Versâam and no wasted moves
When Ellis Newton walks into a room he embodies a sense of coolness, but in a way that’s not necessarily intimidating. He’s someone you look up to and someone you feel like you’ve known for years. On top...
Flamango Bay talks mangoes, name changes, and the mundane
This past Halloween night, we found ourselves in a backyard-turned-venue in Berkeley just a couple hours before a show hosted by Flamango Bay, an East Bay-based alternative rock band. Friends and band members a...
After darkness comes light: an interview with Sh8peshifter
Rare is the quality of an artist who so purely and cohesively inhabits the persona they have created for themselves.
Sh8peshifter is the artistic project of Zakiya Harris, a California native who has worn ma...
Environmentalism, sick bike tricks, and a solar-powered trailer: an interview with Trapdoor Social
Trapdoor Social was founded by two college students who wanted to spread their message of environmentalism and making a change through music. Since their creation they have created their own solar festival call...
Local artist on the rise: an interview with Kaden
Los Angeles native and current UC Berkeley student Kaden has already made his mark in the Bay Area music scene. From learning the piano at a young age to joining the School House Rock program to producing his o...
Talking backyard parties, “tactical” stuff, and not actually wanting to be a lo-fi band with The Missionaries
If you’ve ever drunkenly ended up at a backyard house show during any point at your time at Berkeley, there’s a pretty solid chance you’ve seen The Missionaries play. The quartet plays songs that you’ll...
An interview with local musician Jon Bunting
Who is Jon Bunting? I was able to catch up with the local musician over some Chinese food to talk about his debut EP.
Originally from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Bunting has been in the Bay for 13 years, wher...
In the life of Glamorama with Bryce Vine
Born in Manhattan but raised in L.A, Bryce Vine’s music reflects a diverse upbringing. His widely influenced, genre-bending style joins his teen punk-rock days through his studies at the Berklee School of Mus...
Super Chon Homeys: talking music and videogames with CHON before their show
On a rainy Friday afternoon (alas, welcome to Berkeley), I walked into a quieter-than-usual Cornerstone to interview CHON. I got there a little earlier than planned, so I caught a glimpse of their soundcheck �...
A night in the Yellow Submarine in Havana
It’s 5 PM and still sunny, 90 degrees fahrenheit with an equally as high humidity percentage, my constant reminder that it’s mid-August and peak hurricane season in Cuba. I have a hyper-awareness of the fac...
Cole Becker of SWMRS talks love for the bay, the clash, and haunted venues
Ask any young music enthusiast if they’ve watched School of Rock and you’ll most likely get a yes. Then ask if watching the film inspired them to start a punk band that would go on to perform on The Late La...
Say Hi (again)
My first encounter with Eric Elbogen’s music project was, like most other things, through my sister showing me music; this day, specifically, somewhere between the years 2007-2010, were the songs “I Like ...
lo fi article to study/chill to
the beauty of 24/7 live streams is that you can hop in at any point and have very little catching up to do, so in that spirit i’m eschewing capital letters. there are no beginnings and endings, only content. ...
Do Right: Catching Up with Ash Reiter and Sugar Candy Mountain
Ash Reiter took the stage with a “Happy Wednesday” greeting as her band Sugar Candy Mountain celebrated the release of their new record Do Right (2018) earlier this month at the Rickshaw Stop. Do Right f...
The new face of folk: an interview with Caamp
If black coffee and cigarettes on a Sunday morning had a soundtrack, it would be the music of Caamp. Caamp is comprised of Taylor Meier and Evan Westfall, two childhood friends who have been playing music since...