Top Ten Albums of 2012 Count Down

 10. Rye Rye: Go! Pop! Bang!
On May 15th, after being delayed for the last four years Rye Rye's first full length album, Go! Pop! Bang! finally dropped! Riddled with brash vocals and featured guests including:Robyn on the album's standout track, "Never Will Be Mine" along with her fame sake M.I.A on "Sunshine" and "Better Than You" this unforgiving hip-hop electronic-pop fusion delivers what Rye Rye fans have been waiting for.

9. MNDR: Feed Me Diamonds
Tri-State socialite MNDR released her first LP, Feed Me Diamonds on August 14th. With brand new indietronica tracks "Faster Horses", "Burning Hearts", "Feed Me Diamonds","#1 In Heaven" and revamped versions of "I Go Away", and "U.B.C.L." MNDR's eccentricity shines on all 12 club hopping pop tracks.

  













8. Lana Del Rey: Born To Die
She may take herself a little too seriously but Lana Del Rey quickly became America's newest songstress sweet heart upon the release of her self proclaimed Hollywood Sadcore debut album Born to Die last January. Her low, classically trained sultry-blues vocals mixed with quirky lyrics such as You so fresh to death & sick as ca-cancer from the song "Blue Jeans" (one of my favorite songs off of the album) lace the entire melodramatic album with an essential,  fun twist.






 
7. Passion Pit: Gossamer
Passion Pit's third album, Gossamer garnered attention before it was released earlier this year with the captivating music video for the first single, "Take a Walk". Offering an optimistic outlook through heartache and ego-altering despair, the Passion Pit boys remain true to their alternative dance roots but still have not met the success they found with their 2009 LP, Manners.


 
 

6. Jack White: Blunderbuss
Jack White's very first solo record, Blunderbuss was released in April on his own record label, Third Man Records. White's undisputed, stripped down garage band acoustics and pleasantly predictable bluesy-ness  are heard throughout Blunderbuss yet a faster tempo is found on "Sixteen Saltines" and "Freedom At 21", the grungier guitar filled single has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Song. 




5. Metric: Synthetica
Indie-rock's favorite Canadians Metric wasted no time dropping an F-bomb four words into "Artificial Nocturne" the first track off of their 2012 album, Synthetica.  Later in 2012 Metric released a deluxe version of Synthetica, which features acoustic versions of songs on the album, as well as a cover of "Strange Weather" by Tom Waits but I prefer the fully plugged in original version.






4. Poliça: Give You The Ghost
Polica have reshaped the recognizable connection between rythmn and blues with an underlying electronic tone on their debut album Give You the Ghost.  Channy Leanagh's  tender vocals combined with not-so-suble synths, funky bass licks and swarming percussion are presented within  the album's polished, flawless production. Easily my favorite break through band of 2012, "Violent Games", "I See My Mother", "Form" and "Happy Be Fine" are my favorite Poliça tracks.


 

3. Crystal Castles: III
Crystal Castles seemed to have lightened up a bit with their third album, III. Though still very gritty with their tell-tale lo-fi quality, Kath and Glass updated their sound with a flashes of experimental brightness on "Affection" and "Wrath of God" but  familiarity from I and  II can be heard on "Kerosene", "Insulin" and "Plague". These synth-punks definitely put a new spin on Crystal Castles III and it's just as good as the their older stuff.







2. Santigold: Master of My Make Believe
Santigold's sophomore album Master of My Make Believe has a refreshing maturity yet unique youthfulness that I can't get enough of. Categorized as a reggae/hip-hop/dub fusion Santigold finds an even balance with what listeners were introduced to on her debut release in 2008 with tracks like "Freak Like Me", "GO!" (featuring Yeah Yeah Yeahs Karen O) and "Desperate Youth" the whole album will make you believe in Santigold.



1. Die Antwoord:Ten$ion
Ten$ion; the effortlessly raunchy, zef heavy second album from Die Antwoord packs a one two punch from beginning to end.  Right off the bat the first track Never Le Nekmise  gnaws at stress levels while pint sized Yo-Landi Vi$$or steals the show from her counter part Ninja throughout this sensationally titillating album which sounds nothing like any thing else released this year! 

Honorable Mentions: 
- Japandroids: Celebration Rock
- Lana Del Rey: Paradise 
- MSMR: Candy Bar Creep Show (EP)
- Friends: Manifest!
- Gossip: A Joyful Noise

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice!

Wanting to spice up the holidays, Krisa and I  found a Mexican chocolate cupcake recipe and got to baking! At first I thought the 3 piece recipe would be a challenge but once we suited up in our Christmas colored cupcake and chili-pepper aprons and started mixing the ingredients for the spicy chocolate cupcakes I realized it'd be a piece of cake.

We started by making then baking the cupcakes but before we put them into the oven we got  the nutella chili chocolate ganache started seeing as it had to cool for 30 minutes before we would have to fill the cupcakes with it. 

        For the cupcakes:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon ground red pepper flakes (add more if you like it spicier)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk

 We used to work at a French bakery so it was exciting to be making our own ganache from scratch!

