Are you “Down”... with 311! “Know that we have always been down, down...” And we are very excited to announce that The Unity Tour with 311 and New Politics is coming to the Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD on Mon. July 24th and Tues. July 25.     311 have crossed yet another milestone in their 27-year career. The group’s brand new album MOSAIC, released June 23rd via BMG and has debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart which marks the multi-platinum group’s 10th consecutive Top 10 Album on the chart. Of 311’s 10 charting albums, five have debuted at #6 or higher on the chart.     In support of MOSAIC, 311--singer/guitarist Nick Hexum, singer/DJ S.A. Martinez, drummer Chad Sexton, bassist P-Nut and guitarist Tim Mahoney--are currently in the midst of their extensive headlining tour of North America for the 18th summer in a row. Their Unity Tour has become one of the most anticipated concerts of the summe... » Click here for the full story.

    I am super excited to introduce our readers to a brand spanking new indie pop band called Dreamers. The three piece originally formed in Brooklyn but have now made their way out to LA and they have been having one very busy, incredible and important year. They toured all last summer opening for bands such as Great Good Fine OK, The Mowglis and Walk the Moon and have made appearances at several festivals such as Lollapalooza, despite the fact that they had only released one short, four-song EP in 2014, simply titled E.P.       Their debut album, This Album Does Not Exist, was released on Aug. 26, 2016, and features their hit single “Sweet Disaster.” The single was released earlier in June and has been climbing the alternative charts all year. It peaked at number four on AltNations Top 18, was at number 16 on iTunes Alternative charts and reached number 19 on Billboards Alternative chart. The song has a very catchy beat and grungy ... » Click here for the full story.

    Hello Coco fans! Hope everyone has been staying warm with lots of great music! I certainly have been trying to and am finally ready to share one of my last adventures with you all! On December 3rd I headed up to Philly, city that I love, in search of a little dive bar called Ortleib’s Lounge. My mission, to check out a shoegaze band, Dead Leaf Echo, fronted by a fellow Stephen Decatur grad!       He is officially listed on their facebook page simply as Lg: Guitar, Vox, Keys; however, I know him as Lloyd Galyon  (AKA Pancho). Pancho was the goofy kid who sat next to me in Spanish class and kept us all entertained, making us laugh in between congregating verbs and learning how to ask to use the bathroom in Spanish, “Pueblo ir al baño?” (the only way we were allowed to go)!       So, since I grew up and became a concert photo journalist and Lloyd Galyon grew up and became a... » Click here for the full story.

    Hello Coco fans! For all the neurotic planning that goes into my adventures, things don’t always work out the way I want. I missed out on the last few shows I had talked about but no worries, I finally made it to one and it was certainly worth the wait!       November 1st, I finally had the opportunity to officially photograph and review GROUPLOVE at The Fillmore in Philadelphia. They are currently on tour in support of their third album, Big Mess, which just released September 9, 2016. This indie-alt-rock band has come a long way since I first saw them perform at the very first Firefly back in 2012. Everyone there walked away saying “those guys were awesome, they will definitely be ones to watch” and so I have! I went home, promptly purchased their debut album, Never Trust a Happy Song, and became a GROUPLOVE addict. I have been trying to review a show ever since and this time, it finally all came... » Click here for the full story.

    I am currently sitting on the edge of my seat, getting super excited about some upcoming events that I will be attending, however, I am quickly reminded of the fact that I still have so many other shows to share with you before seeing more! I just can’t help myself, though, and I am ready for more; so I will be attending two more great shows this weekend! The first will be right here in downtown OC at Delmarva Bike Week and then, to make my weekend even better, I get to go to Radio 104.5s’ last Block Party of the summer! I am simply giddy with excitement to see The Griswolds again and I am very excited for headliners Chvrchs as well. Iration and Miike Snow are also on the bill for Sun. Sept 18th and I just can’t wait! However, before I can allow myself to have anymore fun, I have to tell you about one more show, so why not Radio 104.5s’ first Block Party of 2016!     Radio 104.5 is Philadelphia’s alternative rock station,... » Click here for the full story.

