Mixtape: The Lush Sounds of Bay Area Dream Pop
Download: Mixtape: The Lush Sounds of Bay Area Dream Pop (Podcast #434) This episode first ran on KQED.org. Whether they call themselves post-punk, psych or indie pop, a wide array of Bay Area musicians cultivate lush atmospheres and textural depth in songs that are as sonically detailed as they are catchy. The Bay Area's "dream pop" standouts--eleven of whom are featured in this mixtape--include a number of promising new bands, like Topographies, a quartet whose stellar debut single is an exciting burst of fuzzed-out, propulsive rock. Other highlights include Tanukichan, the project of Oakland's Hannah Van Loon, whose layered music [...]
Mixtape: Local Musicians at Eleven Upcoming Bay Area Music Festivals
Download: Mixtape: Local Musicians at Eleven Upcoming Bay Area Music Festivals (Podcast #429) This episode first ran on KQED.org. With the debut of the Blurry Vision Fest in Oakland earlier this month, and Bottlerock Napa Valley and Carnaval San Francisco taking place this weekend, music festival season is officially underway in the Bay Area. This mixtape features music from Bay Area bands performing at festivals around the region in the next several months. Outside Lands may be the biggest summer music festival around -- with a 2018 lineup notable for the overdue inclusion of female headliners and a ton of [...]
Mixtape: Highlights in Bay Area Latin Music
Download: Mixtape: Highlights in Bay Area Latin Music (Podcast #428) This episode first ran on KQED.org. The Bay Area has a rich history of acclaimed musicians drawing from the many musical styles developed in Latin America. That legacy continues on today, with an array of Latinx artists incorporating cumbia, salsa, rumba, reggaeton, and Latin rock sounds into their work. This mixtape showcases eleven songs from local bands and artists drawing from Latin music. What's perhaps most immediately notable on first listen is the diversity of sounds included here. Even though half of the artists in this mix are inspired in [...]
Mixtape: New Folk Music from the Bay Area
This episode first ran on KQED.org. Download: Mixtape: New Folk Music from the Bay Area (Podcast #423) In venues around the Bay Area, like The Lost Church, Neck of the Woods, and the Octopus Literary Salon, Bay Area musicians are sharing new and exciting folk songs, emotive compositions full of lyrical storytelling and thoughtful instrumentation. The stories shared by local folk artists are often personal, like Diana Gameros' new album interpreting Mexican songs from her youth, or Joseph Childress's LP drawing from his travels around the western United States. Marissa Kay was inspired to write the first song and title [...]
Mixtape: Bay Area Musicians to Watch in 2018
This episode first ran on KQED.org. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Musicians_to_Watch_2018.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Bay Area Musicians to Watch in 2018 (Podcast #421) Despite the many challenges that unfortunately failed to disappear at the end of 2017, one bright spot for 2018 is the wealth of emerging Bay Area musicians and bands poised for significant growth this year. This mix showcases fourteen of our picks for local artists to watch in the coming months, with highlights in a variety of genres, including hip hop, electronic pop, folk and punk. Several of the acts included here released acclaimed projects in 2017. Rose Droll's debut EP Photograph [...]
Mixtape: Highlights from Bay Area Music in 2017
This episode originally ran on KQED.org. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/2017_Highlights_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Highlights from Bay Area Music in 2017 (Podcast #419) With each passing day, 2017 appears increasingly determined to solidify its place as the worst year in recent memory. Despite all of the hardships being experienced locally, nationally, and around the globe, the year has offered a wealth of impressive albums from Bay Area musicians. For some of the notable artists featured in this mixtape, their 2017 successes built on the previous year's achievements. Jay Som followed up 2016's buzzed-about Turn Into compilation with her first proper LP Everybody Works. It's a [...]
Mixtape: Great Bay Area Record Labels
Editor's note: Following the original publication of this post, we were alerted to the announcement that Death Records has closed following accusations of sexual assault against founder Brian Wakefield. Based on this news, we have removed Death Records from this post and mixtape. http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Record_Labels_2017_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Great Bay Area Record Labels (Podcast #416) This episode originally ran on KQED.org. Record labels can play an important role in nurturing the growth of emerging musicians, and the Bay Area’s many local independent labels are a key piece of the vibrant local music scene. Bay Area labels help the region's musicians develop, release, [...]
Mixtape: Electronic Pop Highlights from Bay Area Artists
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Electronic_Pop_2017_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Electronic Pop Highlights from Bay Area Artists (Podcast #415) There’s an electronic pop renaissance underway in the Bay Area, with Giraffage, Tycho, and Cathedrals leading a wealth of talented local artists making synthesizer-driven pop music that is both melodic and richly atmospheric. This mixtape collects new and recent music from eleven Bay Area electronic pop acts, all of whom employ synths that amplify the emotive quality of their works. As a result, big, anthemic songs, like the ones included from New Spell, Museums, and vverevvolf, feel even more massive and powerful. By contrast, electronics help make the [...]
Mixtape: Big Sounds from Bay Area Solo Artists
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Solo_Artists_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Big Sounds from Bay Area Solo Artists (Podcast #411) Support for The Bay Bridged is provided by RushTix. Visit rushtix.com/thebaybridged to start your free trial today. We cover a lot of bands and other collaborative efforts on our podcast, but the Bay Area music scene is also full of extremely talented solo artists, who build unique musical works that are often performed, recorded, and produced solely by the artists themselves. This mixtape collects new and recent music from ten amazing Bay Area solo artists. Whether recording in solitude, like Fronds and Spellling, or with the support of [...]
Mixtape: Standout Bay Area Funk, Soul, and R&B Artists
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Funk_Soul_RandB_Mix.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Standout Bay Area Funk, Soul, and R&B Artists (Podcast #409) This episode first appeared on KQED.org. The legacy of groups like Sly & the Family Stone and Tower of Power may loom large, but the the Bay Area has a wealth of emerging local funk, soul, and R&B acts that draw from a wide variety of sounds to craft exciting works. To be sure, you can hear influences of Bay Area classics in bands like the ascendant Con Brio, now bringing their energetic live sets to festivals around the world, and Monophonics, a group crafting music layered [...]