning Green
  6. Before You Gotta Go
  7. Mantis
  8. Mostly Patient
  9. Pedestrian at Best
  10. Nobody Cares

» courtneybarnett.com.au

September 13, 2026

Johnny Dowd: three shows @ Fringe Festival in Rochester

Outsider Americana artist Johnny Dowd will perform for three days in a row at the Fringe Festival in Rochester (September 15-17). He will be playing @ The Biltmore Bar and Lounge at 7:45pm.

» johnnydowd.com

HCTF review of Is Heaven Real? How Would I Know

Xavier MONAX: Music for the Basses

Xavier MONAX: Music for the Basses

Xavier Palau, member of post-punk quintet HERE[IN], has collected the pieces he recorded since 2020 for his one-man project Xavier MONAX. The result: an introspective album called Music for the Basses that will be embraced by fans of the Cure in their Faith / Pornography phase. Palau has carefully stacked the instruments (mostly guitar and bass) to give voice to his inner thoughts that keep him awake at night.

Wiht such a long creation process, it is quite surprising that he managed to lay down consistent compositions that somehow fit together. It is obvious that he has given each piece a lot of thought before pushing "rec". The eerie spoken word bits that pop up every now and then will have listeners strain their ears trying to make out what he is saying.

Words about music (854): Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe
The world is full of musicians who can play great, and you wouldn't cross the road to see them. It's people who have this indefinable attitude that are the good ones.

Nick Lowe