At Defiant Hair and Lonely Girl Vintage in Freehold, New Jersey, the typical salon image is turned on its head. Read our conversation with salon owner Lauren Oelkers only on our site:

As part of our ongoing series speaking with the mentorees of RiverJAM's program, we spoke with Sasha Perskie about her own nonprofit and how RiverJAM has helped her grow:

Downy Hair (Turns Into Stubble) is not the first of Margot Miller’s releases, but it’s certainly the most established and confident of the bunch. Read our full review on our site:

Alex Pickert made the cross-country move from California to Boston to attend school at Berklee College of Music. Once he started to play in bands and book DIY shows, he never went back. Read our convo with the creator of NICE, a fest, here: 

Every photograph is, in some way, an act of preservation. This served as the inspiration for Conni Freestone's exhibition, Proof I Was Here. Read our conversation with the photographer only on our site:

“It has always been my dream to publish a book of poetry,” said Srijani Mitra, and with her debut collection, Mantras of the Moon, she can finally say it has come true. Read our conversation with the poet here:

Our conversation with guitarist Paul Luke Bonenfant is out now. Read the conclusion of our 4-part series speaking with the members of Blush Boy:

If you could go back to any day in your life and relive it one more time, which would you choose? This independent, coming-of-age short film, 'Garbage Day,' could help inspire an answer. We spoke with filmmaker Kyle Silverio to learn more:

Verity Guild was a refreshing read amongst romantasy’s saturated population of books. Read why we gave it a solid 4 star rating here:

REVIEW – ‘Mantras of the Moon’ by Srijana Mitra Srijana Mitra’s collection of poems, Mantras of the Moon, reflects an appreciation and longing for one’s culture and past heritage. Mitra herself is a writer based in India who has spoken at many literary festivals (Mangalore Lit Fest and Shoolini…

As part of our ongoing series, we spoke with Jake Radano, the drummer of Blush Boy. Read our conversation with him here:

In conversation with Kay E. Bancroft: examining generational ties and identity through pop horror in ‘Bloodroom’ “I think that I view the page as a playground,” Kay E. Bancroft said, describing their writing style. “And what I mean by that is I seek to understand what the limitations of the page…

SYLVR is the pioneer of what they call "nightmare pop." Read about their latest single and origin story only on our site:

In conversation with Bobby Mahoney: playing in the key of Jersey  Since the early days of rock and roll, New Jersey has demanded greatness from its music scene, inspiring transformative acts like Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, and My Chemical Romance. Now, Bobby Mahoney is answering the…

On an unassuming Tuesday evening in the East Village, a sequin-studded popstar stepped towards the stage for only her third live show. We got to speak with singer Avery Cochrane following her NYC show:

Solstice is reworking the long-standing definition of “Riot Grrrl,” purely by existing. Read our conversation with the Asbury Park-based band here:

Much of our humanity is captured in the seemingly small experiences that make up our day-to-day lives. That's what our recent interviewee, 'the little things lit mag,' aims to promote. Read about the publication on our site:

Austin-based alt rocker e.lissa faden gives Pride Month a grungy hello with the release of her newest single, “Just Might.” Read our thoughts here:

From Memphis, Tennessee, singer, guitarist, writer, and pianist Luisa Wilson harkens back to soul, rhythm & blues, and jazz. Many would overthink this blend of genres, but Wilson turns it into art through her lyricism and smooth vocals. Read about the artist here:

In conversation with PJM Bond: rejecting perfection in favor of humanity In a world increasingly shaped by AI, Dutch singer-songwriter PJM Bond has made it his mission to reject it and embrace life’s imperfections — especially in his music. “What’s the point of listening to immaculately perfect…

Vanessa Frances' debut novel 'Orange Island' touches on realities that are not so unlike our own. We gave the novel 5 stars; find out why on our site!

