Live music review: Galactic brought NOLA funk, The Suffers added H-Town soul

Friday evening at Emo's was billed a headliner show for New Orleans-based Galactic but ended up a fantastic double-bill with H-town buzz-act The Suffers opening the show. A large portion of the audience came for Galactic but those in know arrived early to catch the soulful Kam Franklin and the nine piece, self-styled Gulf Coast soul players lay a heavy dose of emotion on fans. The soul didn't stop with The Suffers as Galactic guest vocalist Erica Falls belted out lyrics with ferocity. The feel-good vibes were flowing.

Beyond being New Orleans' best known jam band, Galactic features... Continue reading

Live music preview: 12 bands you should see at ACL Festival 2015 part II

With this second-half installment of our Austin City Limits Music Festival 2015 (ACL Fest) recommendations the emphasis is on the middle-tier acts booked. To our sensibility that is where the gold is found. A good example is TV on the Radio who played an exceptional Lollapalooza set last month. The group was booked on a second-tier stage at sundown. Their performance was spellbinding. They may not get the attention of acts like the Foo Fighters but they get plenty of respect from musicians and hard core music fans. The bulk of our recommendations reflect that sentiment.

The lone exception to our list might be... Continue reading