Watch opera singer Renée Fleming and banjo maestro Béla Fleck perform four songs for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert. They were joined by mandolinist and singer Sierra Hull , bassist Mark Schatz , fiddler and singer Michael Cleveland , and guitarist Jake Stargel. Top shelf bluegrass with a twist, breathing new life into songs as old as the hills.
Setlist:
Minneapolis-based multi-instrumentalist and singer Scott Gagner stepped up to the mike again for the follow-up for his all instrumental Underwater Waltz. It is an amalgam of indie rock and power pop, with the rhythm section playing catch with the melodic elements. Gagner wraps his concerns about the current right-wing clusterfuck in sunny-side up songs - no mean feat as they were recorded during the height of the ICE raids in his hometown.
Gagner is a veteran with a firm grasp on his art, creating music that is not mainstream, but radio-friendly enough to get past the gatekeepers of pop radio shows. It doesn't hurt that he can write a love song that could be mistaken for a Byrds, Big Star or Beach Boys track. Sweet Tooth may sound soft and innocent, but it packs a punch, provided people are willing to pay attention to the lyrics.
Watch the Scott McCloud video for Make It To Forever, the title track from his new album: "His husky vocals will be appreciated by fans of Bob Mould, Henry Rollins and Iggy Pop. Life has provided him with enough hassles and bruises, but he shows his scars with pride. He is still standing, with a take it or leave it attitude."
HCTF review of Make It To Forever
Phish
2026/07/29
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Dutch folk noir band The Bullfight have added a couple of shows to their tour in The Netherlands to promote their latest album 81 Bedford St., a soundtrack for a film noir movie that does not exist: "Most soundtracks are connect-the-dots affairs, with a few well-known popular songs and a run-of-the-mill theme that a composer won't lose any sleep over to create to something memorable. Not so for 81 Bedford St. on which the band's resident writer and multi-instrumentalist Thomas van Vliet went above and beyond with a bunch of songs that are closely linked to create a narrative, but also can hold their own and be enjoyed as such. There is jazz, industrial noise, torch singing, avant-garde, pastoral violin driven baroque pop, and much, much more."
Chicago-based Americana singer Jules Klee tackles the ups and downs in a thorny relationship on her new single He Don't Know A Thing. A craving for illegal substances, loss and various less challenging issues could not stop her from persevering and she was rewarded with a Hollywood ending of sorts. She is blessed with a crystal clear delivery - country twang included - that should get her on stage on the Grand Ole Opry some day.
Johnny Marr has shared Ophelia, another single from his forthcoming new album The Age Of Everything. It is a fine piece of jangling pop goodness, and quite a bit of echo on the vocals, urging the woman in question to let go for a bit and don't be so damn serious all of the time.
Phish
2026/07/27
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Neo-vaudeville folk band Curtis Eller's American Circus will be playing a special "black tie" show @ Mettlesome in Durham, NC on July 30. Expect lots of songs from their forthcoming album No Bones. Tickets are available here. The Kickstarter campaign for the new album has reached of $5,366 its $11,000 goal, with 19 days to go.
HCTF review of Another Nice Mess
Bill McClintock made a mashup of The Temptations : and Ratt: Get Ready + Lack of Communication = Get Ready for Lack of Communication. Plus a bit of Dimebag Darrel's solo from Pantera's I'm Broken. Want more? His YouTube channel has lots of them.
Watch the video of the in-studio performance by British electronic band Ladytron on The Afternoon Show @ KEXP radio in Seattle, recorded on June 6, 2026. They performed three songs from their latest album Paradises, plus long time fan favourite Destroy Everything You Touch.
Phish
2026/07/25
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Music is about imagination. It's about thought. It's about creating something from nothing.
Glenn Branca
Phish
2026/07/24
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Phish
2026/07/22
Madison Square Garden
New York, NY
Canadian psychedelic raga band Elephant Stone throw a punch at the fake comfort offered by swallowing a tablet to get people's mind away from reality on their new single I Got A Pill. Demagogues love them, because people won't take notice of all the shit they are doing. When they realise what is happening, the com down from a bad trip will be hard to deal with.
It is another first taste from their new album ASHA, due for release on August 28th via Elephants On Parade/Little Cloud Records. It is available for pre-order here (vinyl, digital). The video was directed by Adam Traynor.
Phish
2026/07/21
Amphitheater at Lakeview
Syracuse, NY
Punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls will be on tour in Europe and North America. It has been a while since singer-songwriter Amanda Palmer and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Brian Viglione hit the stage for a lengthy tour, but now that their 2006 album Yes, Virginia… has been re-recorded in full - they named it "tailors version" - the time is right again.
Weston Smith is a DIY dungeon synth artist from Phoenix, Arizona, who conjures up a bunch of people trying to make their way to the Righteous Path in a fantasy world where the rules of physics don't apply. It feels like they are led by a troubadour with a soft spot for the sound a pan flute leading the way, with a rumbling bass as the foundation for a shoestring take for a Hans Zimmer-esque instrumental. The cover art for the single - think MS Paint ca. 1997 - leaves a lot to be desired, but don't judge the book music by its cover.
Phish
2026/07/19
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Columbia, MD
