Kowa’s new “Thumbs Up” single is deliciously danceable
Bay Area-based Kowa has one main objective: to make you move. This lively duo is comprised of longtime friends, Robinson Kuntz and Peter Davies, who began making music together while growing up in the city of Napa. The two have collaborated on past musical projects: the Buttercream Gang and Glial Cell, discovering creative kismet in buoyant electro-pop tunes sprinkled with playful lyrics. With Kowa, Kuntz and Davies find their sweet spot in layering numerous instruments over programmed drums to build a carefree, yet resonant sound that's easy to glide to. The pair recently introduced a new single "Thumbs Up" from [...]
Start a Riot with Sleater-Kinney at the Fox Theater
Riot Grrrl rockers Sleater-Kinney will play Oakland's Fox Theater, November 16 and 17. Their ninth album, The Center Won't Hold debuted this past summer with Mom + Pop, and serves up existentialist themes on a modern platter with references to technology-induced disconnection and dread. Songs like "Can I Go On" and "Reach Out" allow Sleater-Kinney's gravelly truths to escape amidst a lighthearted and danceable tone. The Center Won't Hold's sleek and vibrant sound is due in large part to expert production by the dynamic singer/songwriter/producer St. Vincent, who gives the band's politically and socially conscious lyrics a container from which [...]
Celebrate local artists at the Railroad Square Music Festival
This Sunday June 9, musicians will span four stages in Santa Rosa's Railroad Square for a packed day of free, family-friendly celebration in the name of creative expression and inclusion in the North Bay. The Railroad Square Music Festival is a project that began four years ago via the non-profit organization The Lost Church, which is dedicated to providing intimate performance spaces for artists to share their unique stories and art. Part of their current mission includes building a Santa Rosa theater to enhance visibility for North Bay artists and fuse the ever-growing community, as a result. Enjoy vibrant performances [...]
Rock your subconscious with the Drought Cult in Santa Rosa
Tomorrow night, dreamy, experimental rock will darken and disrupt the halls of the Orchard House in Santa Rosa. Leading the charge with an evocative and textural post-rock sound is North Bay trio the Drought Cult, with a brand new single "No Beliefs" and accompanying video hot off the press (March 1). Adding to the enigmatic vibe is Portland indie-rock songstress MAITA, North Bay indie-rockers Crystal Creeps, and experimental folk artist Mise, from Astoria. The Drought Cult's fuzzy guitars and razor sharp lyrics play to the dichotomy of their aesthetic — a bold balance between heavy and ethereal; dark and light. [...]
State Faults reunite at the Chop Shop with friends
Post-hardcore band State Faults return to their hometown of Santa Rosa for a lively show at the Chop Shop on February 22. San Jose-based hardcore band Outlier will join them, along with local friends and math rockers Sloth & Turtle, as well as indie rock band Pushing It from San Francisco. The creative community of Santa Rosa has long cultivated a supportive rock scene, and this show’s lineup underscores the strings that tie this scene together. Michael Weldon from State Faults (guitar, vocals) speaks to the excitement surrounding this timely reunion that will bring old and new friends back to [...]
The Y Axes unveil new single “How We Begin”
San Francisco-based space-pop/post-Americana rockers the Y Axes have debuted the second single, "How We Begin," from their forthcoming album, No Waves. The band's lead singer, Alexi Rose Belchere, reflects on the sentiments behind "How We Begin": "The song is about living in a hopeless time where it feels like I’m drowning in a constant feed of information and being suffocated by a paralyzing fear of the future. It reminds me that fear of the unknown needs to be transcended in order to carry on. It’s basically about how the world sucks and I can't get absorbed by it if I'm [...]
Sonoma County rock bands rally to benefit The Phoenix Theater
Sabertooth Zombie and Brown Bags will rock out at The Phoenix Theater on February 16, in a collective effort to raise funds for necessary updates to the iconic venue. They will be joined by Glitter Wizard and Thus the Buzz, for a rousing night of heavy rock and progressive punk. Sabertooth Zombie hails from the North Bay and never fails to deliver the loudest, most energetic heavy rock with a zip of punk wedged in for good measure. The show's exciting array of rockers makes it easy to show up with friends to support The Phoenix Theater, a venue that [...]
Spend Valentine’s Day with ‘The Vagina Monologues’
One Billion Rising will bring The Vagina Monologues to Sonoma County this Valentine's Day, for an empowering, informative night. The goal of One Billion Rising is to end violence against women (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence) on a massive, worldwide scale. The celebrated play, The Vagina Monologues, written by Eve Ensler, takes the audience on a journey through several interviews with women of differing backgrounds and sexual experiences. The play not only examines sexuality in its many forms, but sheds light on social stigmas associated with sexual violence. In creating a [...]
Horders celebrate new EP at the Star in Sebastopol
On Saturday December 22, crowds will converge to kick off holiday festivities at the Star in Sebastopol, where psychedelic-grunge rockers Horders (and friends) will shred the night away. Horders consists of Gabe Katz (drums), Brian Kincaid (Bass), Nico Molinari (guitar), and Jaime Wosk (guitar). The band will be joined by Hunter Ellis (guitar), Asher Katz (keyboards), and Jesse Shantor (saxophone), who will collectively rock your face off as they perform songs from Horders' new EP, Save Everything. The band recalls: “Save Everything is a true testament to our friendship and brotherhood as a band. It has been a healing and [...]
Celebrate 15 years of the New Trust at the Phoenix Theater
Santa Rosa-grown indie rockers the New Trust will celebrate their 15th anniversary at the Phoenix Theater in Petaluma on Friday December 14. Joining them are past members Matthew Izen and Michael Richardson to revive favorite songs from the early 2000s. Friends of the band, Polar Bears, will also emerge from hibernation to rejoin the Sonoma County indie rock scene, encouraging all ages to gather with friends and remedy the holiday blues with some much needed youthful nostalgia. Listen to "Honeymoon" from the New Trust's 2017 release, Upset the Tides here: Upset The Tides by The New Trust The New Trust, [...]