Supporting BFF.fm keeps the music coming and shines a silver lining
We’ve all been hearing stories of resilience, boundary pushing (in a good way), and communities coming together in new ways. One of our biggest sources of togetherness during the times of shutdown has been livestreaming and radio. “Radio stations are considered an essential business,” says Amanda Guest, founder and director of Best Frequencies Forever, better known as BFF.fm. “So we could have just kept doing things the way we were doing them, but we were concerned as a community, because we have a very diverse group of 125 DJs — that’s a lot of people coming in and out of [...]
‘Murder in the Front Row’: An interview with director Adam Dubin
When Adam Dubin set out to film Murder in the Front Row, a documentary about the beginnings of the Bay Area thrash metal scene, it wasn’t supposed to be through the eyes of a musicologist &mdsah; which he admits he is not. “I’m interested in how people felt,” Dubin says. “What was going on at the time and what people were responding to — the musicians themselves and their fans.” Dubin — well-known director of many Beastie Boys music videos, including the hilarious “Fight for your Right” — had worked with Metallica for over 25 years before he approached them [...]
Video Premiere: Drift through Steinhart Aquarium with W.O.E.
Out of the current crisis will emerge a large quantity of artistic output, most certainly. For many musicians, isolation is not new: There's always another chord to loop, another vocal track to harmonize and another layer to agonize over before deleting for good. But this quarantined world is far away from sticky, beer-soaked floor of a venue or the backyards full of JUUL vapor. Memories of these immersive worlds are touchstones back to the familiar normalcy of the past, an escape that now seems filled with disease vectors. Though it may be changed forever, these experiences are a crucial piece [...]
Half Stack’s Pete Kegler talks ‘Wings of Love,’ quarantine music and country roots
Photo by James Juarez Cowboys have long sat at the center of the mythos of colonized America, serving simultaneously as a relic of the past and a potent symbol of self-reliance. In a chaotic time, it would seem that the collective consciousness has also sought refuge in the dusty past. Even five years ago, the general wisdom was that cowboys were a conservative symbol. But in recent years those judgements have softened, and with them the animosity towards country music. I spoke with Pete Kegler, the lead singer of Oakland’s Half Stack, who agrees that country music is [...]
Stories from Slim’s, Part 1: My last show at Slim’s ended in the tow yard
(Source: Slim's Facebook) So yeah, Slim's closed down. In a normal world, that would have been the most bummer thing to have happened last week. I use that term "normal world" loosely because who even remembers what that looks like anymore (Looks into camera, shrugs a la Jim from The Office)? But I think it's important we remember the good times. In times like this, it helps to remember what we're fighting for! And also I got some time to kill while hanging inside. So without further ado, I'll be sharing a few stories from Slim's over the years, along with [...]
Pan(dem)ic! in San Francisco: Indy Cindie’s WFH playlist
As the Bay Area slips into the lull of its third week of shelter-in-place due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the city settles into an eerie new semblance of normalcy. While the regular ebb and flow of our routines has been widely disrupted, there are a few things we can hold onto to keep us grounded. For me, that’s music. In attempting to replicate the office environment at home, selecting the appropriate soundtrack is key. The perfect work from home (WFH) landscape for me consists of ambient, downtempo music, typically sans lyrics. Here is a roundup of some of Indy Cindie’s [...]
Hawke makes dark art, light work, and books
Words by Lily Moayeri Is the quote, “Everyone has a book inside of them, it’s just a matter of getting it out?” Or, “Everyone has a book in them, but in most cases that’s where it should stay?” The former is largely attributed to S.P. Foster, the latter to Christopher Hitchens, both authors. Hawke, familiarly known as Gavin Hardkiss — one third of the non-familial Hardkiss Brothers (not to be confused with The Hardkiss, the Ukrainian rock band), has had two books in him so far: Cubic Lust (2013) and The Dark Art of Light Work (2020). He has gotten [...]
10 albums from local bands that you can buy right now
You probably don't need us to tell you that musicians have taken a major financial hit in the last few weeks as Coronavirus fears close music venues across the country. It's been well documented that, over the last decade or so, concerts have overtaken album sales in terms of literal payoff for musicians. The sudden cancellation of not just major festivals, but smaller public gatherings, has left artists, venue owners, and the entire artistic community that we cover daily reeling from surprise and worried about the financial future. The (relatively) good news? There's been a flood of quality releases from [...]
The folksy, jazzy, gentle pop of the Saxophones’ ‘Eternity Bay’
(photo: Connor Sorenson) When Alexi Erenkov and Alison Alderdice got married, Erenkov’s vows weren’t your typical declarations. “They were about our mortality,” says The Saxophones’ drummer Alison Alderdice with a bit of a grin. “The light and the dark and how this marriage will end when one of us dies...It was really romantic, though.” The couple laugh. The Saxophones — vocalist and lyricist Alexi Erenkov, drummer Alison Alderdice and bassist Richard Laws — create music that is gentle and ethereal, layered with woodwinds and rich, serenading vocals. Alderdice shifts their 3-month old on her chest, who looks in my direction [...]
The Seshen dive into ‘CYAN’ in time for Noise Pop
(photo: Brittany Powers) Synthesizers, drum machines, and live percussion blend with the cool, soulful voice of the Seshen’s Lalin St. Juste to create a harmonious combination of synth-pop and electronic R&B. On their newest album, CYAN (February 28), we hear influences the band didn’t previously engage with. There’s a little bit of indie rock, touches of folk, neo-soul, and hip-hop. We sat down with the band to talk about the release of their third album, their award-winning music video and upcoming short film, and the excitement around playing as part of Noise Pop. In the creation of their third album, [...]