Craig Finn

Ben Folds Five Makes the Past Come Alive at the Warfield, 1/31/12

Ben Folds Five Nataly Dawn Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013 The Warfield Better than: Seeing Deep Blue Something reunite in 2013 ("Breakfast at Tiffany's" for life!) Telling people you're headed to a concert is hip; it carries underlying messages about being active and keeping up on popular culture. But wh ... More >>

Fall Album Frenzy: New Local Albums You Need to Know

Jerry Garcia 70th Birthday Tribute Includes Huge Guest Roster, Will Be Streamed Online

The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia would have turned 70 this Aug. 1, 2012, and to celebrate, fellow Dead member Bob Weir and a ton of other musicians are throwing Move Me Brightly, a Garcia tribute show that will be live-streamed from Weir's own TRI Studios in San Rafael. The list of musical guests f ... More >>

The Top 10 Most Disappointing Albums of 2012 (So Far)

It's a little past the halfway point of 2012, but mid-July still seems like a good time to round up the albums that came out this year and simply failed to meet our expectations. Some of those expectations were admittedly (and deservedly) sky-high -- leading to decent records that still felt like a ... More >>

Jack White's Solo Debut, Blunderbuss: A First Listen

For some reason, like the Craig Finn solo album, I'm kind of dreading this. Jack White's one of my generation's greatest, which is partly the reason I'm always worried about when he'll Clapton out. Without his cro Meg-non secret weapon on drums (well, drum, singular -- as in one at a time), he came ... More >>

Noise Pop 2012: A Handy Guide to Our Complete Coverage

Christopher VictorioParty's over... 'till next year.​ Well, kids, it's over. Noise Pop's 20th anniversary has come and gone, leaving lots of sold-out shows, earsplitting climaxes, elated Tweets, credit-limit-busting cab fares, and wicked hangovers in its path. As we try to get this ringing out ... More >>

Live Review, 2/21/12: The Hold Steady's Craig Finn Leads a Good, Depressing Time at Bottom of the Hill

Craig Finn Sad Baby Wolf Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012 Bottom of the Hill / Noise Pop 20th Anniversary Opening Night Better than: Seeing The Hold Steady. Ask a local, or a bring a notebook with you to a show, and they'll tell you: Noise Pop is as much about discovering new music as it is about venue-hopp ... More >>

Craig Finn: Show Preview

In Print: Exploring Bhi Bhiman's Funny, Compassionate Folk Songs

Bhi Bhiman​Bhi Bhiman: It might surprise anyone who's heard his booming tenor of a voice, but San Francisco singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman didn't always want to be a musician. His first chosen profession? Comedian. Which goes some way toward explaining the sharp humor in his lyrics. "I tried to ... More >>

Craig Finn's Clear Heart Full Eyes: A First Listen

If I may make two predictions about Clear Heart Full Eyes, the solo debut from combustible, fan-friendly Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn, they are that: 1. It's not going to save rock 'n' roll. 2. It's not going to be a meta-narrative about how it doesn't save rock and roll. If the last Hold Stea ... More >>

Noise Pop 2012 Lineup: The Flaming Lips, Sleigh Bells, Bob Mould, and More Added

The final More additions to the lineup for Noise Pop's 20th Anniversary festival were released moments ago, and they were worth the wait: Topping the 2012 bill are the Flaming Lips -- who also played Noise Pop in '98, just before finding a second run of success with The Soft Bulletin, the album the ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

Noise Pop Adds Wye Oak, the Dodos, and More to 2012 Festival Lineup

Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack​ Noise Pop isn't like other music festivals, which usually announce their entire lineup at once. Instead, the bills for San Francisco's premiere indie music gathering are announced over months, giving fans continuous excitement -- and perhaps a little anxie ... More >>

Noise Pop Announces 2012 Lineup: Built to Spill, Die Antwoord, Surfer Blood, Archers of Loaf, Craig Finn, and More

South African rap group Die Antwoord is playing Noise Pop's 20th Anniversary.​ Next year is the 20th Anniversary of Noise Pop, San Francisco's premier club-based indie music festival, and today, we get our first peek at the lineup for 2012. Big names include Die Antwoord, Craig Finn, Archers o ... More >>

The Weakerthans Bring All Their Albums to the Live Stage

Treasure Island Day Two: St. Vincent, Beach House, and Explosions in the Sky Successfully Suspend Reality

Christopher VictorioSt. Vincent​ Death Cab for Cutie, Explosions in the Sky, the Hold Steady, St. Vincent, Beach House, Friendly Fires, Wild Beasts, Warpaint, the Antlers, Weekend, Thee Oh Sees October 16, 2011 Treasure Island Music Festival Better than: The other typical yuppie Sunday activi ... More >>

Seek the Booty: 10 Artists to See at Treasure Island

Fake Your Own Death: Show Preview

'The Anthropology of Bono,' and Other Music Courses We'd Like To See

​Recently a few colleges, including the Universities of Virginia and South Carolina, announced plans to offer an undergraduate course on the music, celebrity and all-around mindfuck of Lady Gaga. UVA's is called "GaGa for Gaga: Sex, Gender, and Identity."We've all heard about legendary and hard-to ... More >>

Last Night: The Hold Steady, The Donkeys & A Decent Animal at the Fillmore

Gretchen Robinette ​The Hold Steady, The Donkeys, A Decent AnimalThursday, May 6, 2010 The Fillmore Better than: The Hold Steady used to be. It's not like The Hold Steady are new at this, and they're not young either, but damn if they don't play with the stupid grins of neophytes and the ecstati ... More >>

The Hold Steady navigates punks aging awkwardly

MP3 of the Day: The Hold Steady

Two! Hyped! Bands! In! One! Week!

Crawdaddy! Rock

Influential '60s rock mag returns for the 21st century

It Was a Year Of ...

Well, lots of things, actually

The Hold Steady

Boys and Girls in America (Vagrant)

Meet the New Boss

The Hold Steady's version of classic rock is full of sex, drugs, and Jesus

Computer Love

Talking to Moebius Rex's Matt Ness in the first ever "Ask a Music Blogger"

House Of Tudor

Alessandra Belloni; Lifter Puller