Interested in booking a tour through a new town? Learn more about the best venues, unmissable sights, and inspiring musical stops in towns all over the world, direct from the artists who call them home in our ongoing series The Compass: Musicians Introduce Us to Their Cities.
By Orenda Fink I have lived in Omaha for almost thirteen years now, and have always been impressed and inspired by the surprisingly rich and diverse music scene. Coming from Athens, GA, a music town that I adore, that is saying a lot. It’s one of the things that keeps me from fleeing forever during the…
By Marihiko Hara I love how time flows in Kyoto, not too rapidly and not too slowly. A five minute walk will lead me through streets, temples, and gardens, where I can feel that I am in ancient spaces. To know where I stand, all I have to do is find out which direction points north.…
By Andreas Oskar Hirsch Köln or Cologne, Germany, offers a vivid scene with regards to experimental, new music, electronica, classical music, jazz, cross-border projects, improv, and more. To me, the city is quite well-connected to sonic exploration, research, and experiments. In German we call it, “Klangtüftelei,” which means working with sound in a playful and…
By Coley Dennis of Maserati Athens is a microcosm unlike any other city I’ve ever seen — equal parts indie rock mecca, college party animal house, and football-obsessed mental ward. Yup, I’ve called this place home for 15 years. It’s a strange environment that only attracts the true slackers and let’s them thrive. If playing in…
By Briana Marela In many big cities, it can be hard to find someone who actually grew up there. As someone born and raised in Seattle I have seen it change quite a lot over the years, growing and morphing into the tech metropolis it is today. Though I will get nostalgic from time to time, and…
By The Phantastics Kansas City is very much a city that lives up to its state motto, the “Show Me State” — there’s a shell of skepticism, challenging you to present something impressive— but once you crack the outer shell, you will be enveloped by a very soft teddy bear of love. That’s what we have…
By Slow Leaves What is often overlooked about Winnipeg, is that it’s subtle brand of near perfect mediocrity is precisely what provides such fertile grounds for honest artistic expression. The city is not grand enough to incubate the large scale arts trends found in bigger cities. But it’s the perfect size to grow genuine art…
By Rachel Grimes The quality of the sound in an environment is always so captivating to me, and seems to be something that either makes me comfortable or uncomfortable immediately. Here are some of my favorites around Louisville, Kentucky. This morning I walked outside early and heard the sound of a long, low barge horn…
