Up Close: Sean Healy Presentswebookbands.com

An Actor Championing Musicians: Armed with his BFA in Acting from Arizona State University, Sean Healy moved to L.A. in the early ‘90s to conquer the world and, over the last few decades, he has—just not in the way he expected. As a paying member of a 99-seat theatre company in Hollywood, he took advantage of their open space on Sunday nights to create a popular underground spoken-word performance space, which connected him to many local musicians. While pounding the pavement and auditioning, Healy channeled his frustration with his acting career into exciting opportunities to book bands at venues throughout the city—which quickly led him to launching a call-in service for artists looking for gigs. Cut to 30 years and hundreds of bands and clubs and theatres later, and Sean Healy Presents—a name that came from his shows listed in LA Weekly—is a full-service nationwide concert promoter specializing in national touring acts working with major agencies in the same space as AEG and Live Nation. 

Genres and Services: Though often best known for their years booking groundbreaking hip-hop acts, Sean Healy Presents has morphed into different specialties over the years, booking pop, rock, metal, and (since 2021) K-pop, among other genres. The company is renowned for its “We Book Bands” initiative, which provides emerging artists with local performance opportunities and showcase gigs. Unsigned acts can apply for local showcases to build a relationship with the company with an eye towards eventually opening for national headliners. While centered in L.A., SHP regularly books shows in San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, N.Y.C., and Healy’s hometown of Chicago. Artists can submit promo packages, including music links and bios, via email for review. 

Success Stories: Kendrick Lamar is easily one of SHP’s greatest success stories. The 27-time GRAMMY winner performed his first major L.A. show with SHP at the Key Club in 2010. The show sold out, and Dr. Dre came out on stage to proclaim Lamar as the new start of hip-hop—launching one of hip-hop’s most storied and influential careers. In 2010, SHP also hosted a sell-out show at the same venue headlined by Big Sean, followed the next year with concerts in L.A. and Oakland. Other greats the company has booked include Sza, Too $hort, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, YG, The Strokes, 21 Savage, Plain White T’s (a co-promote with the Knitting Factory), J. Cole, Lupe Fiasco, Machine Gun Kelly, and OneRepublic, which was known as Republic when SHP booked them in 2003 at the Viper Room. More recently, SHP sold out the Kia Forum in 2025 with K-pop artist Taemin. 

Contact 323-651-1582  The post Up Close: Sean Healy Presents first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Soccer legend Ronaldinho launches Tu Música record label in partnership with Brazil’s Sua Música GroupNew venture, led alongside executives from Sua Música Group and ASJ, plans World Cup-themed debut project.
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Five Star Spotlight: The Postal Service - 'Give Up'We recently went though a pass of revisiting classic albums and bumping a deserving handful to five stars. Among these reclassified records is a sweetly quiet indie-electronic milestone with a charming origin story. Check out this Five Star Spotlight.

Chord Music-linked ABS vehicle plans $500M deal, backed by $830M catalog led by Suicideboys, Morgan Wallen, and Ryan Tedder rightsDeal collateralized by royalties from a catalog of more than 3,750 works
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Live Review of MaanuSony Hall, New York, NY

Web: yain.coContact: sikki@sylaforever.comPlayers: Maanu, vocals; Asfandyar Ali, instrumental accompaniment

New Yorkers braved the cold at the end of January to see Maanu at Sony Hall. They arrived in droves, packing the theater wall to wall with a buzzing energy.

From Lahore, Maanu’s music blends pop, R&B, ballads, and hip-hop with his local culture to create something new and enthralling. Primarily in Urdu or Punjabi, his music leaves its hooks in the audience, making it impossible to forget. Maanu sprang on stage with high energy, amplified by hip-hop beats and bright lights. A slight tinge of melancholy from the vocal melody bubbled below, adding a deeper color than that of the high hats and fast beats. From the first note, the audience was dancing and singing along, utterly enamored.

