Whitney sweetly kills at Old Redwood Barn in Sonoma County
“Who’s into Halloween?” asks Julien Ehrlich as he sits with painted face at his drum kit looking out into the crowd on Halloween night. The audience cheers and he says, “We’re like, eh on it.” The rest of his Chicago-based band Whitney laughs with him and they bust into their next song. I couldn’t tell you what it was because I was so mesmerized by the warm stage chemistry and sweet energy, the casual confidence with which Ehrlich joked then sang then joked again. A couple songs in he stopped and put his hand to his chest and said, “You know, our [...]
Whitney release ‘Forever Turned Around’ with some Bay Area dates
(photo: Olivia Bee) After a three-year record lull, Whitney’s much-anticipated sophomore album is out and it’s the treasure we were hoping for. In true Whitney fashion, Forever Turned Around (on Secretly Canadian) is full of twangy guitars, delightful keys and Julien Ehrlich’s sweet falsetto vocals. The album is about partnership in every sense of the word: romantic, familial, communal and friendships. Ehrlich says of his and guitarist Max Kakacek: “Our friendship has kept us going even though so much has happened in the years since we started the band.” Forever Turned Around is a challenging, emotional album with some big [...]
Photos: The Decemberists + Whitney at the Fox Theater
The Decemberists (photo: Lilly Nguyen) Last Friday saw loquacious wordsmith rockers the Decemberists headline the Fox Theater. They were supported by quickly-rising rock band Whitney, and we were lucky enough to have our photographer Lilly Nguyen at the show to capture the gallery below of both performers.
What’s Happening This Week? A Guide To Shows Around The Bay, July 24 – 27
Bring your beautiful self to Beth Ditto at the Independent this week. Monday, July 24 Wolf Alice @ Rickshaw Stop Who's ready for Wolf Alice's singular musical stylings of "folk-meets-grunge"? Jonathan Richman @ The Make Out Room Every summer, the legendary Jonathan Richman plays a few midweek shows at the cozy Make Out Room, and this year's starts tonight. It's one of those special San Francisco events every local music fan should attend, even if you go every year. Tuesday, July 25 Daryl Hall & John Oates, Tears for Fears @ SAP Center Tuesday is a good day for nostalgia [...]
Photos: Whitney with Julie Byrne at the Independent
Whitney (photo: Ria Burman) Monday to Wednesday, Whitney triple-whammied, smooth-grooved The Independent with three consecutive sold-out shows. Possessing a rare air of musical mastery, lead singer and drummer Julien Erhlick serenaded the crowd with vocals, soft and high, while keeping the beat fun and funky. Sweet, soulful shakedowns of brass, keys, and strings, a special guest inducing a jazzy, experimental jam sesh, and the collective feel-good emanating from the music-makers brought Whitney into being, a positively polished and bop-popping band. Soothing support was given by the powerfully delicate singer-songwriter Julie Byrne, who held the enchanted crowd to attention with rich, [...]
What’s Happening This Week? A Guide To Shows Around The Bay, April 17 – 20
You have three chances to catch Whitney at the Independent this week. Monday, April 17 Whitney @ The Independent Soothing Chicagoans start their three-night run at the Indy. Radiohead @ The Greek Theater Do we really need to convince you to see Radiohead? The xx, Sampha @ Bill Graham Civic If you didn't see them this weekend, a second night has been added due to popular demand. Tuesday, April 18 Radiohead @ The Greek Theater Why not both? Johann Johannsson @ The Regency The haunting Icelandic composer brings some refreshing sounds to the Regency. The Avalanches @ Mezzanine Legendary Australian [...]
Jody’s Best Of 2016: Everything* non-local I loved this year
That's right. I've been keeping a list. Julia Jacklin Sydney, Australia If you asked me at any point after March of this year what I was listening to, know that I was trying very hard to keep from blaring "JULIA JACKLIN" at you before you even finished the sentence. The first time I heard "Pool Party" it made me me so, so deeply sad that I knew I had to have more. Because sometimes you need that — sometimes you need music that matches your most extreme emotions, and Julia Jacklin has the ultimate handle on human sadness. Christopher the [...]
Outside Lands: Whitney made the perfect winter record for the summer
Light Upon The Lake is the kind of album that inspires mythology. It’s an immaculate debut crafted by a duo of songwriters in the midst of heartbreak and in the aftermath of their former band’s dissolution. There’s a number of great anecdotes regarding the record’s road to release – vocalist Julien Ehrlich and guitarist Max Kakacek conjuring the titular Whitney character as an outside perspective to initially channel their songwriting as they got comfortable opening up to one another, the two settling on the moniker "Whitney" when thinking up names for their "fictional adopted love child" – but my favorite [...]
Live This Month: April 2016 — an audio guide to upcoming SF concerts
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/LTM_April_2016.mp3 Download: Live This Month: April 2016 (Podcast #383) In Live This Month, we sample some of the great local and out-of-town bands performing in the coming month in the San Francisco Bay Area. Okay, the start of the month got a little bit away from us, but the rest of April features no shortage of killer shows. This mix spotlights thirteen great bands, with everything from the electric folk-rock of Laura Stevenson and Hard Left's mod-punk to captivating electronic tracks from Earthen Sea and Floating Points. We also discuss and hear songs from new local releases by Plush, YOURS, and [...]