    Hello to all of our Coco readers!! Hope you all have had a rockin’ great year, know I sure have! I have been keeping myself very busy, checking out new venues and discovering more great new music to share with you all! I got so busy, in fact, that I also must admit that I have fallen behind on writing my reviews of all these incredible opportunities but I hope to begin sharing them all with you now. I have an incredible stockpile of photos from shows to share with you all, including my coverage of this year’s Firefly Music Festival.     So, without any further delay, and in no particular order, here we go with the first show I would like to share with you all… backing all the way up to November 23, 2015. I had the pleasure to attend The Wilderness Politics tour at the newly renovated Fillmore in Philadelphia. Four different incredible acts performed: LOLO, The Griswolds, New Politics and Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness, and they al... » Click here for the full story.

    I’ve been so busy lately that I have to admit I am behind on publishing my reviews; but I have some fantastic shows to tell you about, the first of which is for punk rock legend CJ Ramone. He was preparing for a quick, European tour and he came here to Maryland, of all places, to play two quick practice shows before heading over the pond! The first of the two was held right here in our very own backyard, at the beautiful Fager’s Island on 59th Street and the bay on Friday, Nov. 20th! The second was held Saturday, Nov. 21, just over the bay bridge from us in Gambrills, Md., at a little place called Molloy’s Irish Pub. Not sure why or how he decided to come to Maryland for these quick shows but I am just glad that he did and honored to have had the chance to meet him and see him perform!     There was a decent crowd when I arrived for the opening act of the evening, local favorites Speed Queen. They got the crowd good and warmed up and... » Click here for the full story.

    I’m in New Orleans preparing for the CHADD conference I wrote about in Coconut Times last month.  The last thing I do at night and first thing I do upon waking is turn on WWOZ; the best radio station ever.  This morning I heard just the first few words of a poem and thought to myself, “Gee – that sounds like Allen Toussaint’s voice and his piano playing in the background.”  His talk about growing up and visiting with his country relatives and sitting on their porch at night with no electricity yet feeling so safe and loved – This is what inspired him to write the beautiful song “Southern Nights” recorded by Glen Campbell.     I was thinking that Mr. Toussaint had popped into WWOZ to help with their fundraising drive and was shocked to hear the show host announce that Allen had died just hours before from a heart attack while touring in Madrid, Spain.  What a tremendous loss to this ... » Click here for the full story.

    Hello readers out there in Coco-land. I finally had some free time to get back out there and actually have some fun. This last Sun., Oct. 24th, I took a lil’ day trip up the road to the Electric Factory in Philadelphia to see one of my new favorite bands, X Ambassadors. What an amazing night, I had so much fun, my (face) cheeks are still sore from the perm-a-grin I have had plastered on my face all week! I arrived to the area around 5:30pm and there was already a line forming at the door which was not set to open until 6pm. I decided to go walk around and find dinner instead of standing in line but, by the time I got back, the place had completely filled up.     The first opening act was Kevin Garrett, a super young, super new, super sounding musician. This 24 year old is originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., but has spent the last few years honing in on his sound, living and performing in Brooklyn, N.Y. He has shared the stage with such artist... » Click here for the full story.

  There's a very famous song entitled Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans which became even more beloved after hurricane Katrina hit just over ten years ago and displaced so many from their NOLA homes. If you've ever been to New Orleans, you know you've left at least a little piece of your heart when you had to return home.  If you haven't yet been to the Big Easy, you'll discover what we're talking about when you come to the CHADD conference November 12 - 14. CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization providing education, advocacy, and support for those with ADHD and coexisting conditions. With worldwide membership, CHADD hosts the largest gathering of individuals and families affected by ADHD and the professionals and educators who support the ADHD community. Attendees come to the annual conference year after year for the latest in ADHD-related research, e... » Click here for the full story.