Maanu’s stage set up was simple—he was joined only by Asfandyar Ali. Ali opened the show with his own set, playing stripped back tracks to warm up the crowd. He remained on stage playing live guitar and beats from a laptop. Together they created an intimate yet impactful dynamic. Throughout the show, beats ranged from mallets to sizzling high hats to dark bass drum. After a few minutes, Maanu chatted with the crowd, welcoming them in and announcing his recent marriage. Serving as a segue, Maanu shifted from upbeat anthems to tender ballads. Sweet guitar riffs from Ali and lilting melodies paired with pink lights to fill the room with an endearing atmosphere. Maanu’s ballad melodies swelled with emotion, filled with impressive vocal runs and gentle reverb in the guitar. Maanu and Ali rounded out the ballads with a pivot to R&B before bringing back some of the energy.

After this tender and earnest section, bright guitar and 2010’s hip-hop beats returned. The audience reacted immediately. These tracks were accompanied by enthusiastic singing, shouting, and clapping from the crowd. Grittier vibes in the guitar, deeper colors in the beat, and quicker lyrics had everyone on their feet dancing along. It felt like a party instead of a concert. Maanu’s connection with his audience is palpable, and they fed off each other’s energy all night long.

 Maanu does not tour in the United States often but embarked on a North American tour following the release of his album thikaana in 2025. There’s no news yet of any future projects, but I’m sure Maanu will be back with something new before long.The post Live Review of Maanu first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From Live Nation’s antitrust trial loss to Max Lousada and Julie Greenwald’s 26.2 launch… it’s MBW’s weekly round-upThe biggest headlines from the past few days...
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Emperor Reigns at the WilternHowever closely associated one is to the infamous Norwegian black metal scene, the name of pioneering band Emperor is one that looms large. Maybe you saw the Lords of Chaos fictionalized horror-crime movie that centered on fellow black metal band Mayhem and the surrounding murders and church burnings. Or maybe you've marveled at former Emperor man and self-proclaimed goblin Mortiis. Either way, it's long been hard to ignore Emperor, even if you tried.

Emperor formed in 1991, and frontman Ihsahn has been there from the start. Guitarist Samoth joined shortly afterwards in '92, with drummer Trym Torson joining the Satanic ranks in '96. Thirty years later, the trio is joined by a few live musicians to fill out the sound.

We saw Mayhem live in L.A. a couple of years ago, and it wasn't good. Turgid and wooden, it felt like they were going through the motions. Meh, maybe it was a bad night. However, Emperor were superb at the Wiltern.

Long gone are the days of corpse makeup and weaponry. That said, they don't need it. There might be more years on the clock, but Emperor 2026 is as imposing, heavy and evil (musically) as they've ever been.

Early tracks "Wrath of the Tyrant" from the 1992 debut EP of the same name) and "I Am the Black Wizards" (from 1994's In the Nighttime Eclipse debut full-lengther) sounded raw and just plain nasty.

The most recent Emperor album is 2001's Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise, and we got a brutal "In the Wordless Chamber" from that. Killers from the sophomore Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk included "The Loss and Curse of Reverence" and "With Strength I Burn."

But it was those wide-eyed, gnarly songs from the first album that were the highlights for us. "Inno a Satana" was particularly moody and gloriously grim.

The legend of black metal has calmed down a bit. Everybody got old, and church-burning isn't on the agenda when you've got kids to pick up from school. That said, there's still a huge market for the scene. The line for the merch went on forever.

You can't keep a good devil-worshipper down!

The post Emperor Reigns at the Wiltern first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

As K-pop concert revenues rise, HYBE, SM Entertainment, JYP, and YG plot music festival joint ventureNews arrives as live music becomes an increasingly important revenue stream for K-pop's biggest companies
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Ten of the Best Iron Maiden SongsAt long, long last, heavy metal icons Iron Maiden are being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After five decades, and 17 albums with three vocalists, Maiden is finally getting its dues. Sadly, former vocalist Paul Di'Anno and former drummer Clive Burr are no longer around to celebrate. But we can all revel in the glory of all things Maiden. Here are 10 of their best songs, in order of release.

