It’s rare these days for me to go to a show and remain impressed, engaged and enthusiastic throughout every single set. So I was quite pleasantly surprised by the recent Blitzen Trapper and Mirah show, which gave me a solid four hours of awesome live music. … read more
Souls of Mischief @ Urban
Souls of Mischief are definitely not strangers to our great city of salt. Not only do the Souls frequently perform here as a group but they also come through on solo tours and with their larger group Hieroglyphics—They are like family to the hip hop community here. … read more
The Sounds @ In the Venue
The Sounds’ Living in America was a random find at Graywhale when I was in Junior High. The album opened my sheltered mind to a new music world, even if it did lead to a strong distaste for The Sounds from the other kids in my carpool who knew the words to “Hit Me!” whether they liked it or not. … read more
David Bazan & Say Hi @ Kilby
I always look forward to Say Hi shows. From Say Hi To Your Mom’s drum beats and loop pedals to the full band sound of Say Hi , everything created by the robot, ghost and vampire loving Eric Elbogen is highly enjoyable. As for the headliner, David Bazan (formerly of Pedro the Lion), was going to be something new. … read more
Treasure Island Music Festival
I expected two things out of the first day of San Francisco’s Third Annual Treasure Island Music Festival: a sea of hipsters and a day of full-blown dancing. I was not disappointed. … read more
Kid Sister @ W Lounge
I have been waiting a long time for Kid Sister to come to our city. She comes across in her music as sassy as Lil’ Kim, but without the whore feel. … read more
HARD Fest LA
Halloween this year was celebrated a little different for throngs of electronic music fans in LA. The normal costumes you’d expect to see, you know, zombie Michael Jackson, the dude with the baby from the Hangover, etc., were replaced by Deadmau5 masks and almost-naked ravers. … read more
Dirty Projectors @ Club Sound
Hip-swinging island beats and the call of a crazed jungle woman followed by thunderous bass and hyena-like cries: a sign that Dirty Projectors and Tune-Yards were a perfect pair to tour together. … read more
Thrice: Dustin Kensrue Interview
I’m often asked what kind of music I listen to. For the past few years, my response has simply been “Thrice.” My answer envelops a variety of genres, an evolving discography, an impressive live show and consistently high quality music. I caught up with vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue while to talk about everything from their new album to the band’s future plans. … read more
Swollen Members @ Urban Lounge
Swollen Members coming to town is always a big event: big crowds, big bass, blunts and blow. Emcee Prevail’s birthday coincided with the day of the show, so plenty of people were showing their appreciation in fragrant ways. These Canadian rappers, several time over winners of the Juno award (Canadian Grammys) for best rap group, did it up right.
Play! A Video Game Symphony
Play! is a concert series that combines the host city’s orchestra with a production company, music director and conductors who travel from venue to venue, performing music from popular video games. The music, naturally, was brilliant. I bought the CD, and I almost got the T-shirt but I crumbled under my nerd shame before managing to. … read more
Puscifer @ Capitol Theatre
Arriving at the Capitol Theatre, I knew that I was in for something other than a “typical Tool show.” The pat-down at the door was the same, and the other people waiting in line were the same, but the upscale sit-down venue caused an overall sense of mystery and curiosity among my fellow patrons. Puscifer is the newest project of Tool and A Perfect Circle front man Maynard James Keenan. … read more
