Monthly Archives: September 2011

Who’s Where? East Bay: Spots to hear live music in Oakland, Berkeley and Alamada for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

The San Francisco Jazz Festival is sponsoring a pair of shows at the Paramount Theater in Oakland featuring Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle and Grammy-winner Esperanza Spalding. A few blocks away, Beirut will be executing its strangely effective meld of Balkan brass and electro-pop at the Fox Theatre. Continue reading →

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PHOTOS: Damon & The Heathens and some delectably greasy food at the Eat Real Fest in Jack London Square, 09.25.11

Posted on September 25, 2011 by

We caught just the last few hours of the third annual Eat Real Fest in Jack London Square this afternoon. Wrapping things up on the music stage was Oakland’s own punk ‘n’ funk ensemble, Damon & The Heathens. Hey, how … Continue reading →

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Ubisoft’s new “Rocksmith” video game replaces plastic controllers with real guitars, teaches me how to play Radiohead (plus a track list of songs announced to date)

Posted on September 25, 2011 by

Having played “Rocksmith” the other day, I think it has real potential to not only revive the demand for music games but to actually teach people how to play guitar. (Take if from me, someone who hasn’t spent significant time playing a video game since “Super Smash Brothers”!) Continue reading →

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Racking Up Plays: “The Lark” by Timothy Monger

Posted on September 20, 2011 by

And what does The New Britton Sound sound like? Well, there’s a lot of banjo, which is a fantastic development as far as I’m concerned. Continue reading →

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Who’s Where? East Bay: Spots to hear live music in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda for Sept. 16-17

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

Thievery Corporation does a doubleheader, plus the Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival and The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention are both in full swing. Continue reading →

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Playlist: 5 songs that perfectly captured 9/11 even thought they were written before the attacks

Posted on September 11, 2011 by

Like a lot of people, music got me through that week. Continue reading →

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Why’d You Name Your Band That?: Oakland quartet Kapowski offers a rush of experimental pop as potent as caffeine pills

Posted on September 10, 2011 by

There’s a lot that Jesse Rimler loves about his Oakland-based band, Kapowski, from its sophisticated approach to harmonies to its unusual guitar-less lineup. Its name is not one of them. Rimler has some reservations about the Saved by the Bell-inspired … Continue reading →

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Who’s Where? East Bay: Spots to hear live music in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda for Sept. 9-10

Posted on September 7, 2011 by

Fleet Foxes, playing at the Greek Theatre on Saturday with The Walkmen, is one of several major touring acts that will be in the East Bay this weekend. Continue reading →

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Report From the Show: Portland indie-pop band John Craig & The Weekend at The Starry Plough in Berkeley

Posted on September 5, 2011 by

Latecomers—and everybody who was out of town—missed out on what I thought was the discovery of the evening: Portland band John Craig & The Weekend, which had driven 12 hours that day for the first show in a mini-tour of California. Continue reading →

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Wilco offering preview of new album, ‘The Whole Love,’ for 24 hours, so quit wasting time and start streaming

Posted on September 3, 2011 by

I’m about 10 minutes into listening to The Whole Love, Wilco’s eighth studio album, and I’m already ready to declare it the best thing the Chicago band has done since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Jeff Tweedy & Co. seem to have recaptured … Continue reading →

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