Five indie artists under 21 you should listen to Benjamin Micallef February 25, 2018 Columns and Opinions Are you in your college years? Are you somehow not already famous? Have no fear! These emotions will only deepen as we go over five young artists that have already reached significant fame. Gus Dapperton (19)...
The plight of the Grammys Leka Gopal January 28, 2018 Columns and Opinions In the world we’re living in, of political turmoil and societal turbulence, chaos and wonder, let me ask: does anybody really care about the Grammys? Is it possible for any single person to care about an awar...
Top 10: Hip-Hop Singles of 2017 Adil Siddiqee January 3, 2018 Columns and Opinions, Staff Pick 2 Comments I love singles. Singles are exciting -- it’s an artist putting everything on red, hoping that this one song they believe in the most will carry them and their album into the arms of financial, social, and cri...
The B-Side’s Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide Annie Nguyen December 12, 2017 Columns and Opinions, News Have a music-lover in your life and don’t know what to get them? Are you a music lover and want to treat yourself this holiday season? Or just interested in all the cool stuff your favorite artists and bands ...
Angle Snapping: an interview Jake Olshan John Lawson December 8, 2017 Columns and Opinions, Multimedia, Photos The B-Side caught up with UC Berkeley student Jake Olshan, a freelance photographer from Los Angeles. In this interview, we talk to him about the merits of film, counterfeiting press passes, and shooting Rihann...
An Ode to Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Celia Davalos December 4, 2017 Blog, Columns and Opinions 1 Comment October 17 was beginning as a typical Tuesday morning, as I deliriously ticked through my routine. As the whirring start-up sound of my computer filled my drowsy head, I regretfully prepared myself for the firs...
Learning from Lil Peep’s death Veronica Irwin November 28, 2017 Columns and Opinions It’s 9:07am on November 19th, and my third alarm is going off. My phone, cold and wet from the humid rainy weather vibrates against my sticky face as I try to ignore it and the many responsibilities the day w...
The Lonesome Crowded West turns 20 Walker Spence November 20, 2017 Columns and Opinions Modest Mouse’s breakout album The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) turned 20 on Saturday, November 18th. The album is only two years younger than frontman Isaac Brock was when it was first released, but Lonesome ...
Retrospective: Ten years later, Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 remains a masterclass in live albums Jordan Aronson November 19, 2017 Columns and Opinions Looking at an artist’s discography in retrospect, live albums often don’t stand out as particularly important works. For fans, live albums are a nice bonus, a different take on music they already enjoy; but...
What happened to Chris Brown? Devyn White November 16, 2017 Blog, Columns and Opinions 4 Comments TW: Domestic Violence While I was scrolling through Spotify’s New Releases page the other day, I noticed that Chris Brown had come out with a new album, Heartbreak on a Full Moon (2017). I honestly didn’...
Destroyer: A Discography Guide Dylan Medlock November 1, 2017 Columns and Opinions It’d be difficult to name an indie musician as prolific and eccentric over the last 20 years as Vancouver singer-songwriter Dan Bejar. Having released nearly 30 albums and EPs since 1995, Bejar is a creative ...
Regarding My Encounters with Oum Kalthoum Michael Elsanadi October 30, 2017 Columns and Opinions I stand amongst the crowd looking up at the stage. It’s 2017, yet, I hear the crackling sounds of an old record seemingly jumpstarting itself to release the voice of beloved Oum Kalthoum. I find myself lo...
Frank Ocean: the most subtle icon of the contemporary moment Anthony Vega October 18, 2017 Columns and Opinions Frank Ocean is hardly the traditional celebrity. In an age where the internet dominates the media and technology is more than accessible, it is now simpler than ever for figures in popular culture to be the sub...
There’s nothing wrong with living like this: On the road with FIDLAR Natalie Silver and Rosie Davidowitz October 12, 2017 Columns and Opinions, Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews It’s kind of like being a 13-year-old who was dragged to Sunday mass….or a frequenter at sex addicts anonymous meetings… or a customer at Berkeley’s iconic adult emporium Good Vibrations... or an inmate...
Bay Area Venue Roulette: Rickshaw Stop Adil Siddiqee October 3, 2017 Blog, Columns and Opinions The San Francisco Bay Area, like any metropolitan zone worth its salt, provides its residents with a healthy concentration of nightclubs, jazz bars, and concert venues. In this series, I’ll be sampling the lo...