Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews

Ballet School headline Brick & Mortar in San Francisco on Sunday, November 2, 2014 Photos by Audrey Gertz Fresh off sleeping on an airport floor -- or so they told us -- Ballet School showed at the low-...

It may have been Halloween, but the only thing scary last Friday was the number of patrons at LIVE 105’s Spookfest who wrote Chromeo off as a “band.” In fact, one patron we spoke with at the end of th...

Few experiences rival that of bearing witness to a beautifully played piano recital. Fewer still rival that of hearing a near-perfect interpretation of a composer’s artistic vision. No experience, however,...

Bass Drum of Death surprised us with their outsized encapsulating presence October 20 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Short a bassist, they engulfing us in sound like it was no big deal. But...

Indie rock and experimental pop duo Foxygen are known for having a hot and vibrant live show, and rumours proved true last Friday when we got a taste of their energetic nine-piece live band at The Fillmore....

Conjuring Saharan winds inside The Chapel Monday night, Mali’s Tinariwen (Tamasheq for deserts) delivered a synthesis of tribal African music and American blues that left devotees spellbound. Belongin...

The crowd was Slim on Monday night in San Francisco, but nonetheless excited for the bands on the bill. The hour between doors and Brick + Mortar’s performance was perforated by people wandering the ven...

Delta Spirit, SACCO, and Deep Sea Diver played a sold-out show at the Fillmore on October 25, and though the transitions in between sets dragged on, ultimately, the wait was worth it. The three bands had si...

"The Muir". Credit: Richard Termine. Dance can be funny and whimsical, idiosyncratic and beautiful -- characteristics overlooked or under-appreciated by today’s audiences, particularly by college studen...

Garters and CamelBaks seemed rather inappropriate for the evening, but people still wore them October 24 at The Regency Ballroom. Regardless of whether they were rave-ready or simply unwinding after work, t...

On October 16, The Horrors and Moon Duo played a pair of mesmerizing sets at the Fillmore, a venue with a cool atmosphere augmented by chandeliers lit up in blue and purple. Moon Duo started off the nigh...

Two breathtaking sunsets over the Golden Gate Bridge and balmy Bay breezes characterized what was just shy of 24 hours of cumulative music output­ the weekend of October 18-19, 2014 -- another spectacular...

Duality is everywhere: Adam and Eve, light and dark, land and sea, good and evil... the list goes on. With that in mind, we ventured into The Australian Ballet’s performance of Swan Lake and the Berkele...

Folk artist Sam Amidon has jazzed up both his new record Lily-O (2014) and American tour with amazing guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Shahzad Ismaily. Monday October 13th, they pleased their San Franci...

Last Friday night, longtime friends Devendra Banhart and Andy Cabic (Vetiver) performed an acoustic set at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive gallery. Banhart, known for his soulful experimental fol...