Country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson played the first of three consecutive nights opening for The Drive-By Truckers at the Fillmore on November 20th. Undoubtedly the world’s premiere Kentuckian employing a crack guitarist from the Baltics (Estonian virtuoso Laur Joamets, AKA Lil Joe), Simpson was met by a greatly enthusiastic crowd that affirmed his standing as one of country music’s up-and-comers. Check out some photos from the show.
Charleston, SC husband and wife duo Shovels & Rope played a sold-out show at the Fillmore in San Francisco on November 8th. Check out the photo gallery…
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Few bands could survive the death of their last founding member/lead singer, but GWAR is not most bands. They’ve always had a rotating lineup of musicians/Slave Pit attendants, and the show was always more important than the personnel. Still after Dave Brockie–aka”Oderus Urungus”–died earlier this year, the issue of how GWAR could carry on was a legitimate question. Continue reading
Weezer are in the midst of a small club tour, and played the 400-capacity Slim’s in San Francisco on November 2nd. The show started with frontman Rivers Cuomo onstage alone with an acoustic guitar. Continue reading
Kathleen Hanna’s latest rock outift, The Julie Ruin, hit San Francisco’s historic Fillmore on November 1. After canceling a summer tour due to Hanna’s health issues, the band–and Hanna–were in fine form as they played songs from their record, Run Fast, as well as a handful of new songs they were road testing for the first time. Though the show was in San Francisco, Hanna wore a Cabaret-style leotard in honor of her aunt who used to live in New York and who was in attendance. Fancy.
Bay Area garage rock trio Younger Lovers opened with an energetic set, full of hard-hitting tunes, tales of growing up gay in Alabama, and knocks on Modest Mouse.
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LA quartet Warpaint hit San Francisco as they wind down their tour behind their second record, Warpaint, which came out early this year. A less-than-soldout Monday night crowd at the Regency made up what they lacked in number with sheer force of enthusiasm. At least one group of fans successfully delivered baked goods to the band. No reports on whether Warpaint ate the box of pastries gifted to them by fanatical, total strangers. Seeing as Warpaint subsequently had to cancel/reschedule their upcoming European dates, those baked goods are looking more and more suspicious.
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He’s Daryl Hall. He’s John Oates. Together, they’re Daryl Hall & John Oates. Continue reading
Speedy Ortiz’s 90s-inspired angular rock often draws comparisons to much missed 90s alt-rock band Helium. So it’s fitting and/or steering into the skid that Speedy Ortiz booked a tour with openers Ex Hex, the new band from Helium frontwoman Mary Timony. Continue reading
Zola Jesus–stage name of singer/songwriter Nika Rosa Danilova–kicked off her Taiga tour at Bimbo’s 365 in San Francisco on October 8th, the day after the release of her fifth record. Befitting the “taiga,” or snow forest, the stage was decked out in icebergs, and frequently awash in pale blue light. Backed by drums, synths, and a brass ensemble of trombones and tube, Zola Jesus thrilled the crowd with her gothic pop and witchy style.
Newish San Jose resident Dan Boeckner’s third and latest post-Wolf Parade band, Operators, opened the night and warmed up the crowd with extremely catchy, largely guitar-less dance rock from their debut EP, EP1.
Austin-based post-rock band Explosions In The Sky played the Masonic Temple in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood on Friday, October 13th. Venerable indie-rockers The New Year opened. Check out the gallery below.
Three Match Breeze 