Top San Francisco Music Stories

Music Features

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  The Making of Mikal Cronin: How a Shy Kid from Laguna Beach Became the Best Pop Songwriter in San Francisco
  By Ian S. Port

  Photograph by Mike Koozmin. Background painting designed by Eric Bauer and Kim West, painted by Eric Bauer and the “ultimate party crew.” Original image modified. The wind on this... More >>

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  The Great Gatsby's Soundtrack Doesn't Fit Its Message
  By Sam Lefebvre

  Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of F. Scott Fitzergald's The Great Gatsby is surprisingly true to the original text. He is reverent to the plot, lifts dialogue from the book, and... More >>

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  LL Cool J: Show Preview
  By Dave Pehling

  Thanks to his steady work on the hit crime drama NCIS: Los Angeles, LL Cool J is better known as an actor than a rapper to a whole generation of hip-hop fans. Of course, it hasn't helped that... More >>

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  Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows From the Last Week in S.F. Music
  By Staff, SF Weekly

  Janelle Monáe blew away a gown-and-tux crowd with the S.F. Symphony, channeling Prince and Michael Jackson and giving the often-staid patrons of Davies a reason to get on their feet. By... More >>

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  Tera Melos: Show Preview
  By Daniel Levin Becker

  For a while there, it didn't look like the Sacramento trio Tera Melos was ever going to get serious about anything besides keeping its songs both technically proficient and structurally and... More >>

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  Kylesa: Show Preview
  By Dave Pehling

  Along with fellow Georgian metal mavericks Mastodon and Baroness, Savannah quintet Kylesa has taken a place at the vanguard of heavy music over the past decade. Anchored by the guitar/vocal... More >>

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  Elliphant: Show Preview
  By Reyan Ali

  Sometimes, it's best to completely disregard musicians' thoughts on their own work. Case in point: Elliphant architect Ellinor Olovsdotter described her music as "pop punk with some electronic... More >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>

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  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 >>