Jimmy Eat World has been together for nearly 30 years, but it wasn’t until 2001 that most people knew who they were. It was their third album and hit song “The Middle” that cemented them into the pop-rock music scene. Twenty years and six albums later, the band is grown up. And a lot has […]
Les Schwab Shows
In It Together
Michael Franti has a discography that numbers nine studio albums with his current band, Spearhead, as well as one album with his first group, the Beatnigs, and a pair of titles with the influential group that preceded his solo career, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. But he’s never had a recording experience quite like the […]
Never the Same Show Twice
I’ve never seen Widespread Panic live, but apparently that’s the only way to really experience what they’ve got going on. Like Phish or the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic’s music is more complex than the average jam band and the sound is just as playful and digressive. According to guitarist/singer John Bell, they never play the […]
Ben Harper Returns to Les Schwab Amphitheater
It took seven years for Ben Harper to reunite with the Innocent Criminals, and he says in making โCall It What It Is,โ his new album with his long-time band, there was a fundamental change in the dynamic. More than ever, billing โCall It What It Isโ as a Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals […]
Slightly Spectacular
The band Slightly Stoopid has been around for literally decades. Their creative sound is an energetic fusion of reggae, punk, hip-hop, folk, jazz and whatever else they feel like bringing to the mix. Often compared to the legendary group Sublime, this Southern California-born band has made a name for itself across the globe and will […]
Alabama Shakes’ Drummer Steve Johnson & ‘Sound & Color’
Alabama Shakes’ current album, “Sound & Color,” is one of the boldest second albums in recent years, taking the fairly straightforward (but stirring) blues and soul-rooted rock of the group’s 2012 debut, “Boys & Girls,” and turning it on its ear with a host of stylistic twists and an adventurous approach to the music. Some […]

