I was at the drive-thru at Taco Bell and could see the order screen, which showed the lady in front of me had ordered almost $30 worth of food. I was in a bit of a hurry and knew this would take awhile. Of course, a car had already come up behind…
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Bill Kopp on August 24, 2017
Multiracial American funk band War got its start backing British singer Eric Burdon, formerly of the Animals. “Spill the Wine” from 1970’s Eric Burdon Declares “War” effectively captured the zeitgeist of the era: a brotherly-love hippie ethos that was as sexy as it was hopeful. Though the Long Beach-based group parted ways with…
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During their breakout year in 2008, when they debuted mega-hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody,” the Kings of Leon took home a Grammy for their sound that blended huge, affected guitar riffs, a brooding aesthetic and the hoarse, twangy vocals of lead singer Caleb Followill. They took a brief hiatus after…
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You and your husband were making your way onto the plane and I saw my future in 40 years. Faces serious and determined, steps hobbled and measured, white knuckling bags that couldn’t have weighed more than a sack of groceries. My parents taught me to respect my elders, so I offered to…
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Yousif Kassab on August 19, 2017
Singer-songwriter and country music veteran Dierks Bentley is still in the midst of his What the Hell Tour in support of his 2016 album, Black. The record found the Arizona native detailing the struggles as well as the triumphs he has experienced over the course of his life. With eight studio albums…
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Yousif Kassab on August 17, 2017
The Silicon Valley Music and Taco Fest is back. What started as a single-day taco celebration has expanded into a full weekend of tortilla-cradled goodness, complete with live musical performances, a silent disco and an eating contest. They are even bringing in a mechanical bull for the would-be cowboys and cowgirls in…
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Maarten Hoogstraten is better known by his stage name, Bingo Players. The Dutch DJ and producer—along with his former musical collaborator, the late Paul Bäumer—is responsible for a number of international hits, including “Cry (Just a Little),” which was sampled by Flo Rida for his 2012 hit, “I Cry;” and “Rattle,” which…
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Incubus broke out big in 1999, closing out the millennium with Make Yourself. The multi-platinum album combined heavy riffs, FX-pedal wizardry, hip-hop-inspired beats and a frontman who could really sing and proved the commercial potential of the nü-metal sound. That same year, Jimmy Eat World released Clarity—a sleeper hit of an album…
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Dave Matthews gets hated on a lot. So does 311—for the rap rock thing, for the often-ridiculous lyrics, for the signature PRS guitars and for those white-dude reggae vibes. Back in 2014, they were listed as one of Rolling Stone’s top 20 “Frattiest Bands” listicle. But what if the Grateful Dead had been around…
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This year, Kendrick Lamar ran away with the title of best rapper alive. Drake may be richer, Young Thug may be bolder and the Migos may better reflect the modern sound of the genre. But since Kanye West cut his show short in Sacramento, no hip-hop artist feels more important than Lamar, a…
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