"Iron Maiden"

From Iron Maiden (1980)

"Wrathchild"

From Killers (1981)

"The Number of the Beast"

From The Number of the Beast (1982)

"The Trooper"

From Piece of Mind (1983)

"Aces High"

From Powerslave (1984)

"Wasted Years"

From Somewhere in Time (1986)

"The Clairvoyant"

From Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)

"Fear of the Dark"

From Fear of the Dark (1992)

"The Clansman"

From Virtual XI (1998)

"These Colours Don't Run"

From A Matter of Life and Death (2006)

Photo by Ceedub13, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.The post Ten of the Best Iron Maiden Songs first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Live Nation operated as illegal monopoly, jury finds in landmark antitrust trialLandmark verdict could reshape the live entertainment industry.
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Live Review of Warren HaynesBlue Note LA  Los Angeles, CA

Contact: Bari Lieberman, Press Here Publicity - bari@pressherepublicity.com Web: warrenhaynes.netPlayers: Warren Haynes, guitar, vocals

Leading The Allman Brothers in their resurgence as lead guitarist and vocalist in 1989, founding Gov’t Mule alongside bassist Allen Woody in 1994, and known for collaborations with members of the Grateful Dead, Warren Haynes remains one of the most revered guitarists and southern rockers around. With over 20 live and studio records to date, and millions of track and album sales, the GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer blends folk, soul and Americana, collaborating in genres from blues to modern rock (recently joining forces with Billy Bob Thornton to create “Desiree” for Paramount+’s Landman).

Sharing music across his three-decade career (including selections from Man In Motion, Ashes & Dust, Life Before Insanity and Gov’t Mule’s Dose and Peace…Like A River), during the last show of his Winter of Warren series in Los Angeles, Haynes was in fine form, marinating the room in blissful nostalgia. Entering quietly through the crowd, his gentle, unassuming presence gave way to a powerful, stripped back solo performance for a packed house of sophisticated fans. Lauching into “This Life As We Know It,” a post-pandemic reflection from 2024’s solo album Million Voices Whisper, Haynes intense simplicity captured the crowd immediately. 

A “Gold Dust Woman” cover followed, with tasty minor underpinnings traversing a fabulous use of dynamics and subtly-graveled vocal. “Melissa” brought cheers and swaying from the crowd, while previously unrecorded/unreleased “Dusk Till Dawn” (on his cherry red signature 1961 Gibson ES-335) added an exquisite deep guitar tone, and gritty, swampy pedal effects. “Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday” added more delicious southern rock sound before incredible vocal control sprang to the forefront in punchy lyrical lines on “Hattiesburg Hustle.”

Switching to his 12-string Epiphone Riviera, Haynes delivered grungier guitar sound on “Gone Too Long” (from Gov’t Mule’s Peace…Like A River), before “Life Before Insanity” added psychedelic stylings and intricate riffs, which continued into “Raven Black Night,” also sharing softer vocals and vibrato, and building an incredible sound for a solo act. “The Sky Is Crying” had Haynes taming his steel a fabulous thick blues and phenomenal slide guitar, before shifting back to his Guild acoustic for encore, “In My Life.” LA-centric bonus “Angel City” shared a divine guitar opening and beautiful vocals, walking the line between angels and demons in lyrics around homelessness.

Haynes’ distinct, masterful guitar stylings, warm vocals and earthy, wholesome sound brought forth the comfort of a bygone era of music. The post Live Review of Warren Haynes first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Concord forms strategic venture with Steven Victor’s Victor Victor Worldwide, expands hip-hop footprintVVW has launched the careers of artists including Pop Smoke and Ski Mask the Slump God.
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Studio Mix 2026: Feller, Justin Schaefers, Jacob Collier, and more

FELLER RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM SOUND COLORED PENNY

Chicago’s Feller released their debut album Sound Colored Pennyvia Shuga Records on February 13. The rambunctious trio of Pete Willson (vocals, guitar), Ethan Toenjes (drums), and Ramsey Bell (bass) have been making music together since 2023. Recorded last year in Chicago with producer Doug Malone, the album manages to capture the authenticity of pent-up energy, and being a young musician navigating a seemingly never ending big-city music scene in about 25 minutes of non-stop calculated power.

