Video Premiere: Planet Booty flaunts finer things in “Connoisseur”
Photo: Rachel Radcliffe The Planet Booty bandmates have always been experts in funk, acceptance, and positivity, but in the video for their latest single “Connoisseur,” they show that taste is in the eye of the beholder. “The song on the face of it seems superficial, like a celebration of fine, fancy things and material items and being high class,” says frontman Dylan Charles Germick. “But it’s the exact opposite of that.” Set in the gloom of a post-apocalyptic world, the "Connoisseur" video, released today, reminds us that in times of distress, the little things can be the finer things that [...]
Rain Phoenix honors her late brother, River, on new solo album
Photo: Michael Muller Through her debut solo album called River, Rain Phoenix shares her deeply personal journey to mourn, memorialize, and ultimately celebrate the life of her brother, actor River Phoenix, 26 years after his death. The acclaimed actor rose to stardom in films like Stand By Me (1986) and Running on Empty (1988), which earned him an Oscar nomination. He was 23 in 1993 when he collapsed outside the Viper Room in West Hollywood. For decades, his singer-songwriter sister rarely, if ever, spoke publicly of her brother’s passing. But recently, Rain Phoenix opened up through song when her past met [...]
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus are the women of boygenius who outsmarted them all
(Photo: Lera Pentelute) Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus booked a tour together before they formed the new indie rock band boygenius. It’s not the typical order of events, but that’s the genius of this trio. They are not bound by convention, nor do they hang on the word of “adult men” in the industry. These artists — all singers, songwriters, and guitarists under the age of 25 — were driven by their calling to make music together. Undeterred, they made it happen on their own terms. Each young woman has a fairly new and successful solo career, a [...]
SYML shares new single “Clean Eyes” with his sights set on debut album
Washington artist Brian Fennell, whose solo project goes by the name SYML, admits he has the “ugly trait” of being cynical while his wife holds a brighter outlook. SYML sings all about it in his latest single “Clean Eyes,” which displays his talents as a songwriter and producer. It also highlights his versatility in crafting an indie pop song without losing his emotive lyric style, stirring vocal range, and truthful depiction of hurt or unrest. “I wrote ‘Clean Eyes’ as an outlet to express my least favorite thing about myself — that I’m a cynic,” SYML said in a statement. [...]
Radkey rocks through the bond of brotherhood
Photo by Matt Radke Radkey has been a rock band since 2010 and a band of brothers for life. The three homeschooled Radke siblings grew up in St. Joseph, Missouri, listening to their dad’s vast record collection and teaching themselves to play instruments. With Darrion “Dee” Radke, 25, on guitar and lead vocals; Isaiah Radke, 23, on bass; Solomon Radke, 21, on drums; and their father and manager Matt Radke driving the tour van, Radkey is truly a family affair — right down to the last letter. The letter “Y,” added to their surname, is key to their rad band [...]
Trashcan Sinatras serve generous portions of ‘Cake’ on new tour
(photo: Mort Shuman) The Scottish progressive pop band Trashcan Sinatras are playing their first two records in their entirety during the One Night, Two Albums tour. It may sound like a simple announcement, but similar to the layered wordplay of a Trashcan lyric, the statement holds greater meaning. It points to the band’s storied history of 31 years. The tour is a rare, sentimental, and acoustic treat for devoted fans who fell in love with the revered 1990 debut Cake and the acclaimed 1993 follow-up I’ve Seen Everything decades ago. The three-piece lineup of Frank Reader, John Douglas, and Paul [...]
Giveaway: Damien Jurado returns to San Francisco
(photo: Elise Tyler) During his 23-year career, Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Jurado has crafted a distinguished catalog of a dozen albums and about 15 EPs. Jurado has earned critical acclaim for his indie-folk music and praise as a storyteller for his songs that emit eloquent literary tales. Whether you are a longtime fan or need an introduction to Jurado’s work, you can enter to win tickets for his show at the Chapel in San Francisco on May 29. His 13th full-length album The Horizon Just Laughed, released via Secretly Canadian, was available for purchase May 4 and will be available to stream [...]
Planet Booty and TWRP unite for a “Tactile Sensation”
Planet Booty and TWRP Planet Booty of Oakland and TWRP of Toronto are musical compadres. The East Bay trio and the Canadian foursome first met in June 2017 when Planet Booty was booked last-minute to open for TWRP at the Valley Bar in Phoenix. By October 2017, the bands had become fast friends, mutual fans, and tour mates. Now they are collaborators, partnering on the single “Tactile Sensation.” The song is featured on TWRP’s new album Together Through Time, released May 18. TWRP wrote the track’s music and was steadfast when it came to the title. “It started out as [...]
Faustina Masigat creates folk ballads from heartbreak, returns to Bay Area
Faustina Masigat’s self-titled debut album was born from emotional and artistic struggles. The Portland singer-songwriter was heartbroken by the end of a relationship and stifled by her traditional musical studies. She felt lost, as if “moving from situation to situation with no anchor.” Masigat grasped at every resource to escape monotony, even stepping away from her peers to be alone and self-reflect. That’s when she began writing her raw ballads and folk-pop songs with just enough country twang to help tell her stories. Eleven tracks show Masigat’s cathartic evolution and make up her first album, released April 6 on Mama Bird [...]
Review: A rockin’ stroll down sentimental street with Night Ranger
Night Ranger (photo: Carla Bova) Night Ranger put on a show of past-meets-present perfection at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The Bay Area rock and roll band opened with “Somehow Someway,” the latest single off its 11th studio album Don’t Let Up, released in March 2017. Featuring this up-tempo tune with its big guitar licks at the top of the concert highlighted the fact that Night Ranger continues to make new music and to capture the signature sound fans have loved for decades. While the band played one more new track from Don’t Let Up called “Truth,” the rest of the [...]