Somebody call a doctor
Next to an overpass of the 101 Freeway in San Francisco is a music venue called the Brick & Mortar Music Hall. It is the evening of Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, yet in this darkly lit h...
Noise Pop 2016: Dirty Dishes
On their latest tour, NYC based Dirty Dishes made a stop in SF last Saturday, February 27, just in time for the penultimate night of Noise Pop 2016. Also accompanying them in the dimly lit Knockout was Wax Id...
Brooklyn’s POP ETC sparkle on fourth release
Started by Berkeley alum Chris Chu and friends as The Morning Benders, POP ETC is a sunny songwriting machine that encapsulates its title with their recent fourth record, Souvenir, out January 29 via Rough ...
Deerhunter, Cox get personal and powerful on the Fading Frontier
Indie rock band Deerhunter returns this month with their seventh studio album, Fading Frontier, on October 16 via 4AD. The album arrives in the wake of frontman Bradford Cox’s recovery from a serious car acci...
Bully talks inspiration, recording, and vegetarian eats at Pitchfork Music Festival
On the thin line separating grunge and polished rock, there stands Bully: a band that manages to blur, tear, and ultimately distort this distinction.
While they render well-produced tracks, the Nashvi...
RATATAT return triumphant, Magnifique after five years
The fifth studio full-length from Brooklyn duo RATATAT, Magnifique is an album on steroids from a band on steroids. Strengthened by the making of more experimental records LP3 and LP4, Mike Stroud and Evan ...
Death Cab for Cutie draw committed fans to the Greek Theatre
At first, it was unusual to see a veteran band such as Built to Spill opening in an arena setting; but we later found out the connection was chronological and fitting when Death Cab for Cutie frontman Be...
Cayucas get away with sophomore record, Dancing at the Blue Lagoon
Zach and Ben Yudin return with the second progression of their cheery surf pop sound in new album Dancing at the Blue Lagoon, two years after their debut, Bigfoot (2013). The twin brothers' sophomore r...
Mumford & Sons forgo banjos in Wilder Mind, sound “Coldplay-ish”
"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...
Other Lives’ Jonathon Mooney shares his stance on touring, doughnuts, and new LP Rituals
Portland-by-way-of-Oklahoma trio Other Lives are due to commence a month-long North American tour next week after releasing third full-length album Rituals, due May 4 via TBD Records. This third record, c...
Find Happyness celebrating Weird Little Birthday at Bottom of the Hill this Monday
London-based three-piece Happyness embark on their first US tour beginning in Los Angeles this week, having just released Weird Little Birthday with Bar/None Records this past Tuesday. The newer band h...
Chasing Yesterday, listening today, and waiting tomorrow on Noel Gallagher
After months of anticipation, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds has released his second album. Finished on July 13, 2014, fans have had an apparently pointless and agonising wait for this album; howe...
Gang of Four ask the question, What Happens Next?
In 1978, Sony introduced the first portable stereo, the Walkman. College kids everywhere laughed their asses off at Animal House, the Bee Gees released “Stayin’ Alive,” and Gang of Four released “...
Two Gallants to play three (Bay Area shows) to kick off tour for new album
Capable of capturing the bitter realities of heartbreak and internal struggles of morality, Two Gallants also know how to (simply) create great Americana-style rock music; Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel cont...
Local spotlight: The Hundred Days host an EP pre-release party, talk recording and post-show eats
They're always looking out for their fans, unexpectedly self-conscious, and total tea snobs. This is what we learned about local rock outfit The Hundred Days in 90 minutes before the now East Bay (formerly...