Hardly Strictly Bluegrass: The Bay Bridged Top 5 Picks
In a town with no discernible seasons, the most notable sign that Fall has arrived is Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB). Celebrating its fifteenth year of existence, HSB has become an institution for locals and a destination for music lovers worldwide. This free music festival draws in crowds as diverse as its lineup: more than 100 acts will perform on 7 stages over the course of three days. With so many musicians - big and small, local and national - performing, how do you even begin to decide who to see? The Bay Bridged's team of writers, photographers, and editors rocked the [...]
Crooks on Tape (Brainiac, Enon, Vertical Scratchers) Play Hotel Utah
Crooks on Tape - a Los Angeles-based band featuring John Schmersal of Vertical Scratchers, Enon, Brainiac, and Caribou's live band - play Hotel Utah this Wednesday, September 30. Crooks on Tape's sound is best described as quirky experimental pop - their songs are born from recording all improvisational sessions and later sampling and honing those sessions into the tunes that can be found on 2013's excellent Fingerprint on Misra Records and 2015's In the Realm of the Ancient Minor, a instrumental album on Pure Orgone Records that digs deeper into the experimental. I was able to interview John, whose music I've listened to and loved for twenty years, over the [...]
The Residents documentary makes local debut at SFIFF
The Residents – a mysterious music, art, and multimedia collective long associated with the San Francisco Bay Area – are stepping into the spotlight as part of this year's San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF). After top-notch reviews from their SXSW debut, Theory of Obscurity: a film about The Residents will make its first local appearances tonight (Friday, May 1) and this Sunday, May 3 at the Sundance Kabuki Theater. Hardcore fans of The Residents will be delighted by never-before-seen footage unearthed from the vaults of the Cryptic Corporation, the “management team” that has kept the identity of The Residents [...]
‘The Colossus of Destiny – A Melvins Tale’ beats Kickstarter goal
The Melvins’ heavy and experimental style of music is a story thirty-two years in the making. Strongly associated with the San Francisco Bay Area as a long-time home for core members King Buzzo and Dale Crover, the band started in 1983 in Washington State. King Buzzo used the name of a fellow grocery store clerk as his high school band’s moniker, and what happens from there is an uncompromising story that continues to be told in The Colossus of Destiny – A Melvins Tale, made possible due to a successful Kickstarter that has reached its goal with time still left for funding. [...]