Quaran-tunes: Coping with shelter in place, Bay Area edition
It sure didn't take long for our world to be upended, did it? Look, there's no way to pussyfoot around this: COVID-19 sucks. It will cost countless lives the world over. But as we hunker down in this preemptive shelter in place quarantine, why not fire up the stereo and pass the days away with some tunes? Music is always a good antidote for when there's not one in sight for the foreseeable future. Here's a selection of "quaran-tunes" from local artists that we hope will be a balm for these unprecedented times. Follow us on Spotify! Jody Amable, Content Director [...]
Mixtape: The Lush Sounds of Bay Area Dream Pop
Download: Mixtape: The Lush Sounds of Bay Area Dream Pop (Podcast #434) This episode first ran on KQED.org. Whether they call themselves post-punk, psych or indie pop, a wide array of Bay Area musicians cultivate lush atmospheres and textural depth in songs that are as sonically detailed as they are catchy. The Bay Area's "dream pop" standouts--eleven of whom are featured in this mixtape--include a number of promising new bands, like Topographies, a quartet whose stellar debut single is an exciting burst of fuzzed-out, propulsive rock. Other highlights include Tanukichan, the project of Oakland's Hannah Van Loon, whose layered music [...]
Mixtape: The Bay Area’s Inventive Experimental Musicians
Download: Mixtape: The Bay Area's Inventive Experimental Musicians (Podcast #432) This episode first ran on KQED.org. A wide range of experimental musicians are pushing Bay Area music in inventive directions, deploying sound artistry to craft exciting new electronic, rock, punk and hip hop compositions. This mixtape features ten local experimental artists, ranging from the loud, abrasive guitar contortions of Cube, to warmer ambient sounds from Cruel Diagonals and Gonzalez & Reinhardt. The last of those acts is a new collaboration between two longtime musicians, manifesting drones via synthesizers and the tambura, an Uzbek string instrument. Unsurprisingly, there are a number [...]
Mixtape: Local Musicians at Eleven Upcoming Bay Area Music Festivals
Download: Mixtape: Local Musicians at Eleven Upcoming Bay Area Music Festivals (Podcast #429) This episode first ran on KQED.org. With the debut of the Blurry Vision Fest in Oakland earlier this month, and Bottlerock Napa Valley and Carnaval San Francisco taking place this weekend, music festival season is officially underway in the Bay Area. This mixtape features music from Bay Area bands performing at festivals around the region in the next several months. Outside Lands may be the biggest summer music festival around -- with a 2018 lineup notable for the overdue inclusion of female headliners and a ton of [...]
Mixtape: Highlights in Bay Area Latin Music
Download: Mixtape: Highlights in Bay Area Latin Music (Podcast #428) This episode first ran on KQED.org. The Bay Area has a rich history of acclaimed musicians drawing from the many musical styles developed in Latin America. That legacy continues on today, with an array of Latinx artists incorporating cumbia, salsa, rumba, reggaeton, and Latin rock sounds into their work. This mixtape showcases eleven songs from local bands and artists drawing from Latin music. What's perhaps most immediately notable on first listen is the diversity of sounds included here. Even though half of the artists in this mix are inspired in [...]
Mixtape: The Bay Area’s Standout Hip Hop and R&B Producers
This episode first ran on KQED.org. Download: Mixtape: The Bay Area's Standout Hip Hop and R&B Producers (Podcast #426) The Bay Area's vibrant hip hop and R&B scenes include a wealth of talented MCs and singers, but it's often easy to forget the important behind-the-scenes role that music producers play in crafting great songs. A skilled producer doesn't just provide a instrumental backdrop for an artist to showcase their craft; instead, the best producers elevate their artists, adding emphasis that highlights a song's melodic immediacy or depth that demands repeat listens. This mixtape showcases a dozen songs from local hip [...]
Mixtape: New Folk Music from the Bay Area
This episode first ran on KQED.org. Download: Mixtape: New Folk Music from the Bay Area (Podcast #423) In venues around the Bay Area, like The Lost Church, Neck of the Woods, and the Octopus Literary Salon, Bay Area musicians are sharing new and exciting folk songs, emotive compositions full of lyrical storytelling and thoughtful instrumentation. The stories shared by local folk artists are often personal, like Diana Gameros' new album interpreting Mexican songs from her youth, or Joseph Childress's LP drawing from his travels around the western United States. Marissa Kay was inspired to write the first song and title [...]
Mixtape: Bay Area Musicians to Watch in 2018
This episode first ran on KQED.org. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Musicians_to_Watch_2018.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Bay Area Musicians to Watch in 2018 (Podcast #421) Despite the many challenges that unfortunately failed to disappear at the end of 2017, one bright spot for 2018 is the wealth of emerging Bay Area musicians and bands poised for significant growth this year. This mix showcases fourteen of our picks for local artists to watch in the coming months, with highlights in a variety of genres, including hip hop, electronic pop, folk and punk. Several of the acts included here released acclaimed projects in 2017. Rose Droll's debut EP Photograph [...]
Mixtape: Highlights from Bay Area Music in 2017
This episode originally ran on KQED.org. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/2017_Highlights_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Highlights from Bay Area Music in 2017 (Podcast #419) With each passing day, 2017 appears increasingly determined to solidify its place as the worst year in recent memory. Despite all of the hardships being experienced locally, nationally, and around the globe, the year has offered a wealth of impressive albums from Bay Area musicians. For some of the notable artists featured in this mixtape, their 2017 successes built on the previous year's achievements. Jay Som followed up 2016's buzzed-about Turn Into compilation with her first proper LP Everybody Works. It's a [...]
Mixtape: New Directions in Bay Area Heavy Metal
This episode first ran on KQED.org. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Metal_Mixtape_2017.mp3 Download: Mixtape: New Directions in Bay Area Heavy Metal (Podcast #418) With the Bay Area's history as a breeding ground for significant heavy metal bands, it's probably not a surprise that emerging Bay Area bands are continuing to find new and compelling ways to cross-pollinate metal's many strains. Succumb and Funeral Chant, for example, are contorting black metal and death metal into unpredictable new sounds. The former band's first LP, arriving on reliable local label The Flenser, debuted to widespread critical acclaim; the latter group's murky, lo-fi demo tape, with its warped, unsettling [...]