Goth rockers are apt to experience déja vu with a spooky new trio from Brighton, England called Esben and the Witch. The group — which took its moniker from a creepy fairy tale, in which an evil crone is repeatedly outfoxed by a sly child — has bowed in with “Violet Cries,” a debut that combines the ethereal Cocteau-Twins-ish guitar/keyboard textures of Daniel Copeman and Thomas Fisher with Rachel Davies’ otherworldly, Siouxsie-Sioux-evocative vocals. Even the spectral album photographs are reminiscent of Vaughan Oliver’s vintage work at the label 4AD. Read More

In some ways, the apple fell far from the tree with Lukas Nelson. While the singer-guitarist’s father happens to be reigning king of outlaw country Willie Nelson, Junior has taken a bluesier approach with his band’s debut, “Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.” Yet he does share dad’s Zen-like aesthetic: He believes that a good song is out there, floating through the stratosphere. “You should allow it to come to you when it’s supposed to and not worry about it,” he says. The avid surfer hangs ten at Café Du Nord on Sunday. Read More

Mark Mothersbaugh had no idea his Hollywood neighbors were country rocker Shooter Jennings and actress Drea de Matteo until their 3-year-old daughter, Alabama, raced up to him recently, gushing and calling out his name. Read More

She’s flying in from Portland rehearsals with Dave Frischberg and he’s coming off a recording session, but when longtime couple Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli return home from their two concerts at the Fairmont’s Venetian Room this weekend, they will enjoy a rare treat. “We’ll actually sit next to each other on the flight home from San Francisco,” says Pizzarelli, adding, “and without a child between us!” Read More