San Francisco Music

Music Features

Change of Oldies: Shannon and the Clams Sharpen Vintage Pop to a Raw Edge

By Ian S. Port

If there is a playbook of rock band moves, the plan to "go somewhere weird and faraway to write and record new songs" would be on one of its most weathered pages. The reasoning behind the move is... More >>
Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

By Staff, SF Weekly

Sizzle • Derrick May proved Detroit techno is still very much alive with a riveting set at Public Works. Putting lots of mileage on the club's EQs, he kept the floor moving past 3 a.m. We... More >>
Pusha T: Show Preview

By Daniel Levin Becker

Pusha T, half of the Virginia coke-rap duo Clipse and the last big-deal signee to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label, works in mysterious ways. This helps explain how he came by his prodigious... More >>
Dillinger Escape Plan: Show Preview

By Reyan Ali

The video for the Dillinger Escape Plan's "When I Lost My Bet" doubles as a nifty intro to the Morris Plains, N.J.-based outfit. The most disconcerting thing about Mitch Massie's gory fever dream... More >>
Boris: Show Preview

By Dave Pehling

Formed in the early '90s, when guitarist Wata, bassist/guitarist Takeshi, and drummer Atsuo met while attending a Tokyo art school, the Japanese experimentalists in Boris have traveled a... More >>
Janelle Monae: Show Preview

By Ian S. Port

There are few rising R&B stars as stylishly ambitious — and consistently satisfying — as Janelle Monae. Her 2010 album The ArchAndroid explored a futuristic mélange of hip-hop,... More >>
The Sons of Bay Area Rock Royalty Want Your Help Starting a Band

By Katy St. Clair

"The first rule of FightClub is, talk about FightClub!!" says Aaron Hagar, the affable son of Sammy. The younger Hagar recently started a sort of mini-supergroup called FightClub, comprised of... More >>
Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

By Staff, SF Weekly

Sizzle • Stern Grove Fest announced its lineup of free concerts for Summer '13, and the list includes Nor-Cal hip-hop group Deltron 3030, soul-rock legend Shuggie Otis, the S.F. Symphony,... More >>
Yo La Tengo: Show Preview

By Ian S. Port

With Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon separated, there's no one close to matching Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley's status as the first couple of indie rock. Together with bassist James McNew, Kaplan... More >>
Junior Brown: Show Preview

By Dave Pehling

Armed with blinding guitar skills, bone-dry wit, and a deep baritone voice, Austin-based country institution Junior Brown has been entertaining audiences across the globe for decades. He got his... More >>
Machine Gun Kelly: Show Preview

By Reyan Ali

When it comes to performance venues, Machine Gun Kelly's devil-may-care attitude has produced some immensely entertaining results. The 23-year-old Cleveland rapper born Richard Colson Baker got a... More >>
Justin Townes Earle: Show Preview

By Mark Keresman

When you're a son or daughter of someone famous, you're often expected to live up to a parent's achievements. For Justin Townes Earle, son of country maverick Steve (and named for folk icon... More >>
Beautifully Wicked: Caitlin Rose Makes Heartache Sound Lovely

By Ian S. Port

Life request: Can we somehow have every piece of bad news henceforth delivered in a song by Caitlin Rose? To hear this Nashville country-rocker sing is to wish that you could crawl inside her... More >>
Cocktails Mix up Catchy, Accessible 'Slop-Pop'

By Sam Lefebvre

Before a show at the Night Light in Oakland, Cocktails vocalist Patrick Clos is bobbing his head compulsively. Paisley shirt buttoned to the neck beneath a flight jacket, Clos casually describes... More >>
Bouncer Hides Out in the Hotel

By Katy St. Clair

Sometimes I try to figure out what I would do if I were homeless and had no money for food. The first important thing to do is to make sure your clothes are clean and you look like everyone else;... More >>