BRETT LEIGH DICKS

Few musicians have touched the world in the way famed instrumentalist Yanni has. The self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer has amassed more than 35 platinum and gold albums, with sales exceeding 20 million. His contemporary instrumentals have been used in everything from television commercials to broadcasts of the Olympic Games to the soundtrack for countless […]

There are few musicians who share as intimate a history with Southern California as local luminary Jim Messina. While working as a recording engineer in Los Angeles, Messina crossed paths with Buffalo Springfield, and it wasn’t long before he was drafted into the line-up. The foundations were thus laid for a career that explored the […]

For some songwriters, it takes a period of solitude in a remote mountain cabin and a bout of self-reflection to carve out a collection of worthy songs. One needs to look no further than Bon Iver’s heartbreaking beautiful debut For Emma, Forever Ago for a more-than-worthy testament to such an approach. For others, though, a […]

When it comes to significant moments in recent musical history, the current record-breaking U2 360° Tour must surely rank right up there near the top. So must performing at both the Lincoln Memorial for the inauguration of the 44th U.S. president and a succession of Grammy Award ceremonies. Bruce Springsteen’s reunion tour with the E […]

Austin, Texas, proudly boasts the mantra of being the self-proclaimed live music capital of the world and thus draws musicians from all over the globe like moths to a light, but despite this influx of talent, it’s fittingly a fifth-generation Texan who’s become one of the city’s musical fixtures. If Austin is the heart of […]

When Jewel first emerged on the contemporary music scene in early 1995, even she didn’t expect what was to ensue. The album that so emphatically delivered her to the attention of the general populous—Pieces of You—became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time and spawned hits such as “Who Will Save Your Soul?” […]

Even though his career reaches back into the mid ’80s, no one has ever accused local singer songwriter Glen Phillips of sitting still. Ever since he first took to the stage out front of Toad the Wet Sprocket at the tender age of 16, Phillips’ musical life has been in constant motion. Having released five […]

It’s rather difficult to believe it was only last year America was first able to elbow its way onto the musical stage of the Late Show with David Letterman. America. The band that rings out on commercial classic radio stations all around the world. The band that gave us modern classics such as “Horse With […]