When Naked Giants formed in 2014, the Seattle trio were all eighteen years old, full of the reckless, restless energy of youth. A decade on, both they and the world have changed immensely. Shine Away—the band’s third full-length—is very much an acknowledgment of that. It’s an album that reflects on their personal lives and the world at large, casting a discerning, self-reflective eye on what it’s like to be in and be Naked Giants. It’s the sound of a band coming into and becoming themselves. For the first time in their career, Naked Giants are taking stock of their journey—who and what they were, are, and want to be. At its core—the meaning of the album is the death and rebirth of the rock’n’roll dream, and the distance between what that dream was when the band started compared to today.
Live at Masquerade, April 14th
Driven by the constant societal pressure to be perfect, Daisy the Great duo Mina Walker and Kelley Dugan wrote “Ballerina” to process the smoke and mirrors around perfection in a world of social media.
“Ballerina represents a childhood dream of perfection: something that is unattainable, but real enough to give yourself something to compare yourself to,” explains the band. “You look for the ballerina in the search for beauty, purpose, talent, body, and success — and prescribe it to the people you see around you and on social media, who seem to have that air of flawlessness. But the truth is they are also looking for ballerinas because we live in a society that feeds you this idea that even though you’re not perfect, someone out there is.”
Live at Aisle 5, April 17th
Japanese Breakfast announced her highly anticipated fourth album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), due March 21st on Dead Oceans. Today, she shared the video for lead single “Orlando in Love.” The video was directed by Michelle Zauner herself with cinematography by Peter Ash Lee and Adam Kolodny.
“‘Orlando in Love’ is made up of a hodgepodge of odd references. The title comes from an epic poem by Matteo Maria Boiardo called Orlando Innamorato, which ends abruptly at 68.5 cantos because Italy was invaded by French troops, and that’s as far as he got before he had to flee. I fell in love with the title and envisioned a sort of whimsical, foolish male protagonist who lives by the sea in a Winneabeago RV and is seduced by a siren. After writing it, it felt like the perfect thesis statement for an album that is largely about people, often men, who find themselves seduced by temptation and are duly punished for it.
Somewhere along the way I came across Eduard von Grützner’s painting ‘The Connoisseur’ and I started to picture Orlando as a daydreaming friar who can’t help but tipple of the Abbey’s brews. He dreams of his siren and despite the dream’s foreboding imagery, decides he must run and find her. The siren is played by my dear friend Jungle, whom I spent most of my time with in Korea this year. The friars are played by Missy Dabice from Mannequin Pussy, making her return to the Jbrekkie Cinecanon, and Molly Germer. We filmed half of the video in Korea with Peter Ash Lee, who shot the cover of Jubilee, and half of it at my alma mater, Bryn Mawr College, with my longtime collaborator and DP, Adam Kolodny.”
Live at Masquerade, April 26th
Los Angeles’ heavenly harmonic trio Trousdale today announce their new album Growing Pains is set to arrive on April 11 via Independent Co. Releasing the warmly defiant title track and its video, Quinn D’Andrea, Georgia Greene, and Lauren Jones introduce a new body of work centered around three strong, independent women facing the threats of loneliness, broken hearts, loss, and more, and converting it into transformative, uplifting music.
The trio’s Lauren Jones shared, “The idea for this song came about pretty naturally by discussing one of our favorite subjects: how exhausted we are. It really is so disorienting at times to have a career that is your passion, but also your work. Your boundaries are constantly being pushed and pulled, and you’re always willing to put in the overtime because you care so much. Over time, this can really start to look like burnout if you’re not careful. ‘Growing Pains’ is about living the dream while acknowledging that the dream can be pretty hard sometimes.”
Live at Smith’s Olde Bar May 2nd
Sweetwater 420 Fest returns to Pullman Yards, holding center stage for Atlanta’s spring festival enthusiasts with Shaky Knees relocating to the fall. The Revivalists, Marcus King and veteran Greensky Bluegrass headline, but there’s plenty in the “undercard” to attract many.
Cypress Hill is local fav, Andy Frasco and his band will win over anyone unfamiliar, Grace Bowers continues what is becoming a world tour for a rising 18 year-old blues guitar phenom, Sierra Hull’s bluegrass is familiar to many, Seattle’s The Dip serves a popish funk while Lettuce brings the jam-funk. “Artist at large” Zach Person is a rising blues-rock guitarist from Alabama. And so it goes, a mix that has something for everyone for three great days of music.
