Noise Pop drops 4th wave of artists: Washed Out, Quinn DeVeaux, Blushh and more
Adding to an already eclectic combination of performers, Noise Pop announced yet another slate of artists set to join this year's festival roster. This round adds a couple locals (Quinn DeVeaux, Tim Atlas), some buzzy indie stars (Mutual Benefit, Rudy de Anda, Blushh), and a DJ set from the well-loved performer and producer Washed Out at the traditional Cal Academy pre-show. All-fest badges and tickets to previously announced shows are available here. Shows announced today will go on sale Friday, January 17. NOISE POP FOURTH WAVE: Washed Out (DJ Set) Bas jennylee + TT (feat. Jenny Lee & Theresa of [...]
Beyond the Bay: Iceland Airwaves thrives on serendipity and schnapps
Anna of the North (photo: Ian Young) We take music discovery north (way north!) of the Bay to check out the best up-and-coming artists from Iceland, Europe, and beyond. The end of October tends to mark the arrival of some self-evident truths. The World Series. Crisper weather. Pumpkin spice lattes. But for the last five years, it’s meant one thing in particular for me: getting ready for Iceland Airwaves. Airwaves, which began in an airplane hangar in 1999, is a showcase festival that attracts over a hundred up-and-coming Icelandic, international, and American artists — as well as a handful of [...]
Heading to Hardly Strictly? Here are our picks for a great weekend
We've waxed rhapsodic about the exceptional nature of this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass lineup since they first started releasing names in July. Which is great, but begs the question...how the hell are you supposed to see everything worth seeing? Unfortunately, I can't make that decision for you. While major headliners like Robert Plant, Kurt Vile, and Emmylou Harris are obvious must-dos, I can give you some of my suggestions for more under-the-radar acts. Trust me. I'm professional music-listen-to-er, after all. Friday (Mavis Staples at HSB 2016. photo: Ria Burman) 12:15pm: Poor Man's Whiskey. The early hours of day one of [...]
Balanced BreakFEST grand slams into Amnesia
Calling all early birds — this weekend only at Amnesia in San Francisco, breakfast will be served all day. But don't expect a slice of cantaloupe and toast; instead, bring your appetite for live music — that's food for the soul. Balanced BreakFEST, an offshoot of meetup group Balanced Breakfast, is a 4-day music festival at Amnesia in San Francisco that begins this Thursday 9/19. The lineup features local Bay Area musicians alongside artists from Balanced Breakfast chapters from around the country. What began as a small gathering of San Francisco musicians over coffee and pastries has become a multi-city [...]
Ocean Beach Music + Arts Festival returns to the Outer Sunset
For the sixth year in a row, the Ocean Beach Music + Art Festival is coming back to the Outer Sunset. Celebrate the neighborhood with a day of live music, arts and crafts, food trucks, and even a pumpkin patch. Hosted by the Outer Noriega Merchants Association, the festivities will include live performances from LA GENTE SF, Soul Ska, Sandy's, and many more. Have a drink at one of the beer and wine tents while enjoying food from one of the amazing food trucks. Let the kids roam around the pumpkin patch while you browse the incredible arts and crafts [...]
Get ready for tight security at Hardly Strictly (also, the final lineup)
You probably already heard, but in addition to announcing the full and complete lineup, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass announced tighter security measures for 2019's festival, in response to recent gun violence in public spaces. For the first time, fencing will surround the grounds of the festival, and there will be four specific entry points. There will also be "increased SFPD and Tactical Unit presence inside and outside the venue" (which we have to assume means we'll see SFPD openly carrying rifles as they did at this year's Outside Lands). They're also enacting the clear-bag rule we've seen at local festivals like [...]
Legendary Filipino Latin jazz rock group Dakila to perform at Undiscovered SF
“Dakila was pretty much ahead of its time back in 1971,” David Bustamante says. He might have a bias, but he isn’t totally wrong either — Over 40 years ago, Bustamante was one of the original members of Dakila, a Filipino Latin jazz rock band emerging on the heels of Carlos Santana. There was a slew of a la carte Santana groups emerging at the time, but what set Dakila slightly off course and into an record deal with Clive Davis' Epic/Columbia (now Sony) was this adherence to who they were as Filipinos. Despite only releasing one record, the group [...]
Photos: Outside Lands 2019 graces Golden Gate Park for a 12th year of great music
(photo: Daniel Kielman) Another Outside Lands Music Festival has left San Francisco's beloved Golden Gate Park, continuing to be one of the most reliable festivals for variety and quality in entertainment. It set a precedent as being the first major US festival to offer on-site cannabis consumption, adding more to the variety of ways to enjoy your music over the three-day weekend. The weather was sunny most of it, which allowed for the great shots that we captured below. As usual, it was a lineup with a acts for everyone to enjoy, and seems to always be expanding. Below you can see [...]
Outside Lands 2019: A solid year that smashed attendance records
Kacey Musgraves at Outside Lands 2019 (all photos: Daniel Kielman) For a full photo gallery of the festival, click here. DAY ONE Friday at Outside Lands is never off to a particularly fast start, but this year it felt like there were less “must see” artists and more “might as well” artists. Some locals got the early birds warmed up, wth Rainbow Girls on the Panhandle stage and the Seshen on Sutro. Both stopped to make statements on the current climate during their sets, remarking on the need for love and togetherness. For all the fear and loathing around being [...]
Local, regional and global acts to grace San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2019
Photo by Jerome Burnet In or out of San Francisco, there's a slew of fantastic performances to witness this weekend. Just a few miles south, the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest rings in its 30th year of celebrating jazz traditions while also keeping an eye on its future, a timeless and ever-evolving art form forever imbued with history, innovation and spirit. Staying true to form, the folks at San Jose Jazz have packed in 100 performances of every eclectic subset across 13 stages in a span of three days. Booked this year are some of our local favorites -- Elujay, [...]