December 21, 2024

Kristi Kates | Author


Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles – Interscope

Oct. 26, 2019

British singer-songwriter Fender is an interesting case. A storytelling performer primarily influenced by Bruce Springsteen, he’s openly hostile to what he calls “wimpy” performers like James Bay and Ed Sheeran. Nevertheless, his latest, an album of modern folk-rock compos… Read More >>

Greta Van Fleet Gets Soundtracked

Oct. 19, 2019

Greta Van Fleet got its start in Frankenmuth, Michigan, and now is a nationally known band with a full-length major album under its collective belt, 2018’s Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Now, a single that surfaced from the sessions for that album but wasn’t included in the final … Read More >>

Tune Into Taylor Cramer

Oct. 12, 2019

An MVP of a European basketball team. A single dad. A woman who was widowed at the early age of 33. A man who was unexpectedly injured out in the wilderness. And a plethora of local entrepreneurs, each with their own unique startup story.

These are some of the people you’ll me… Read More >>

The Lumineers – III – Dualtone

Oct. 12, 2019

This is quite a switch-up for the Grammy-nominated band.While III includes the sharp vocals and shifting arrangements that you’ve come to expect, everything’s encased in a much darker tone. Not a cheerful album — or an easy listen, lyrically — the album is d… Read More >>

Supergrass, The Strange Ones

Oct. 12, 2019

Supergrass fans will be glad to see that the band — following its reunion, after 10 years apart, at Glastonbury’s Pilton Party — has just announced a full reunion tour as well as the release of a career-spanning box set (which includes a great cover of The… Read More >>

Iggy Pop Rocks Out with The Roots

Oct. 5, 2019

Detroit vintage punker Iggy Pop collaborated with The Roots, guitarist Noveller, and jazz trumpeter Leron Thomas to perform a track from Pop’s new (18th) solo album, Free, on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The musicians played Pop’s tune “James Bond,&rdqu… Read More >>

Belinda Carlisle – Gold – Demon Records

Oct. 5, 2019

Following her ’80s star turn with The Go-Gos, frontwoman/singer Carlisle embarked on a solo pop career that sold over eight million records, and you’ll hear most of the reasons for that success in this hits collection. Carlisle combined a distinctive voice with the ability to ch… Read More >>

Various Artists – Trip Hop Vibes Vol. 1– Wagram

Sept. 28, 2019

Whether you’ve long wondered what “trip-hop” exactly is — or you’re already a longtime fan of the genre — this is an exceptional overview of it, with some of the mainstays of the sound bringing their best tracks. Moby’s catchy “Natural Blues,&… Read More >>

5 Seconds Bare Their “Teeth”

Sept. 28, 2019

5 Seconds of Summer just dropped a new single that’s getting some solid traction — or perhaps we should say bite— on the charts. The band’s “Teeth,” featuring Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine/AudioslaveRead More >>

Dude York — Falling — Hardly Art

Sept. 21, 2019

The Seattle band returns with another set of pop-punk tracks that will bring to mind teenaged late nights on suburban sidewalks, sneaking just one more cigarette before curfew. Vocals alternate between Peter Richards and Claire England, with standouts including the dark ’60s feel of &… Read More >>

Jawbreaker, Unbroken

Sept. 21, 2019

Post-hardcore/emo band Jawbreaker is the subject of a new documentary you can stream on Amazon Prime or purchase on Google Play or iTunes. The doc, titled Don’t Break Down, follows the band’s road from when it formed in New York City in 1986 and release… Read More >>

Fall Restaurant Roundup

Sept. 14, 2019

Please be seated for these abbreviated versions of the restaurant reviews we’ve featured since our last RestauranTour issue. Bon Appetit!

THE TRIBUNE ICE CREAM AND EATERY – Northport
Just a stone’s throw away from the shores of Northport Ba… Read More >>

Mike McGear – McGear – Esoteric

Sept. 7, 2019

Paul McCartney might have the looks and the major fame, but his twin brother, Mike McCartney, who uses the pseudonym McGear professionally, is no slouch. This is a re-release of McGear’s 1974 sophomore solo album, which was produced by his Beatles brother and also featured Linda McCar… Read More >>

Iggy Pop Chills Out

Sept. 7, 2019

Detroiter Iggy Pop has a new solo album out: Free, which arrived last week on Loma Vista Records. The album’s first single, “James Bond,” is a good indicator of the rest of the album’s direction, a surprisingly jazzy-meets-ambient effort tha… Read More >>

Citizens Go Global For Charity

Aug. 31, 2019

Music fans who seek a better world, mark your calendars for Sept. 28. That’s the day for this year’s Global Citizen Festival, which will draw attention to a range of charitable causes via a massive music concert in New York’s Central Park, with featured pe… Read More >>

Mini Mansions – Guy Walks Into a Bar – Spinefarm

Aug. 31, 2019

Michael Shuman of Queens of the Stone Age, plus longtime pals Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford blend their rock heritage together to form Mini Mansions, a rollicking old-school rock project that careens through its tunes like a teenager on Jolt Cola skateboarding down a hill. The problem is th… Read More >>

Hydro – Lateral Thinking – Utopia Music

Aug. 24, 2019

It takes an inimitable talent to take dance music and craft it in a way that works outside of the club, too, but that’s exactly what Hydro does with his first full-length debut album. The DJ has been releasing standalone tracks and other projects for years, but now he’s bringing… Read More >>

School of Language – 45 – Memphis

Aug. 17, 2019

You might have heard of School of Language — aka David Brewis — before; he’s best known for Field Music, his duo with his brother Peter. But Brewis teams up with some very, er … different album partners on this set, namely soul music and politics. These tracks pull … Read More >>

MTV VMAs Nominating Swift, Jonas Bros, Eilish

Aug. 17, 2019

The 2019 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) are coming up fast. Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande lead the nominations with 10 each, followed up by Billie Eilish, who has nine. Nominees for the big Video of the Year award are SwiftRead More >>

We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls – FC Records

Aug. 10, 2019

WWPJ fans will find a lot to like about this set, a special expanded anniversary edition of the band’s debut album, which is celebrating 10 years this year. The new version includes all of the original material, plus eight previously released tunes, one of which is the rarely heard de… Read More >>