All photos by Tim Bottchen Vampire Weekend, or “Vampy Weeks,” as I heard someone call them recently, played to a sold-out audience at The Pageant on Tuesday evening. Singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira opened the show. VW’s set consisted of — you guessed it — lots of hooks and songs from their latest album, Modern Vampires of … Read more
All photos by Nate Burrell The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville is a special place, and we were fortunate to have photographer Nate Burrell deliver these beautiful shots from the Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite performance this past Saturday. Please enjoy Nate’s photos from the show, and be sure to visit his site, Before the Blink.
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco | All photos by Louis Kwok Before launching into “Born Alone,” a track from Wilco’s latest album, The Whole Love, Belleville, Illinois native Jeff Tweedy spoke about recent loss in the area, and expressed hope that music was as helpful to the audience as it was to himself. He then dedicated … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay Gave you the moon and the stars to keep But you gave them back to me This past winter, I didn’t do much at night but drink a reasonable amount of whiskey and listen to vinyl. Might sound bleak or beautiful depending on your point of view, but I was … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen Grace Potter & the Nocturnals were just in St. Louis last January at The Pageant, but once is never enough for the Vermont-based band: you always welcome more. This time around, they were the opening act for Dave Matthews Band at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, and they wasted no time cranking … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen They don’t sing. Rodrigo Sanchez and Gabriela Quintero don’t need to. They play Yamaha acoustic guitars with nylon strings, creating sounds I’ve never heard. Sometimes a smiling Gabriela twirls around, eyes closed, while thrashing her instrument; sometimes Rodrigo stands stoically in the spotlight, playing quickly but in no apparent hurry. … Read more
All Photos by Joe O’Toole Photos and words by Joe O’Toole. It’s a wonder why this is Big Head Todd & The Monsters’ first show in Flagstaff, AZ. The hard working foursome formed nearly 27 years ago in Colorado and has toured relentlessly since, all the while enjoying a devoted hometown fan base in the … Read more
All photos by Joe O’Toole Blitzen Trapper recently made a stop at Phoenix’s Crescent Ballroom, and one of our new contributors/photographers, Joe O’Toole was on hand to catch the action. Please enjoy his shots of the show, and be sure to visit his site here.
All photos by Tim Bottchen On Friday and Saturday evening, Yonder Mountain String Band and their loyal following took over The Pageant in St. Louis for a two-night stand of bluegrass and rock. Photographer Tim Bottchen was on hand for Friday night’s performance; please enjoy his photos, and visit his website.
All photos by Agatha Donkar Last night I instagrammed my photo pass for the Gaslight Anthem show with the caption some people go to church, I go to see Brian Fallon. It’s true: I believe in rock and roll like some people believe in God, and the Gaslight Anthem are one of the bands that … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay Kopecky Family Band made its way back to Off Broadway in St. Louis last week, and they began the night with “The Glow,” a standout track from their latest release, Kids Raising Kids. Equally chilling was Kelsey Kopecky during “Change;” her voice was fragile, and time stood still for just … Read more
All photos by Agatha Donkar The Last Bison, a seven piece chamber pop mountaintop orchestra, played to a not quite full house at Motorco on Thursday night, and I felt lucky to see their high energy, free-wheeling performance now, because their newest full-length LP is due to drop on Tuesday, Inheritence out on Republic Records, … Read more
All photos by Louis Kwok The buzz was loud for Tegan and Sara’s recent stop at The Pageant, and for good reason: their latest album, Heartthrob, is one of the best releases of 2013. The Canadian duo played the album in its entirety, which included tight versions of “Drove Me Wild,” “Now I’m All Messed … Read more
All photos by Joe O’Toole Arctic Monkeys performed in Tempe this past Monday, and Speakers in Code photographer Joe O’Toole was on hand to capture the English band that released AM in 2013. Their song “Do I Wanna Know” recently checked in at #19 on our 150 Best Songs of 2013 list. Please enjoy Joe’s … Read more
Paris, France’s Phoenix made its first St. Louis performance in 3+ years at The Pageant on Friday night, and much like their last show at the same venue in 2010, they completely shattered expectations with their precise brilliance. As you’ll see below, lead singer Thomas Mars made his way into the crowd on three separate … Read more
All photos by Jason Gonulsen alt-J closed out the 105.7 The Point Ho Ho Show w/GROUPLOVE at The Pageant on Tuesday night, performing songs from their debut album, An Awesome Wave. All photos by Jason Gonulsen.
