John Fahey

World Anti-Doping Agency Asked to Dump Marijuana From List of Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Among the Drug War's finer ironies is the treatment of marijuana by the world of sport, which has taken a deliciously schizophrenic view on the miracle/devil plant: It's a gateway drug that dooms its users to a lifetime of apathy, ignorance, and nonproduction. It's also a performance-enhancer, in th ... More >>

Four Men With Beards: Rescuing Classic Out-of-Print Releases From the Archives

Many local labels are offering obscure reissues and innovative new releases on all conceivable formats. Label Sampler will profile a different Bay Area record company every other week. Name: 4 Men With Beards Owner: Filippo Salvadori Founded: 2001 Headquarters: San Rafael Creation story: 4 Men ... More >>

Drone-Metal Duo Barn Owl Talks Desert Motifs, Meditative Sounds, and Performing in Cathedrals

Barn Owl​ San Francisco's Barn Owl makes densely layered guitar music that is equal parts heavy and beautiful. Guitarists Jon Porras and Evan K. Caminiti arrived at their textured sound six years ago while students at SF State, munching vegan tofu burritos and taking in music by rock god Neil ... More >>

S.F. Experimental Outfit Barn Owl Spreads Its Wings, Plays the Independent Tonight

Barn Owl​Thanks to both the national media and the local one, most of us know about the more-than-worthy garage-rock, shoegaze, indie-pop, and electronic sounds emanating from the S.F. scene. But far less appreciated are the aquifers of creativity stirring beneath us in the Bay Area's experimental ... More >>

Tuesday's Pick: Grand Lake Vinyl Release Show

Grand LakeIt's For Free GraceSean Smith & the Present MomentJames & EvanderCafe Du Nord9 p.m., $10Caleb Nichols is often asked why he left Port O'Brien two years ago, right around the time the neo-folk outfit was getting quite a bit of attention. His answer is simple: He was tired and needed ... More >>

Friday's Pick: Devotionals, Sean Hayes, Kacey Johansing

​DevotionalsSean HayesKacey JohansingBottom of the Hill9 p.m., $10Two Gallants frontman Adam Stephens has been performing his solo material live for a while now -- his debut, We Live on Cliffs, is out Sept. 28 -- but Tyson Vogel has quietly snuck past his bandmate in getting new music on record sh ... More >>

Last Night: Do Make Say Think, Years, The Happiness Project

Corentin LamyDo Make Say Think: not at last night's show, but, yeah, that's what they looked like​Do Make Say Think, Years, The Happiness ProjectTuesday, Feb. 2, 2010Great American Music HallBetter than: Making your own Happiness; typical conversations with neighbors.Bands that don't use many--or ... More >>

Sonic Youth massages the past

Corentin LamyDo Make Say Think: not at last night's show, but, yeah, that's what they looked like​Do Make Say Think, Years, The Happiness ProjectTuesday, Feb. 2, 2010Great American Music HallBetter than: Making your own Happiness; typical conversations with neighbors.Bands that don't use many--or ... More >>

MP3 of the Day: James Blackshaw

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

Night Day: Calendar Picks for 5/1

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

Ramsey's Roots

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

Mexican six-string superheroes Rodrigo y Gabriela

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

James Blackshaw tonight, 6pm, free

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

Folk of the Apocalypse: Six Organs of Admittance

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

SF Weekly Music Awards 2007 Program

(James Blackshaw) British guitarist James Blackshaw makes incredible acoustic songs inspired by minimalist composers and the classical music of his homeland. He's a modern day John Fahey, repeating and building on hypnotic melodies that are complex to create yet easy on the ears. He's teamed up wi ... More >>

Lichens; White/Lichens

Omns (Kranky)

White/Lichens (Holy Mountain)

The Golden Road

Pioneering freak-folkers Matt Valentine and Erika Elder

It Was a Year Of ...

Well, lots of things, actually

Ben Goldberg Group|Ukelele night|Peter Walker|Ladyhawk

Well, lots of things, actually

Berkeley-Bound

Sean Smith crafts a new American Primitive

The Court & Spark

Hearts (Absolutely Kosher Records)

Various Artists

I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey

A Pack of Mutts

I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey

Man of La Mantra

The psychedelic folk of wandering minstrel Devendra Banhart

Ben Kunin

Acoustic Adventures (Communion)

Charley Patton

Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues (Revenant)

A Foggy Notion

Dan Prothero's Fog City label releases Americana records that are neither country nor folk

Robbie Basho

Bashovia (Takoma/Fantasy)

Four Tet

Pause (Domino)

Mazarin

A Tall-Tale Storyline (spinART)

Change of Heart

M. Ward's new album is damn fine folk -- from a guy who used to ignore folk music

Straight Outta Eureka

With beat-up instruments and a homespun philosophy, Six Organs of Admittance creates a psychedelic buzz

Riff Raff

From the "Can We Please Get the Millennium Over With Now?" Desk and Happy [Expletive Deleted] Holidays

Whatever Doesn't Fit

Brian Fraser and Chris Palmatier have an avant-rock band called Brian and Chris. Everything else is more complex.

Riff Raff

Brian Fraser and Chris Palmatier have an avant-rock band called Brian and Chris. Everything else is more complex.

Riff Raff

Brian Fraser and Chris Palmatier have an avant-rock band called Brian and Chris. Everything else is more complex.

Riff Raff

Brian Fraser and Chris Palmatier have an avant-rock band called Brian and Chris. Everything else is more complex.

Woodstick

Three (small) days of peace, love, and psychedelia

Whipping Post

Three (small) days of peace, love, and psychedelia

The Lonesome Death (and Life) of Souled American

Dank, dark, and sad with Chicago's weird country band

Reviews

Dank, dark, and sad with Chicago's weird country band

Reviews

Dank, dark, and sad with Chicago's weird country band