Favorite Haunts: Hazel English on Beauty’s Bagel Shop, East Bay comforts
Hazel English (Illustration: Rob Goodman) I first saw Hazel English when she performed a stripped-down set this past spring opening up for Thao Nguyen at Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma. I hadn’t heard her records yet, so I got to know her music right there, live in the moment, one hauntingly raw melody at a time. I was so moved by her performance that when her new album, a double EP amalgam Just Give In/Never Going Home, was released on Polyvinyl earlier this year, I dove into her studio work full force. The album, produced by friend and collaborator Jackson [...]
Noise Pop: Hazel English at Rickshaw Stop
Hazel English (photo: Ian Young) I was surrounded by couples. All I wanted was a place to sit, away from everything, and focus on the music. I sat on a table, on the balcony, next to someone who seemed really important. I am not sure who they were, but there was a camera crew following their instructions. I started to pretend I was important myself, by writing notes in my very tiny notebook I got at Daiso. I only took notes during Maggie y/o, because before this lineup was announced I had never heard of them. I didn't even fully look [...]
Review + Photos: Hazel English at The Chapel
Hazel English (photo: Kaiya Gordon) When Hazel English took the stage at The Chapel on Sunday night, it was clear that she was a Bay Area favorite. The Oakland-based singer and her band drew whooping, dancing, and sing-alongs from the crowd, and though the time and day of the show prevented a large crowd from showing, the joy that crowd apparently felt made them appear to fill the room. Hazel English released her debut EP, Never Going Home, on October 7: A dizzy indie-pop record describing, among other things, her transition from Australia to California. While sounds on the album shift and waver — lighting [...]
Doodling with Hazel English
You'd never except to meet a possible pop star while you are both repetitiously steaming secondhand designer clothes, but that's how I met Hazel English. I've had a lot of weird jobs in my time, and through out them all there were always creatives beside me. Sometimes it was obvious, sometimes I knew, but sometimes I really was a total oblivious fool. The first time I met Hazel English was when we both worked at a secondhand e-commerce start up, where conversation stuck to smalltalk and bad jokes and activities included listening to playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks, so we could [...]
Noise Pop: Diane Coffee commands the crowd
Diane Coffee (photo: Jon Bauer) There was nothing un-charismatic about the lineup for this Noise Pop show on Febuary 23, 2016 at Brick & Mortar. Every single band had a different type of charisma that engaged the crowd. Dick Stusso had the charisma of a suave and slightly intoxicated cowboy. Be Calm Honcho had the charisma of a young Dolly Parton who knew how to successfully use Twitter. Hazel English had the charisma of your grade-school crush and best friend who never seemed to give up on you. Diane Coffee had the charisma of a cult leader and motivational speaker who [...]
Mixtape: Fourteen San Francisco Bands to Watch in 2016
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Bands_to_Watch_2016.mp3 Download: Mixtape: Fourteen San Francisco Bands to Watch in 2016 (Podcast #379) Every year, it's an exciting challenge to compile our "Bands to Watch" mixtape: exciting because it heralds another year full of great music from the Bay Area's rising stars, and a challenge because there are far too many young acts worth including. This year's mix of bands to keep an eye on in 2016 collects fourteen artists from around the Bay Area. Notably, all of them are new to The Bay Bridged podcast, offering a variety of sounds that include forward-thinking bedroom pop, stripped-down singer-songwriter tunes, energized [...]
Ticket Giveaway Wednesday: Hungry Skinny, Hazel English, Gardens & Villa and more
To enter for a chance to win tickets to any show below, email contest@thebaybridged.com with the name of the band and the date of the show you’re entering in the subject line and your full name in the body of the email. Winners will be selected at random and notified via email. Friday, November 20th Gardens & Villa, De Lux, Hazel English @ The Independent 9pm, $16, 21+. Buy advance tickets here. Tuesday, November 24th Darwin Deez, Charly Bliss @ Rickshaw Stop 8pm, $12, all ages. Buy advance tickets here. Tuesday, November 24th Hungry Skinny, Down Dirty Shake, LEMME ADAMS, [...]
Giveaway: Small Black at the Independent this Saturday
A little over a week after the release of their third album Best Blues, Brooklyn-based synth-pop group Small Black, head to San Francisco to shake up The Independent on Saturday, October 24. Since the introduction of the band’s acclaimed self-titled EP, Small Black has released three full-length albums on indie rock label Jagjaguwar. The foursome has since embarked on a tour in support of their latest LP beginning in early October. The line-up consists of front-man Josh Kolenik (keys, vocals), Ryan Heyner (guitar, keys, vocals), Juan Pieczanski (bass, guitar) and Jeff Curtin (drums). Each member has been together since before the formation [...]