Social Work releases new single: “Underweight”
Last week saw the release of "Underweight," the latest single from local Bay Area producer Social Work, or the other Will Butler. The track is Butler's third release since 2015 and first with San Francisco's Text Me Records. The track also doubles as the vocal debut of dreamqueen, the chosen moniker for Toro y Moi percussionist Brijean Murphy. Not one to get cozy in a single genre, Butler opens "Underweight" with a reggae-tinted organ splashing around a reverb-drenched snare drum. Despite the island overtones, the track is unequivocally laid out with an R&B and soul blueprint. The track crawls by in just over four minutes, but listening to [...]
Kacey Johansing and Meernaa celebrate new releases at Rickshaw
A few interconnected musicians are celebrating new releases tomorrow night at Rickshaw Stop, and you should get excited! Headlining the night is Kacey Johansing, who's releasing her first post-Yesway solo album The Hiding. The Hiding was largely recorded in spiritual cousins West Marin and Big Sur, and it feels like it. It's a highlight record for me this year and it should be purchased while you listen below. The Hiding by Kacey Johansing Meernaa has steadily been releasing one-off singles over the past few years, with a sound defined by Carly Bond's strong vocals, surprising rhythms, and Rob Shelton's synth [...]
Favorite Haunts: Hazel English on Beauty’s Bagel Shop, East Bay comforts
Hazel English (Illustration: Rob Goodman) I first saw Hazel English when she performed a stripped-down set this past spring opening up for Thao Nguyen at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma. I hadn’t heard her records yet, so I got to know her music right there, live in the moment, one hauntingly raw melody at a time. I was so moved by her performance that when her new album, a double EP amalgam Just Give In/Never Going Home, was released on Polyvinyl earlier this year, I dove into her studio work full force. The album, produced by friend and collaborator Jackson [...]
A “Fresh & Onlys Divorce Reunion” is at Night Light tonight
Grace Sings Sludge (Grace Cooper) and Earth Girl Helen Brown (Heidi Alexander) have been a part of some great San Francisco bands, namely The Sandwitches and The Fresh & Onlys. Tonight they're sharing the stage with their old bandmate, Fresh and Onlys' front man Tim Cohen for a great cozy show at the Night Light in Oakland. Of primary importance tonight is the release of Grace Sings Sludge's LP Life with Dick, out now on vinyl via Empty Cellar Records. Cooper's voice is always strong and alluring, yet very dark on Life with Dick. I picture her confidently delivering her [...]
Little Hurricane sweep into the Bay with new album
Hailing from San Diego, the infectious blues styling of the duo Little Hurricane finds itself with the third of three Bay Area performances since BottleRock Napa as they support their latest release, Same Sun Same Moon. Little Hurricane's tour takes them back down around the southwestern United States, through Texas and into Louisville and Nashville before they return to San Francisco proper for a headlining performance at the Independent on Saturday, July 8. Check out the latest single from Same Sun Same Moon, their third LP since forming eight years ago, "Isn't It Great," below: Little Hurricane is a California band that means [...]
Giveaway: Actual Wolf’s ‘Faded Days’ release show with Mipso at Slim’s
Oakland's Actual Wolf (aka Eric Pollard) digitally released his album Faded Days on Redhouse Records earlier this month, and this weekend he's celebrating the release at Slim's, opening for North Carolina's Mipso. We think you should attend, so we're giving away a pair of tickets to the show. To enter for a chance to win tickets to see Actual Wolf at Slim's on June 16, email russell.jelinek@thebaybridged.com with "Actual Wolf" in the subject line and your full name in the body of the email. A winner will be selected at random and notified via email. Faded Days is less "country" [...]
Hot Flash Heat Wave unveil ‘Soaked’ at Rickshaw Stop
The Bay Area's favorite surf-pop rock quartet Hot Flash Heat Wave are preparing for some big things in 2017 and are kicking the summer off with the release of their sophomore LP, Soaked. Recorded at Tiny Telephone and seeing release on OIM Records, an independent and East Bay born hub for locally sourced and produced music, Hot Flash Heat Wave have been keeping their project and themselves extremely local — save for a brief number of dates priming the East Coast last month. Although the record was made available to purchase at the beginning of the month, an all-ages album release party has [...]
Poolside hits Public Works for high class party this weekend
The SoCal daytime disco duo Poolside, made up of former Denmark and San Francisco residents Filip Nikolic and Jeffrey Paradise, are gearing up for a party at Public Works in SF on Saturday, June 10. With a brand new album slated for release this summer, the duo's upcoming DJ set should feature many new remixes and Poolside originals for the first time. These days, Poolside is a high-demand act worldwide, and is incredibly selective about where, when and how often they will perform. This weekend's SF set precedes a handful of upcoming festival dates, capped by a September headlining performance at Luna Light [...]
Premiere: “All Szn” by Lord Morgan ft. EyyELL
(photo: @isaiahbeiser) The Bay Area's rich history of hip-hop and R&B continues to thrive through people like Kehlani and Iamsu!. Two other local artists headed for stardom are Lord Morgan and EyyEll, rapper and producer respectively, on their most recent track "All Szn." This year, they already released "Married 2 the Game," which was featured on Thizzler and LA’s Lunch Table Talks. They have been grinding around the Bay Area for years now, putting in the work in release after release to prepare for their upcoming album Vibration Is Player which will be released July 2017. "All Szn" pounds with [...]
More Fatter combines raw funk and jazz on ‘where are you’ LP
On Saturday, June 3, Bay Area funk and jazz-rock fusion band More Fatter will appear at Neck of the Woods in San Francisco for the official release party of its debut album, where are you, out May 30. The five piece band, led by vocalist/guitarist Tommy Economou, bassist Adam Heymann, drummer Danny Chiapelone, and the brothers Fedronic on horns (Marc on trombone and keys and Theo on trumpet), have tapped into a combination of raw funk and carefully studied jazz that makes their eight-track debut a smash. https://open.spotify.com/album/5QM4vm7eAIKLlzVKWKxd2P Imagine John Coltrane debuting an album with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and you might have a [...]