Kohinoorgasm on reclaiming pop music and the art of performance
(photo: Jasdeep Kang. Styled by Reva Bhatt and Pragya Bhatt) Like most modern-day youth, Josephine Shetty got her start in music through interest in pop music as a young child. "My whole life, I just had this great appreciation for pop and I always loved whatever was on the radio, like Prince, Madonna, or Lady Gaga and the intersection of pop and theatrics drew me in," she explains. Unlike most kids, Shetty delved into the deeper connotations of pop music and explored what she enjoyed about it the most: its execution. Mesmerized by the idea of pop music as theatrical [...]
Memphis-based NOTS play two Bay Area shows in February
(photo: Don Perry) Southern-bred quartet NOTS have announced two Bay Area shows in February as part of their North American tour in support of Cosmetic, their late 2016 album released on Goner Records. A tenacious performance displayed, the band's sophomore effort delivers a promising follow-up to their 2014 debut album We Are Nots, a bold statement earning them a spot in the noise rock newcomer spotlight upon release. Founded in 2011, the band began as a collaboration between current drummer Charlotte Watson and vocalist/guitarist Natalie Hoffman. The band claims their name was taken from a collage created by Hoffman years before the band's nascency, [...]
Bay Area Girls Rock Camp announce rock camp fundraiser
With a mission to empower girls through musicianship and community building, Bay Area Girls Rock Camp (BAGRC) is a nonprofit organization generating increasing interest and popularity through the Bay Area creative community. BAGRC's various programs foster self-confidence and teamwork amongst youth, gender-nonconforming, trans, and femme-identifying communities — catering to the interest of those looking to play music and foster community for a cause. Founded in 2008, the program began with 60 individuals at the Julia Morgan School for Girls in Oakland. A sold-out camp showcase at San Francisco's Bottom of the Hill closed out the organization's first session to positive acclaim. No [...]
Noise Pop: Drive Like Jehu’s tenacious post-hardcore orchestra
Drive Like Jehu (photo: Ian Young) Last Friday, famed '90s post-hardcore act Drive Like Jehu graced an audience at The Independent in San Francisco with a sold-out show. The band performed a diverse range of songs during their performance, audaciously pleasing older fans to newcomers as well. For those up to speed with the inundation of recent reunions that audiences have been experiencing in the past few years, Drive Like Jehu is known for their impromptu reunion back in late 2014 for a performance in San Diego's famous Balboa Park with the accompaniment of the park's historic organ. Fans speculated that [...]
Noise Pop Interview: Getting Down with Oakland’s BAUS
This Friday, February 26, The Bay Bridged presents to you a Noise Pop Happy Hour at San Francisco's Bender's Bar in midst of the Bay Area's annual Noise Pop festivities. Before you make your way to this happy hour event, I've taken the time to get to know Oakland's BAUS, one of the acts for Friday's performance. If you're not familiar with the band, BAUS' music combines a blend of jittery musical fashions suitable to the trio comprised of Mike Morales, Thomas Jackson, and Sierra Wendt. I asked BAUS member Mike more about the artistic process behind the group and [...]
Drive Like Jehu announces second Bay Area show in San Jose
Photo: Philip Cosores Post-hardcore kingpins Drive Like Jehu have recently announced their Noise Pop 2016 show to incredible audience acclaim. The band sold out San Francisco's Independent in a day, following a brief stint on this past October's Treasure Island Music Festival lineup (for those wondering about the craze, the San Diego-based four-piece performed a reunion show at San Diego's historic Balboa Park in 2014, the band's first public comeback since their dissolution in 1995). If you weren't able to snag tickets to their Noise Pop show at the Independent or missed their set at Treasure Island, Drive Like Jehu has announced [...]
Bear Call shares an uplifting tune on our 10th Anniversary Compilation
As many of you are already aware, The Bay Bridged is currently celebrating 10 years of covering the Bay Area independent music community. One of the many gifts available when donating to our fundraiser is our 10th anniversary compilation featuring music from 40+ Bay Area artists. The compilation features San Francisco act Bear Call with their song "You're Not There", a track of approachable pop tunage that listeners who seek upbeat music complete with guitar riffs and dreamy vocals are sure to love. From our end-of-year compilation to your personal holiday party playlists, it's a song from our own celebration [...]
Life Stinks celebrates new album “You’ll Never Make It”
Life Stinks (Photo: Erin Allen) In a city dominated by a tech atmosphere that gave birth to the most prominent corporations, such culture is difficult to ignore when living amongst a privileged elite. Juxtapose that with San Francisco's Life Stinks, a band that caricatures opposition to such lifestyle, truly a bold statement at best. Subtle antagonism fuels the band's latest release You'll Never Make It out now on Sacramento-based SS Records. Social criticism from the local four-piece is not administered with disappointing audacity, however - it impresses and perseveres to stand up to a resolute message in an understated manner. [...]
Swap your records with Maximum RockNRoll and Thrillhouse Records at The Knockout this Sunday
If you're looking for something to do on one of your slow afternoons this upcoming weekend, look no further. Renowned international DIY punk fanzine Maximum RockNRoll teams with local San Francisco record shop Thrillhouse Records to present a record swap this Sunday at The Knockout. The event will be more than just records and day drinking at your local San Francisco dive. Tables will also be offering zines, comics, accessories, and photo prints for sale. Stock up on your gamut of DIY materials and choose from a variety of artwork to 7"s from Thrillhouse and other local, independent vendors. Check [...]
Try the Pie announces ‘Rest,’ a compilation of early recordings
Bean Tupou of Try the Pie (photo: Rocky Nguyen) South Bay-based musician Bean Tupou of Try the Pie is involved in a variety of projects in support of the DIY community, from the San Jose collective Think and Die Thinking to the twee-punk act Sourpatch among others. Using music and art as a platform for socially conscious messages and queer-positive politics, Tupou skillfully offers a hand at helping to create spaces that are inclusive for the underrepresented—-coming from a queer Tongan background themself. Try the Pie's first full-length, Domestication, was released earlier this year; its follow-up is Rest, [...]