by
Wallace Baine on January 30, 2019
These days it wouldn’t be so surprising to hear My Chemical Romance raining softly down from overhead speakers at your local Nordstroms. But before punk was fully incorporated into the Great Corporate American Songbook, a trio of scuzzy East Bay kids in their 20s paved the way with a multi-platinum album called…
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by
Mike Huguenor on January 30, 2019
Oakland-based The Younger Lovers don’t have time for just being young. They want to be even younger. Younger than Neil Young. Younger than Young Jeezy. Younger! Surfy, trashy and fuzzed out, these East Bay punks definitely have a youthful energy. Their songs are short and dirty, and sound a bit like Shannon…
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by
Nick Veronin on January 30, 2019
It has been a banner year for female rappers. A string of mainstream rap radio hits from the likes of Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Bhad Bhabi, City Girls and Kash Doll have shattered the longstanding and problematic recording industry norm that would only tolerate one woman on the top of the charts…
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I was in my car stopped at the red light on San Antonio Road waiting to cross El Camino to go into Los Altos. You were a young lady looking at her phone with your little dog on a leash waiting on the curb to cross El Camino. Then your little dog…
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by
Wallace Baine on January 24, 2019
Those without truly adventurous musical tastes need not apply. There’s really no reason to engage with Senyawa otherwise, even on a hypothetical level. It’s akin to asking a 6-year-old to try the haggis; the bar for persuasion is just too high.
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by
Metro Staff on January 23, 2019
Of all the bands that carved out a niche in the bouncy bubble that was the late-’90s swing revival, few garnered more mainstream love than the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. The Eugene, Oregon, band scored big with their 1997 single, “Zoot Suit Riot.” But to their dedicated fans, the Daddies are far more…
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by
Mike Huguenor on January 23, 2019
Along with orange sauce and Sleep, Duster is one of San Jose’s true cultural exports. Labelmates with Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, Duster’s Stratosphere is a belatedly beloved indie rock classic. Slow, spacey and minimal, they found their sound and then proceeded to knock it out of the park. And though…
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I saw you. Both of you. Standing outside your SUVs, by the exit onto the freeway. The homeless camp had been sprawling onto the sidewalk, and then the bike lane, and eventually onto the road where it was now blocking an entire lane of traffic. There were many things you could have…
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It may be difficult to remember all the details after all these years, but on the occasion of what looks to be his farewell-to-touring tour, it’s worth taking a look back to recognize the cultural phenomenon that is Sir Elton John.
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by
Bill Kopp on January 16, 2019
Though a relative youngster at age 35, Kat Edmonson makes music that’s rooted in another era. Her vintage pop approach draws from the style of vocal jazz and the Great American Songbook, but the Houston-born Edmonson’s original music is imbued with a strong modern-day sensibility.
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