Live This Week: Jessica Pratt to showcase her tranquil reverie at the Chapel
Imbued with the kind of warmth found in a cup of tea on a dreary day, Jessica Pratt's nimble voice is enchanting as it is peculiar. On Quiet Signs, her latest record, Pratt continues to deliver the hushed melodies that colored her debut, On Your Own Love Again. The faintly-strummed and spare acoustic guitar anchors her evocations, providing a comfort that manages to probe into the unknown. Songs like standout single "This Time Around" feel oddly familiar, like blowing off the dust of an old keepsake stowed in the attic, hidden away from the elements. Pratt seems unfazed by the [...]
Ticket Giveaway Wednesday: Rupa and the April Fishes, Meernaa and more
(illustration: Cassidy Miller) Want even more giveaways? Sign up for our newsletter for access to extra contests. To enter for a chance to win tickets to any show below, email contest@thebaybridged.com with the name of the band and the date of the show you’re entering in the subject line and your full name in the body of the email. Winners will be selected at random no later than 24 hours before the listed show and notified via email. Thursday, April 25 Escort, Planet Booty @ Rickshaw Stop 8pm, $18, all ages. Buy advance tickets here. Thursday, April 25 The Pack [...]
The Bay Abridged: Feb 3 – 16
In this recurring feature known as The Bay Abridged, our staff writers will provide short, witty recaps on shows they attended around the Bay Area. A scene check, a heat check, and sometimes more — stop by every Wednesday for the most comprehensive and concise recap of last week's Bay Area concert scene. Jessica Pratt, Luke Sweeney at Swedish American Hall (SF) Feb. 6 While downtown was abuzz with Super Bowl City fever, the quiet streets of the Castro remained a stark opposite to the fervor a few blocks down. Up the stairs of the Swedish, the once [...]
Ticket Giveaway: Jessica Pratt at Swedish American Hall
It has become increasingly difficult to define “intimacy” in music — the word is so often used to describe any performance with a whispered sonic profile, self-pertaining lyrics, or a minimalist approach to processing effects (a sound that, ironically, usually involves quite a bit of production work). But even at its most basic definition, intimacy is not a description so much as a relationship; for songwriting, it is an amity the musician builds with the listener. Jessica Pratt has all the hallmarks of what people associate with an intimate style, from the way you can nearly hear her skin rub against [...]
The Bay Abridged: Sept 30 – Oct 6
In this recurring feature known as The Bay Abridged, our staff writers will provide short, witty recaps on shows they attended around the Bay Area. A scene check, a heat check, and sometimes more — stop by every Wednesday for the most comprehensive and concise recap of last week's Bay Area concert scene. Empress Of, Abra at The Rickshaw Stop (SF) Sept. 29 People simply aren't talking enough about how great Empress Of's Me is, but the Rickshaw Stop was packed last Tuesday with fans more than willing to dance to Lorely Rodriguez's immaculately crafted electronic-pop. The artist hit the [...]
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 [...]
The emo kid’s guide to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
The first time I went to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass was 2010. This was the first time I saw Conor Oberst live. I had been a fan for 5 years, but I was barely 18 and barely going to shows on a monthly basis. My friends were more consumed by the fact that Kirsten Dunst could be seen backstage from where we were standing, while I was consumed by the fact that I was quickly becoming obsessed. Since then, I have seen Conor Oberst (in all his projects, except Monsters of Folk) 13 times, (which can either be the most impressive [...]
Noise Pop 2015: Jessica Pratt, Kevin Morby charm at The Chapel
At this point, "otherworldly" is probably an overused adjective to describe a singer's voice, but I'll be damned if it doesn't nail Jessica Pratt's uniquely captivating way with a melody. Joined by a single guitarist at The Chapel on Wednesday night, the duo's intricate folk was simply stunning. The set flew by far too quickly, with "Moon Dude" and "Back, Baby," both from her new album, On Your Own Love Again, standing out as two of many highlights. But if the beauty in her voice and her music felt slightly alien, the singer-songwriter was gracious and charming, remarking about how [...]
Live This Month: February 2015 — an audio guide to upcoming SF concerts
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/LTM_February_2015.mp3 Download: Live This Month: February 2015 (Podcast #356) In Live This Month, we sample some of the great local and out-of-town bands performing in the coming month in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two Gallants handily win the award for the hardest-working band in the Bay Area this month. With a new album, We Are Undone, garnering great reviews, the local duo kicks off a ton of touring in North America and Europe over the next four months with three nights of back-to-back local shows. Two Gallants aren't the only locals with a new record, though. This month's podcast [...]
Jessica Pratt supporting sophomore release with Noise Pop gig
LA-via-SF singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt is releasing her sophomore full-length this week, the followup to her excellent 2012 self-titled debut. Featuring her refreshing new single "Back, Baby", On Your Own Love Again is out Tuesday, January 27 via Drag City. Her West Coast tour includes a stop at Noise Pop Fest, during which she'll be performing at The Chapel with Kevin Morby, Carroll, and Two Sheds on February 25. On Your Own Love Again presents a more contemporary presentation of Pratt's vision than her self-titled debut, which was actually recorded in 2007 and sat for four years before being discovered by [...]