Iceland: Whaddaya know about it? If you’re like me — despite being a geography nerd at a young age — the true answer is “virtually nothing,” aside from its vaunted natural beauty. That’s why international[…]
Ear Traffic’s Best of 2024: Local and overall albums and tracks
Sometimes, life does suboptimal things when it gets in the way, such as causing a delay in your year-end best-of blog until late February. And then, it’s time to get those best-of lists out there— on[…]
Artist interview: “Something greater than me” provides voltage for Kalu & the Electric Joint
Sounding somewhere between a spiritual advisor and a guide showing us where the road diverts to doomsday, Kalu James introduced Kalu & the Electric Joint’s song “Downfall” during Weekend 2 of ACL Music Festival by quoting its[…]
Artist interview: On heels of disco-pian single, Caleb De Casper calls for learning “to exist around each other”
(Photo by Phil Kline) Note: This article by Ear Traffic’s Joey Berlin originally appeared in the inaugural issue of Hornmag, a new Texas art and lifestyle magazine, in September 2024. The magazine can be found online[…]
ACL Weekend 2 Overview: When the dust literally settled, great performances and gay vibes reigned
The small rectangular cardboard totem top I saw in the middle of the Chappell Roan mob almost certainly wasn’t the first time anyone had ever used the phrase “gayCL.” In fact, I might well have[…]
ACL Weekend 2, day 2 quick recap: Beaches kick up rock ‘n’ roll sand; Being Dead impresses; Jungle is for the night
“I guess they gave the hottest time slot to the hottest chicks here,” Jordan Miller, lead vocalist and bassist for the Beaches, told their 3:20 crowd in the middle of yet another scorcher at ACL[…]