Last May, Garrett Hermansen made his return to the Anchorage music scene after spending nearly five years Outside. A departure from his childhood gigs with Alaskan troubadour Hobo Jim, Hermansen’s comeback tour was a far more humble affair. Standing on a doormat sized carpet in an empty Saturday Market stall, Hermansen busked for change as tourists clamored for the best deal on Alaskan t-shirts. But their disinterest had no effect on Hermansen. Eyes closed and fingers raw fro

“Say his name,” cried George Floyd protesters on Saturday as they marched in downtown Anchorage Organized by Anchorage’s young social activists Markus Vinson and Taylor Steinmetz, Alaskans gathered in town square to march for social justice. "When we organized this just a few days ago, I didn't think people would come. I thought maybe my friends and family would come but now, you are all my family," an impassioned Vinson told the crowd of hundreds. The protest brought togethe

There’s an old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. In the case of Palmer-based singer-songwriter John Budnik, a band breakup mixed with an inspirational album from Sturgill Simpson was the necessity that sparked his new solo album, “Messenger.” “I just got to the point where I thought, ‘fuck it, I don’t have a band, but that’s fine. I’ve got a computer and some equipment, so I’m just going to go for it and let the album be a reflection of where I’m at musically,”

SalmonFest is just another major music event to bite the dust in the last few weeks.

In 2013, Chris Alsup got his band, Undercover, their first gig. The only problem was, he didn’t actually have a band at the time, and the gig was in a month. For most people, this would be a sign to fess up, or at least come up with an excuse not to play. Luckily, Alsup took it as a challenge. “I had been sending Facebook messages to Kyle [Wilson] because I had jammed with him before and knew I wanted to play with him again,” explained Alsup. Wilson wasn’t as keen on a reunio

A school bus driver by day, Reynvaan moonlights as an indie sound engineer for his home-based business, Wattage Studio.