Tift Merritt at the Speakers in Code 3rd Birthday Concert at Off Broadway in St. Louis | Photo by Louis Kwok We’ve had quite a year at Speakers in Code, from our 3rd Birthday concert with Tift Merritt back in February, to Lollapalooza in Chicago, to LouFest in St. Louis, to a portrait session with … Read more
Photo by Tim Bottchen Atlas Genius made a stop in St. Louis at The Pageant on Monday, performing songs from their debut album When It Was Now. Please enjoy Tim Bottchen’s wonderful photos of the evening, and be sure to visit his site here.
GROUPLOVE brought the heat to a sold-out Pageant crowd in St. Louis, blitzing through selections from their two albums, Never Trust a Happy Song and 2013’s Spreading Rumours. Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper treat their time on stage like a work out party, high knees and all. See them on tour next year. We’ll also … Read more
All Photos by Tim Bottchen Before the first encore last night (there were two) at The Pageant, Neko Case said it was time for a “sexy ballad.” She and The New Pornographers delivered with “Challengers,” which led into “Dancehall Domine” and “The Bleeding Heart Show.” They said their goodbyes, people started leaving…it was over, right? … Read more
Ha Ha Tonka, backstage after their second encore of the evening | Photo by Jason Gonulsen I see me as I was, you as you were Me as I was, you as you were Before the color began to bleed Out of us One day all of this will end. The post-Thanksgiving Ha Ha Tonka … Read more
All photos by Joe O’Toole Sturgill Simpson, who released one of our favorite albums of 2014, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, performed at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix on Tuesday, and Speakers in Code photographer Joe O’Toole was there to capture these great shots of the show.
You do not know What wars are going on Down there, where the spirit meets the bone Down there, where the spirit meets the bone Down where the spirit meets the bone In late 1984, Lucinda Williams moved to Los Angeles. People in Austin told her, “Oh, they’ll eat you alive out there. You’ll come … Read more
Primus recently made a stop in Phoenix at the Orpheum Theatre, and Speakers in Code photograher Joe O’Toole was on hand to shoot the show.
All photos by Tim Bottchen A hummingbird crashed right in front of me, And I understood all you did for us You gave, and gave, and gave, and gave Los Angeles’ Local Natives gave plenty on Thursday night at The Pageant, and the most stunning moment was when Kelcey Ayer basically left part of his heart … Read more
All photos by Louis Kwok Now our lives are changing fast Now our lives are changing fast Hope that something pure can last Hope that something pure can last There was the time Arcade Fire won a Grammy for the album without a hit. The Suburbs was “Album of the Year,” in fact, and an … Read more
All photos by Chris Lay Phantogram delivered a wonderful set at The Pageant last Tuesday, and we had photographer Chris Lay on hand to capture the action. Please enjoy his shots of the show!
All photos by Agatha Donkar This fall my friend Josh noted that it is sometimes nice to go years without seeing a musician you love play live, so when you finally do, you can see the changes and the growth sharply in their performance. I’ve thought on this a lot, because I believe that, say, … Read more
All photos + words by Jason Gonulsen Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent isn’t who you think he is, even when you’re certain you have him figured out. There was the glowing vibe surrounding “Song For Zula” last year, vaulting Houck into the category of one of those songwriters who hit gold — and for the right reasons: … Read more
Justin Vernon of Volcano Choir | All photos by Joe O’Toole Volcano Choir is on the road in 2014 in support of their most recent and critically-acclaimed album, Repave. Speakers in Code photographer Joe O’Toole captured these images from their recent stop in Phoenix at the Crescent Ballroom.