NYU’S SONY AUDIO INSTITUTE NAMES 7-TIME GRAMMY® WINNER JACOB COLLIER AS NEXT ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

The Sony Audio Institute at New York University announced that Jacob Collier has been named the Institute’s next Artist-In-Residence. A seven-time GRAMMY® winner and 16-time GRAMMY® nominee, Collier is widely recognized for his genre-spanning work as a singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. In his residency, Collier will work directly with Sony Audio Institute students and faculty to provide mentorship, creative guidance, and real-world perspective on modern music-making—spanning composition, arrangement, production, and the evolving relationship between creative practice and emerging audio technology.

WAR CHILD RECORDS RELEASE NEW SINGLE “FLAGS”

War Child Records has released “Flags”—a new song by Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten, and Kae Tempest—from the highly anticipated HELP(2) album. "Flags” is the crowning collaboration on HELP(2), a powerful reflection on youth and selfhood written by Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), Grian Chatten (Fontaines D.C.), and recording artist/poet Kae Tempest. Produced by Albarn, James Ford, Marta Salogni, and Toby L, the track stands as a bold statement of resilience.

AUSTIN’S NIGHT TRAVELER SHINES AS GIBSON’S ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Each month, the Gibson Artist Spotlight introduces a new musician or group, connecting them with Gibson’s global audience, and February saw Austin, TX-based duo Night Traveler in the spotlight. Formed in 2018 by Adam Fischer and Hunter Glaske, Night Traveler is continuing to craft nostalgic, cinematic, indie rock built for midnight moments and headlights on an open road.

INDIE ROCK ARTIST JUSTIN SCHAEFERS RELEASES MODEST HITS

Boston-based indie rock artist Justin Schaefers has released his debut solo project, Modest Hits. Self-written and recorded with minimal, unconventional equipment, the project embraces imperfections to capture an honest, personal sound. With this release, Schaefers encourages listeners to feel the vulnerability, change, and intimacy of his world, while he continues sharing music through upcoming singles and live performances across New England and beyond.

TOMMY TORRES CREATES MUSIC MAGIC WITH KRK

Musician, producer, and engineer Tommy Torres gravitates toward tools that challenge him, and at his Miami studio sits his KRK ROKIT 8 Generation Five studio monitors—not because they glamorize the music, but because they refuse to. “What I love about KRK is that the speakers don’t lie to me. They don’t try to sound hi-fi or pretty—they make me work,” he says.

SINGER-SONGWRITER SAVANNA LEIGH AND ARTIST BERTIE NEWMAN RELEASE “WHAT’S NOT MINE”

Nashville singer-songwriter Savanna Leigh and London-based Bertie Newman released their new single, “what’s not mine.” A song about real connection and the fear of being fully seen, Leigh and Newman explain, “It unpacks the ways we protect love by staying surface-level… showing only the healed parts, holding back the truth, masking the mess. But real connection asks for honesty, even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s about learning that love can’t be unconditional if we’re not willing to be unconditional with ourselves.”

The post Studio Mix 2026: Feller, Justin Schaefers, Jacob Collier, and more first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

HYBE moves to crack down on bootleg BTS merch ahead of US tour datesLegal filing arrives ahead of BTS's performances at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa in April
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The New Class of 5-Star AllMusic AlbumsFrom time to time, our editors go over the albums that may have come up in the estimation of the listeners, or made a larger impact on the genre than was initially received upon its' debut. The albums are re-evaluated and some get bumped up to the coveted 5-star rating. We asked our writers to pick out some of their favorites from this recent pass, and to tell us a bit about their reasoning.