Annie Zaleski

For about a decade, few musicians — gender be damned — could match the smarts or wit of Salt-N-Pepa. Formed in 1985, the trio busted out of Queens with the scratchin' street-funk of "Tramp" and its flipside, the sultry schoolyard-rap chant "Push It." Later came the consciousness-raising "Let's Talk About...

SunFest Thursday, April 30, through Sunday, May 3, in downtown West Palm Beach along Flag­ler Drive from Banyan Boulevard to Lake Avenue. Gates open at 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and at noon Saturday and Sunday. Tickets cost $10 to $65. Visit sunfest.com. Thursday, April 30 Citizen Cope 8:15 p.m...

When talking about Foreigner circa 2008, it's tempting to refer to the group with air quotes around its name: Lead guitarist Mick Jones — who shouldn't be confused with the Clash guitarist of the same name — is the only original member still playing in the band. But like other...

Lo and behold, R.E.M.'s 14th studio album actually lives up to its speedy title. Accelerate is loud, quick, and dirty, spinning by so fast it takes multiple listens to absorb. It's full of buzzing guitars and stream-of-consciousness discontent, along with an abundance of Mike Mills' choirboy harmonies and sinewy bass...

In the early '80s, the Go-Go's were considered the quintessential California girls, thanks mainly to sunny new-wave songs like "Vacation" and "We Got the Beat." But times are (somewhat) different now for the quintet: vocalist Belinda Carlisle, guitarist Charlotte Caffey, bassist Kathy Valentine, drummer Gina Schock — and especially guitarist...