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Erika Rasmussen on June 5, 2019
A well-known neighbor is back. MC Hammer, born Stanley Kirk Burrell in Oakland, once lived in a custom home tucked away in the Fremont hills before he relocated to Tracy. The Hammer’s House Party Tour is Burrell’s first major run of shows since 1991—the year he released his iconic album, Too Legit…
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Bill Kopp on June 5, 2019
Dwight Yoakam launched a life in music at precisely the wrong time. But over the ensuing decades, he helped bend country music—or at least a significant part of it—in the direction he pursued. For his efforts, he has become a commercially successful and critically acclaimed artist, winning two Grammys and awards from…
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Anne Gelhaus on May 23, 2019
Purveyors of adult-oriented reggae since the early ’80s, UB40 is known for originals with a political bent (“Rat in the Kitchen” was a veiled reference to Margaret Thatcher), poppy covers of Neil Diamond ballads (“Red Red Wine,” anyone?) and irie versions of Motown hits (“The Way You Do the Things You Do”).…
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It’s been over two decades since the release of Alanis Morissette’s 16-time platinum-selling hit Jagged Little Pill, but it remains the worldwide leader for a debut album, marking its place in music history. The Canadian-born singer-songwriter has continued to produce a steady stream of angsty alt-rock hits that have garnered both Grammy…
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Wallace Baine on September 20, 2018
It’s been more than 16 years since Norah Jones briefly took over the world with her slinky and sleepy jazz-pop album Come Away With Me. Since then, pianist and vocalist—and daughter of sitar great Ravi Shankar—has released a half dozen albums and built a dazzling career not only as a solo artist…
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Anne Gelhaus on September 12, 2018
Four years after their initial reunion, the karmic chameleons are hitting the road ahead of their next album, set for release on Oct. 26. Described by frontman Boy George as “a soul-funk-pop-reggae combo from the United Kingdom, where we have two queens,” Culture Club bent genres and genders in their ’80s heyday.…
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Bill Kopp on September 5, 2018
Los Lobos is an American treasure. Formed in East L.A. in the early 1970s, the band has always drawn from across the entire spectrum of American music. While the group’s Latino roots invite easy comparison to groundbreaking acts like Thee Midniters, El Chicano, Malo and Santana, the group (whose name means “the…
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Wallace Baine on August 29, 2018
Talk about tight: Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bass player Jack Casady have been jamming together since they were scrawny teenagers in Washington, D.C. That’s close to 60 years. In the psychedelic ’60s, both Jorma and Jack climbed aboard the Jefferson Airplane. Their blues duo act Hot Tuna co-existed with the Airplane for…
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Nick Veronin on August 10, 2018
Still pounding on the 88 keys at the age of 82, Jerry Lee Lewis has had long and storied career. Known for such hits as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” Lewis is also rumored to have set his instrument on fire during a Brooklyn performance in 1958—nearly…
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Wallace Baine on August 9, 2018
Forget Jagger. Forget Morrison. Forget Plant. For millions of boomers, the voice of thunderous, pissed-off, rock & roll rage is Roger Daltrey—the blonde-tressed front man of The Who. Daltrey had to be a big voice to compete on stage with Pete “Bleeding Fingers” Townshend and the madman drummer Keith Moon. At 74,…
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