Nashville’s Seryn salvage a late show at Brick & Mortar Kavitha George July 29, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Photos Vehicle mishaps are no match for the four pieces of Nashville-based eclectic folk combo Seryn. A broken-down tour van resulted in their taking the stage at around 10:15pm, sound-checking to a audience cap...
Jessie Jones quilts an eclectic self-portrayal on self-titled debut Kavitha George July 26, 2015 Album Review Each track on Orange County-native Jessie Jones' self-titled debut album is an uninhibited collage of unexpected instruments, vocal styles, and beats. The album channels what could loosely be considered a ...
Eskimeaux make a clean escape Tuesday at Bottom of the Hill Kavitha George July 8, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews Theirs is a far too overused label. The slightest hint of a dreamy synth track, floaty lyrics, and 'ethereal' seems to be the all-too-ready stamp. I was introduced to Eskimeaux just a few days before I sa...
Emmy the Great to conquer SF this Friday with fresh folk, acoustic bliss Kavitha George June 8, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Previews She's witty, crisp, and talented, the perfect listen for early summer nights, for blues and joy alike. Emma-Lee Moss (stage name Emmy the Great), born in Hong Kong but brought up in England, is yet another...
Edward Sharpe gets up close, celebrates Wavy Gravy’s 79th at outdoor benefit concert Kavitha George May 22, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Photos Sunday was an afternoon marked by carefree, dancing crowd members decked in tie-dye; bluegrass, folky funk, and psychedelic guitar opening bands; competing lines for vegan burger and juice bar food trucks; ...
José González brings paradise to Bimbo’s 365 Club Kavitha George May 17, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews Born in Sweden after his family fled Argentina in 1976, José González is easy to pick out from the legions of folk singers reviving the genre in recent decades. His musical past in a hardcore punk band se...
Kodaline, a boy band in concert at The Fillmore Kavitha George May 16, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews Who knew, right? Listening through Kodaline's albums, I'd expected an offbeat Irish indie rock band, but upon entering The Fillmore, I instead found scores of high school girls pressed against the stage, s...
Mumford & Sons forgo banjos in Wilder Mind, sound “Coldplay-ish” Kavitha George May 9, 2015 Album Review "Banjos... ah that's old news. Old news, banjos." Spoken in 2012, the words of Tarquinius Grossman, aka Mumford & Sons' banjoist Winston Marshall, have sadly become a reality. "Double bass? F**king d...
Hozier bares his dark soul at SF Masonic Kavitha George April 17, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Reviews Impossibly tall, wavy hair in its distinctive bun, and bewilderedly shy as if he couldn't believe the throngs of screaming girls were waiting for him, Andrew Hozier-Byrne - known by his stage name Hozier...
Bonxie’s release chirpily confirms Stornoway still have game Kavitha George April 14, 2015 Album Review Stornoway, hailing from Oxford, England -- and not from a fishing town in Scotland as their name might suggest -- have always been a lovably odd band. Though often categorized as folk and having made their ...
Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield channel Elliott Smith with authenticity Kavitha George April 6, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Reviews The list of people qualified to cover Elliott Smith's prolific discography is short. The honesty and blatant realism his songs drip with are not easily found among other artists, much less ones performing s...
Mikky Ekko’s soul-infused voice floors Regency Ballroom Kavitha George March 11, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Reviews Mikky Ekko's recorded voice may sound great, but it is nothing compared to the raw energy that seemed to rush out of him in a solid, forceful stream on stage, flooring every last listener at The Regency B...
Lily & Madeleine loft seamless harmonies over San Francisco Kavitha George February 16, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Photos The Jurkiewicz' first spoken words to their SF crowd on Saturday were compliments on the "lovely West Coast weather." Charming and conversational, the Indianapolis-based Lily & Madeleine seemed very ...
Vestiges & Claws reveals the truth beneath José’s messy hair Kavitha George February 14, 2015 Album Review, Reviews 1 Comment Photo by Malin Johansson Swedish folk artist José González has long been my go-to artist for introspective train rides and flights home. For someone who fell in love with the hit “Heartbeats” and hi...
Lily & Madeleine to arrive, young old souls, in San Francisco Kavitha George February 8, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Previews photo by Stacy Newsgent Bandmates and sisters close in age, Lily & Madeleine Jurkiewicz capture a kind of “old soul” quality to their music that is rarely heard these days, especially from artists...