By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist There comes a time in someone’s life where they realize they have truly achieved greatness. Mine just came in a rather queer fashion. On the night of Sept. 8, 2023, I was recruited to help run the music for KTSW’s drag show to kick off San Marcos Pride. Upon overcoming entry challenges, I arrived at The Porch, a KTSW staple for all Third Thursday […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist Emerging from the dense forest of European bands comes FIZZ, a group crafting their own fantastical wonderland. Consisting of best friends Dodie, Gretta Isaac, Orla Gartland and Martin Luke Brown, FIZZ is downright whimsical and committed to remaining unserious in everything they do before they release their debut album, The Secret to Life, on Oct. 27. Their album rollout has been quite interesting as well […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist It turns out there is such a thing as a “healthy habit.” In fact, the folk-pop band Tiny Habits is one such example. After opening for Gracie Abrams on her Good Riddance Tour, the group released their debut EP Tiny Things and began their first solo journey on their very own Tiny Tour. While success has followed them everywhere they have gone, Maya Rae, Cinya […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist Laufey, pronounced Lay-vey, is an Icelandic-born artist who has brought jazz and bossa nova to Generation Z with an orchestral twist. She was inducted into the music industry via TikTok -- a common gateway these days -- and she has been stealing hearts ever since. The mere 24-year-old has collaborated with the likes of Adam Melchor, and even the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtXmbfpdIaA&list=PLyOJSTHFAIia4FyPvxVbWb8U-ZYUfdqPL&index=6 I discovered […]
Michael Ybarra Music Journalist TW: Discussions of sexual assault In an overcrowded sea of albums, most of which seek to steal five minutes of virality, one can yearn for the truly transformative. Leith Ross’s debut album, To Learn, released on May 19, fulfills this quota perfectly, and if people are not careful, they just might miss its understated excellence. Ross, like most other up-and-coming artists these days, first found fame […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist Yebba, otherwise known as Abigail Smith, careened into her music career on a Sofar stage. It was a small performance, just her and her guitarist playing a steady riff, but the audience was starstruck. Yebba’s unique agility, breathy vocal quality and intensely vulnerable lyricism left the room hooting and hollering. Even after five minutes, Yebba had them in the palm of her hand. […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist The recording academy made some interesting decisions on the biggest night for music, but they may have gotten something right which has bigger implications than anyone has realized. 64 years after the first black woman won Best Individual Jazz Performance and Best Female Vocal Performance at the first ever Grammy Awards, Samara Joy took home the title of Best New Artist. She shattered the […]
By Michael Ybarra Music Journalist One of an artist’s only jobs, that the public knows about anyway, is to crank out fresh hits for their adoring fans. But the pressure to maintain familiarity while attempting to satisfy the urge to experiment with one’s sound has never been higher. Many artists have shown this battle between their past sound and their vision for the future of their music plays a […]
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In My Head Phantogram & Whethan
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