Simone Goldstone

By Simone Goldstone | NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist
Supergroups have always carried a certain thrill.
Long before collaborations and mashups dominated playlists, fans were already fascinated by the question: what happens when more than one genius walks into the same studio? The answer is rarely predictable, but always electric.
Think of the Traveling Wilburys in the ’80s—George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan swapping verses like old friends. Or Freddie Mercury teaming up with Dav...

By Simone Goldstone | NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist
When Newport Beach resident Murphy Karges, a founding member of the band Sugar Ray, sat down to write his memoir, something unexpected happened.
Instead of chronicling the unfathomable highs of stardom, the lows of lonesome nights on tour away from family, and the tell-all of being in a successful 1990s rock band, he found the love of music and his instrument cutting through that.
“When I was writing my book, I wasn’t thinking ‘this has to be go...

By Simone Goldstein | NB Indy Soundcheck Writer
Orange County has been the home of Ohana Festival for the past seven years. The festival builds a community of sun, surf and music like no other. It’s one of my favorite California music festivals: intimate and low-key, with the sounds of the waves crashing on Dana Point’s shore in the background, stage lights and palm trees mingling in the sunset, and the best mix of music new and old.
The top acts to see this at this year’s Ohana Festival (Sept....

By Simone Goldstone | NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist
“We’re not chasing a trend; we’re creating a trend. We put content out into the world,” John Martin, the CEO of the newly risen CREEM Magazine, tells me. Less Frankenstein and more reincarnation, the new CREEM isn’t just a quarterly glossy print, but an entertainment brand.
“We’re an IP generator,” Martin jokes, “We’d love to put on CREEM music festival. When we have an article, we’re thinking ‘Can this be a spin-off or series? Can we make a pod...

By Simone Goldstone | NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist
The Doors lit up the night at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano September 23 when former Doors guitarist and founding member Robby Krieger brought his memorable music to the stage and proved that genius never dies.
Krieger and his son Waylon have been carrying the torch and lighting the fire the Doors left with their historic music catalog that immortalized L.A. in the late 60s and early 70s. Touring in support of his new book “Set the Nigh...

By Simone Goldstone, NB Indy Soundcheck Columnist
Orange County has given us incredible talent, which we have a lot to be proud of.
Artists that broke through social pressure with their wild ingenuity, who hungered for something more than our picturesque sandy shores and amusement parks that drove them to unimaginable success, who grew up with the same groves and beaches we did. We’ve been home to old souls who can write songs that touch our hearts.
One such talent was Jeff Buckley, who died 25...