Watching Sleater-Kinney, Courtney Barnett, and Fred Armisen cover Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” on Saturday night in Oregon was a delightful surprise to conclude a show packed with knockout performances. Curated by Barnett herself, the touring Here & There Festival brought in a wide variety of artists, differing based on the venue location across the country, for an end-of-summer musical extravaganza.   For the closing act, Sleater-Kinney called the other musicians on to the stage for “Physical.” In addition to Sleater-Kinney and Barnett, the Oregon show featured Fred Armisen...

  Musician, feminist, and activist, Margo Price, has been multitasking, to say the least. First off there’s her new song, Been to The Mountain, and an accompanying video which is, uh, rather trippy. The song, according to Margo, “is part one of an introspective trip into our subconscious. It is the perfect continuation of my search for freedom in my art and freedom in the modern age.” Ms. Price’s latest musical gem combines fuzzy guitars, garage rock Hammond organ, and harpsichord which all work together perfectly complementing Margo’s...

Compiled and edited by musician Kim Gordon and writer Sinéad Gleeson, This Woman’s Work comprises 16 essays on and by an assortment of talented creators including Rachel Kushner, Maggie Nelson, Margo Jefferson, and more. The unifying theme encompasses a broad range of the female experience of music, including Jenn Pelly on Lucinda Williams (“The Highway”), Anne Enright on Laurie Anderson (“Fan Girl”), Fatima Bhutto on dictatorships and the power of music (“Songs of Exile”), and Ottessa Moshfegh on transformative piano lessons (“Victoria”). As Heather Leigh writes in...

Badass human rights activist and singer-songwriter MILCK has written a pro-choice anthem for the movement to fight for bodily autonomy in the wake of SCOTUS’ recent decision to overrule Roe v. Wade. The pop singer burst onto the scene in 2017 when a video of her singing her original song “Quiet” at the first annual Women’s March in Washington D.C went viral. She wrote the lyrics, “I can’t keep quiet, no I won’t keep quiet” in 2015 with songwriter Adrianne Gonzalez as a way to...

Seattle’s alternative “grunge” rock was a punk/metal hybrid sound made famous by bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden that seized pop culture in the early ’90s. Among the musicians who came to define the scene, white men dominated, and women were few. And Black women? If the most common version of history is to be believed, there were none. But that version is wrong. Bam Bam, formed in 1983 by husband-and-wife duo Tommy Martin and Tina Bell, has largely been erased from the annals of the...

For those of us languishing in the mid-summer heat, Los Angeles-based band Hot As Sun brings a refreshing new song to cool us off. The band’s latest single "It Was Bananas” is the summer sound tonic we’ve been waiting for. Evocative of early eighties sounds like ESG or Bush Tetras, we love the animated video created by artist Patricia Luna (Beck, Stuntdriver, Freidberg). The single also features Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass of (Beck, St. Vincent, and Nine Inch Nails),  Hot As Sun began in 2010 with vocalist, songwriter/composer...

Known for over five decades as the “Queen of Funk,” Chaka Khan has sold over 70 million albums worldwide with her irresistible vocal blend of R&B, soul, pop, and disco. Think you know why everyone’s always talkin’ about Chaka? Then take the quiz! 1. Chaka was born on March 23, 1953, in ___________. a. Brooklyn, NY       b. Ventura, CA c. Chicago, IL           d. Gary, IN   2. Which of the following is also a name Chaka has used when not going by Chaka Khan? a. Yvette Marie Stevens b. Chaka Adunne Aduffe c. Yemoja Hodarhi...

We are living in an age where every word counts. Whether it’s in a movie, TV show, Instagram post, or tweet, the way in which we use language to convey our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs is being thoroughly questioned and analyzed daily. Editing ourselves in real-time, both online and in real life has become the norm for politicians, social media influencers, actors, actresses, and more. Singers are no exception to this rule, and this was recently proven when Beyoncé and Lizzo made headlines for removing...

BRITTANY DAVIS I Choose to Live (Loosegroove Records) Seattle’s Brittany Davis delivers a manifesto of heart and inclusivity on their rap, electronic, and R&B-infused debut EP, I Choose to Live. Davis, a protégé of Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, packs an amount of reflective and groove-worthy content into six songs that is nothing short of remarkable. The opening title track is a beacon, giving shoutouts to frontline workers and vital nods of reconciliation: “To my Asian brothers and sisters I extend my heart/Because I refuse to let the past keep...

If you’re heading to Outside Lands: https://www.sfoutsidelands.com/ this year, check out some of the BUSTy artists we think you would love. We’ve linked their set times and stages below.   SZA 8/5 8:45 PM - 9:55 PM Lands End  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO5IQ70V7l-XpHW40HwaGsw   PHOEBE BRIDGERS 8/5 8:35 PM - 9:50 PM Twin Peaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh4PO1W9tVmHujIPZnfK8TQ   THE MARÍAS 8/5 6:55 PM - 7:45 PM Twin Peaks  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmZkdugBmAP_zpyzayv6VQ   SAMPA THE GREAT 8/5 4:35 PM - 5:15 PM Panhandle https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHPHV1vMBvc-hce4Z5xP88A   HIATUS KAIYOTE 8/5 4:10 PM - 5:00 PM Lands End https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmD8TDgJxofPfxA8GTpaCCQ   ASHE 8/5 3:45 PM - 4:35 PM Twin Peaks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYx21h__0wVW2wBWX7sQP1A  LIDO PIMIENTA 8/5 3:00 PM - 3:40 PM Panhandle https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPfz16ao-2v68HDN3weu9Jg   FAYE WEBSTER 8/5 2:40 PM...