While we enjoyed Devney Perry's 'Shield of Sparrows,' we weren't overly wowed. Read why we gave it a 3-star rating here:

Kenny Bieber sees photography as a form of documentation. Find out more about his love for the craft only on our site:

In conversation with Sam Slick: music at the center of life Before becoming a father, Sam Slick had already built a family of his own through music. Over the years, the folk-rock musician surrounded himself with a close-knit band whose chemistry and collaboration helped shape the sound of his…

We rated 'Still Life' by Future Teens 5 out of 5 stars. Read why here:

Sophie Riley's debut novel was inspired by something unexpected: a 2014 Tumblr post. Learn more about "It's Not the End of the World" and how Riley navigates self-publishing only on our site:

We spoke with Mike Chick of Yawn Mower about his latest solo album and the unintentional mistake that inspired it. Read our conversation with him here:

Claire Martine's latest single is the second one released in promo for her upcoming EP, "Better safe than sorry." Read our thoughts here:

We spoke with Julia Esperanza on her debut poetry collection, ‘There’s Always A Second Act,’ and the importance of staying true to yourself in your art. Read the conversation live on our site now:

We listened to Enjambre’s newest album, ‘Daños Luz.’ Read about our thoughts here:

Consistency is what defines Marc E. Bassy's latest album, ‘NO HArD FEELINGS (Deluxe).’ Read what else we had to say in this review on our site now:

We read an advanced copy of 'Murder at the Hotel Orient,' its author's debut novel. Read about our thoughts only on our site:

As part of our ongoing series featuring the mentorees of RiverJAM Music's mentorship program, we spoke with Chiara Maria about finding her way back to music and realizing that, in the beginning, everybody sucks at their passion. Read here:

'Beneath the Garden Magazine' is another indie magazine focused on sharing the literary works of up-and-coming writers. Read here about why small magazines like this are vital, as told by the team themselves:

In Conversation With: Claire Martine “A little grunge, a little dreamy, a little kitschy.” This is the description of the sound that Claire Martine, Milwaukee native-turned New York transplant, has been cultivating and creating for herself. “With leaning into the grunge side of things, with having…

In conversation with Yawn Mower: ten years later Ten years in, Yawn Mower hasn’t drifted far from where it began. Rooted in New Jersey, the band has grown in size and sound, yet its foundation is still tied to the place that shaped it. “I personally would only want to be celebrating a ten-year…

First in our series of RiverJAM's songwriting mentorees, Amanda Conti shares the importance of balancing the professional and personal aspects of songwriting and how RiverJAM helps her with both:

Here's the second part in our interview series with the members of Blush Boy. Now, Gavin Kim shares his thoughts on starting the band:

RiverJAM Music's sold-out event boasted three generations of guitar talent. Read about the night here:

Kyra Soto's second single comes out on Friday, and we spoke with her about what it means to leave everything on the page when writing music. Read our conversation here:

Emo pop-punk band, Into Sunday, is not afraid of the dark. In fact, they embrace it. Read about our conversation with the trio here:

We listened to the latest single of Yawn Mower's Mike Chick. Read about why we gave it a four-star review here:

It's Pop Break's monthly playlist column - check out songs from Faith Hill, Motorhead, Jadakiss, Bad Bunny, Bob Dylan ... and Ninjago??? @billbodkin.bsky.social, @the-underground-edit.com, @bertrandallain.bsky.social , @kris-ingersoll.bsky.social, @bjhbowman.bsky.social & more!

Gabrielle Sangataldo of @the-underground-edit.com interviews emerging pop/soul singer Ren Genevieve about her new music.

Gabrielle Sangtaaldo of @the-underground-edit.com drops an editorial on why Heated Rivalry is so beloved.

We interviewed rising country star and TikTok sensation Bella Lam about her new song. @the-underground-edit.com

In conversation with Johnny Kasun: one guitar, endless possibilities For many musicians, the guitar is just one piece of a larger band. For Johnny Kasun, it is the entire show. Through his use of fingerstyle guitar, Kasun creates the sound of multiple musicians at once, weaving melody, rhythm, and…

We read Lily King's most recent novel and rode the rollercoaster of emotions. See why our writer Lilly Wright gave this a glowing 5 stars:

Ahead of his RiverJAM Music Listening Room performance, we talked with Pat Guadagno about his long-standing career and goals for the future:

Ahead of his performance at RiverJAM Music's Listening Room on March 25, we sat down with Luke Brindley to discuss his music and what listeners can expect later this month: