Your 2019 San Francisco Pride Guide
San Francisco's storied queer history has been rightfully brought to light over the years, and while the 50-year anniversary of the pivotal Stonewall riots in New York City seems to be the main attraction for World Pride, the City by the Bay certainly won't be sitting idly. Pride was a riot, after all. What better way to honor and recognize the contributions of activists, artists, and the cultural contributions of the LGBT community than through music? Whatever your preferred mode of liberation may be, chances are there's something alluring calling your name. Here are some of this weekend's best music [...]
Live This Month: Celebrate summer with Noname, Kendra McKinley, Carly Rae Jepsen and more
Summer. Is. Here. And while we may have our eyes on all things Phono Del Sol (only eight days away), there's plenty more to celebrate as the weather gets hot and the venues get steamier. As always, we've got you covered (that is, if we're not hazy from all the direct sunlight). Be sure to follow us on Spotify to be the first to experience monthly playlists that highlight all of the diverse talents performing across the Bay Area.
Noise Pop: Carly Rae Jepsen and audience as the art
Attending a concert isn’t an isolated experience — it’s an extension of a relationship an individual listener builds with an artist. Watching a live performance is only one of a number of ways in which we engage with musicians these days. Prior to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Noise Pop set at The Warfield on Saturday night, I’ve studied her lyrics as if they were holy text, read endless interviews and think pieces, seen every music video and used individual frames as my phone wallpaper, and, of course, have had her music on constant rotation. E•MO•TION, Carly Rae Jepsen’s masterwork in dance-pop, [...]
The Noise Populist: Carly Rae Jepsen’s underground universalism
What do you call pop music that doesn’t reach the mainstream? As today’s Top 40 continues to be gentrified by esoteric personalities squeezing out populist idealism, chart success seems to be determined less by aiming for the bleachers than it does by defining yourself in the margins. But if a pop record spins in a forest and no one is around to hear it, doesn’t mean it wasn’t the best album of the year. While classics in modern times are being christened to the likes of insular iconoclasts a la Kanye West, aspiring for the universal is still a vital [...]
Noise Pop 2016 adds more acts: American Football, Carly Rae Jepsen, Drive Like Jehu, and more
The venerable San Francisco late February institution known as Noise Pop returns next year to bring a host of great acts to the Bay Area. Today, organizers announced a second wave of acts confirmed for the festival including headliners American Football, Drive like Jehu, and Carly Rae Jepsen. Carly Rae could be the most "pop" act ever booked for the festival, known worldwide for her indecisive 2011 hit "Call Me Maybe" which became the best-selling digital single of all time. Her 2015 LP E-Mo-Tion was popular among critics, scoring a 77/100 on Metacritic and praised by various outlets despite not [...]