Shaky Knees returns for its 12th Atlanta run and moves from Central Park to the more spacious Piedmont Park. Growth will do that. And it moves from a rite of Spring to the fall, enjoying some elbow room with other area festivals. Also, the line-up is stellar and probably to the fans’ advantage based on the featured acts at major fests in the spring.
All three headliners are winners, but there’s potentially a lot of hard choices to be made depending on who is assigned to competing stages. It’s a great problem to have!
Checkout the official Shaky Knees Spotify Playlist.
Atlanta – The 48th Atlanta Jazz Festival will be held on Memorial Day weekend in Piedmont Park. While hosting diverse tones of jazz, the festival is also notable for being free to attend and presented by the City of Atlanta – Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. This festival “just happens” compared to other festivals, with artists being announced just weeks ahead of the event.
Charleston – South Carolina’s High Water Fest has it going on with last year’s Shaky Knees superstar Arcade Fire headlining, along with Counting Crows, Lord Huron, Trampled by Turtles and others.
Miramar Beach – Creators of the boutique music vacation Topeka confirm the return of Grammy-award winners Tedeschi Trucks Band for another installment of their celebrated “Sun, Sand and Soul” beach weekend. Curated by the band themselves, this special music vacation returns to the shores of Miramar Beach, Florida, May 1-3, 2025.
“Sun, Sand and Soul” will bring two performances by Tedeschi Trucks Band, as well as sets from Bonnie Raitt, Cory Wong, Los Lobos, The Wood Brothers, North Mississippi All Stars, Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge and more.
Sign up for tickets HERE.
“We can’t wait to return to Florida in 2025 for a second year of our Sun, Sand & Soul festival! We’re excited to create a unique space for fans over an entire beach weekend. Getting the chance to collaborate with artists that are our heroes and friends is a true honor.” – Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.
Topeka delivers engaging U.S. based Music Vacation experiences amidst the backdrop of the beautiful white sand beaches of Miramar Beach, Florida. Topeka’s innovative approach offers a unique “Worry Free / No Line” live music experience where guests enjoy their favorite days at the beach and are a short walk from their beach condos, homes or villas to the intimate 5,500 guest open-air green space venue where they tune into their favorite artists each night.
Each guest enjoys the comforts of their own personal two, four or six person Cove for the course of the vacation event where they can stand, sit or dance each night. A variety of local culinary delights, beverages and merchandise are delivered on-demand right to guest’s Coves within 7 minutes or less ensuring they never miss a moment of music.
Inspired by a scene from the movie Almost Famous, Topeka prioritizes forging real connections between bands and their fans and creating moments that become memories that last a lifetime all through the power of community and live music.
Whether a couple, a group of friends, a family or coming solo, the Topeka team looks after every guest with a passion to set the stage for an unparalleled blend of hospitality, music, beach and connection.
Topeka was created by Andy Levine, Founder of Sixthman. Experience the feel of a Topeka Music Vacation HERE.
Knoxville – Southern Skies is a one day festival curated by the The Dirty Guv’nahs, who were founded and reside in Knoxville. Fans can hope they’ll be playing some new songs from their forthcoming release, but there’s plenty more to enjoy. Additional artists include headliner Charley Crocket, Willow Avalon, Devon Gilfillian, Southern Avenue, and Cruz Contreras and the Black Lillies. A Spring Saturday in Knoxville’s World’s Fair Park is a great way to spend a day. Check last year’s action.
Cullman – Rock the South is holding serve in Alabama with Gulf Shore’s Hangout Fest hung out to dry.
Asheville – The date isn’t set yet, but in 2024 AVL Fest played the first weekend of August. Sponsored in part by Wicked Weed, they had a great lineup and though Asheville is recovering from floods, will make a great host if the show goes on.
Nashville – Roots and Americana music. If you’ve got vacation days to burn, don’t waste them and spend them here. As only Nashville can, AmericanaFest features artists established or new.
Birmingham – For those who want to rock hard, the organizers of Furnace Fest have indicated their return. More to come.
