DJ Lanphier for AOL About a year ago, 22-year-old Omaha native Tim Halperin made his debut on the small stage of the front room at Slowdown, the live music venue in Omaha run by Saddle Creek Records, the label home of Bright Eyes, Cursive and Azure Ray. But, on Monday evening, Halperin moved up to the main stage -- and it's kind of a big deal. ...

DJ Lanphier for AOL The crowd at New York's Webster Hall was in a playful mood as they waited for the show to begin at Wednesday's Freelance Whales gig. They sang along to Men at Work's 'Land Down Under' as the buzz of anticipation and the lure of the fun to come fluttered around the room. And then, the canned music stopped, the house lights were ...

DJ Lanphier for AOL Fresh off an exuberant appearance on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' the day before (replete with a horn section), Phosphorescent were riding high Friday night (Dec. 10) as they took the stage at Bowery Ballroom in New York City. Front man Matthew Houck walked on with a small white and brown spotted dog in his arms, ...

DJ Lanphier for AOL John Lennon once said that rock music was all "rip off," meaning that an artist would take a little bit of inspiration from here and there, borrow from this, nick from that, push it through their own prism, then put it on spin cycle, and something new yet slightly familiar would burst forth. It's the beauty of the process. ...

DJ Lanphier When rock 'n' roll music lovers discuss their all-time favorite guitarists, the list usually starts out with the usual suspects -- Les Paul, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, the Edge -- all legends, not to mention fantastic, innovative and talented players in their own right. But, after the dust settles and the ...

DJ Lanphier It was a bit of a homecoming for the Walkmen as they took the stage Thursday night at New York City's Terminal 5, and it was clear they wanted to put on a good show for the crowd. Recently returned from a tour in Europe, the Gotham-based rockers tore into their set with a sonic blowtorch. Wearing a brown jacket and white shirt, ...

Matt Wignall There simply aren't that many bands that can get away with playing a stripped-down Pink Floyd cover one moment and sounding like a punk version of Willie Nelson the next, but Delta Spirit manage to do so with style, rocking the house in their fun, singular way. Their Tuesday night show at New York's Webster Hall kicked off with ...