For the past two years, there has been a lot of talk in defense of ska. The musical genre that was a brief cash grab for the major labels of the ’90s has much deeper roots in the worlds of punk, anti-racist activism and Jamaican culture...

FRIDAY HIP HOP LYRICS BORN Lyrics Born is a legend. Born in Tokyo, the Japanese and Jewish American rapper made a name for himself in the Bay...

THURSDAY HIP HOP BRAVO THE BAGCHASER Just like his name implies, Bravo the Bagchaser is out to get that green: money, cannabis and everything in between. Prior...

The New York-based trio Pickle Mafia describes its music–with tongue firmly planted in cheek–as “arena jazz fusion.” But that description is more indicative of the band’s sense of humor...

If it’s possible to be too fun, Say She She wins the award... Often clad in funky black and white with bejeweled Gogo boots, these women are expert vocalists, crafting tight, shimmering harmonies...

What do you get when you cross belly dancing with dubstep? That’s one of many questions a Beats Antique show answers. At the Catalyst on Saturday

Texas blues virtuoso Carolyn Wonderland, who officially joined Alligator Records as the iconic Chicago label’s first female guitarist in its fifty-year history, brings the blues to Moe's Alley on Tuesday.

Twenty years into her jazz career, NYC-based vocalist/pianist Champian Fulton has long since mastered the crucial art of putting her own idiosyncratic spin on standards from the jazz canon. You can hear echoes of the singer Fulton has cited as a primary influence – Sarah Vaughan – in her richly textured, self-assured vocalizing. Earlier this year...

Mustard Plug have been playing ska-punk since the early 90s. The Grand Rapids, Michigan bunch toured non-stop in the late 90s during the mainstream ska-boom. They weren’t one of the bands with a hit on the radio, but they had a huge cult following. In the 2000s, they kept the ska flame burning...

There is no voice like Valerie June’s, and wow is it a good one. But June is more than her vocals—deep sound, moving in both its layered complexity and its tributes to musical traditions of the past. June’s songs scratch the itch for anyone seeking the spiritual experience of collective ecstasy that only beautiful music can create.

One of the main bands reviving ska in the ’70s was The English Beat. And good news—they are still reviving ska! Lead singer Dave Wakeling and his backing band bring all the hits, like “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Save It For Later” and their incredible cover of Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown.” This will be an absolute dance-fest of an evening.

Esteemed promoter (((folkYeah!))) brings Afrofuturist pioneers The Sun Ra Arkestra to town for a concert of dreams. At 99-years-old, alto-saxophonist Marshall Allen, who has been a member since 1958  but isn’t traveling with the band, leads the famed group through its 60+-year sojourn across swing, rock and blues.