      For the ganache: 

• 6 ounces (170 g) good dark chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup (146 g) Nutella
• 3 Tablspoons (43 g) unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup (158 ml) heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

It was time to make the chili cream-cheese frosting: as the ganache cooled Krisa whipped up the frosting and I prepped the cupcakes by scooping out the middle of each one to fill with ganache then we did a spicy chocolate cake taste test. . . deliciouso!


       For the Frosting: 

•  1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar (original recipe calls for 4 cups)
• 1 package, 8 ounces (228 g) cream cheese, at room temp.
• 8 Tablespoons (114 g) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla extract, clear
• cinnamon sticks for decoration

Once the cupcakes were filled and frosted it was time to try what we call the Feliz Navidad Cupcake. 

The cake itself is not too chocolatey which you'll quickly learn isn't a bad thing because the nutella chili chocolate ganache filling sure is rich! Krisa and I decided that next time we would add more butter to the cupcake recipe so that they would come out a bit more fluffy and moist. The chili cream cheese frosting was the right amount of sweet heat on top and really pulled everything together. Red pepper flakes in the cake, ancho chili powder in the ganache and cayenne pepper in the frosting gives this cupcake a kick which can be turned up or down by simply adding more or not putting in as much.

Our Feliz Navidad Cupcakes go great with a cold glass of milk!

The Weeknd @ The Warfield 12/18/2012

The Weeknd, Toronto's seductive, somewhat raunchy R&B  recording artist/record producer delivered a pretty solid set to a nearly sold out crowd at The Warfield on Tuesday night.

Keyshia Cole's last minute cancellation pushed the show's schedule back so when The Weeknd hit the stage close to 10:00pm the place erupted in a thunderous uproar of shouts and applause.

 Starting the show with Enemy a track that didn't make it to his 2012 album, Trilogy The Weeknd had ladies hollering and guys shouting out every word. The rest of set list on Tuesday night consisted mostly of tracks off of Trilogy and every time Abel Tesfaye introduced the next song blood curdling shrieks arose from every knook and cranny.

When Tesfaye told San Francisco to put their hands up before going into, Loft Music they listened and when he asked SF how they were doing he seemed surprised by the overwhelming response. Ushers at The Warfield had their hands full with fans spilling into isles and blocking stair cases, they ended up closing off the jam packed  main floor before the third song of the night, What You Need.  

The 22 year old R&B crooner clearly knows how to engage and excite his like aged fans and ceased every chance to do just that with playful stage presence and plentiful banter.


As an apology for his antics from The Fillmore show earlier this year, The Weeknd told Tuesday night's audience "tonight is a very special night... I didn't show you enough love during the last tour so I'm going to make it up to you tonight. This next song has never been played live in the states. . . " and just about everybody started cheering as female back up vocals qued Twenty Eight. 

Monday and Tuesday night's Weeknd shows extended the 2-day weekend into a 4-day holiday and definitely left young SF R&B fans satisfied.

Boys Noize LIVE @ The Fox Theater 12/14/2012

In September Berlin's Alex Ridha AKA Boys Noize announced his first ever American  Tour and on Friday night at Oakland's Fox Theater bay area fans finally got to see him LIVE in action!

After openers LE1F and Strip Steve the crowd, surprisingly comprised mostly of mid-twenty bros,  was more than ready to roll with the signature sound of Boy Noize's electro-techno remixes and just as Out Of The Black's introductory track, What You Want, says it was what fans got: raw, restless, old-school house music.

 

Emerging from a Terminator style looking, Spinal Tap stone-henge sized skull, Noize single highhandedly transformed his show into a rave with tracks from the past along with all the bells and whistles of  material off of his latest album, Out Of The Black. Blinding strobe lights and a strategically scheduled excess of spewing artificial fog enhanced the booming bass, thrilling buildups and dance inducing breakdowns throughout his set, which is being called "The Trail Of Rave".
Loyal fans have deemed Boys Noize LIVE performance as "amazing" "absolutely stellar" and  "utterly phenomenal" so you won't want to miss the chance to experience Boys Noize LIVE while he is in the US!

12/21/2012 marks the end of the official Boys Noize tour but your ears will be ringing if you make it to Detroit's The Bang on NYE where he's teaming up with US superstar DJ Skrillex to ring in 2013!!

Bloc Party @ The Fox Theater 12/6/12

Good god. Bloc Party's first show of their 2012 tour at  The Fox Theater in Oakland last week proved they still remember how to party!

Excitement filled the nearly sold out show  to capacity as fans eagerly waited exchanging stories about past Bloc Party shows at smaller clubs like San Francisco's PopScene and The Warfield. After a half an hour changeover following supporting act, The Dum Dum Girls, Bloc Party hit the unlit stage encompassed in booming industrial video-game-ish instrumentals and a roaring crowd.


 So He Begins to Lie off 2012's Four was the first song of the show and before playing Trojan Horse (off of 2008's Intimacy), front man, Kele Okereke, greeted Oakland stating: "We are Bloc Party from London England, it's been a long time, so, let's get this shit, party, started!!"

The band's vibe transmitted beautifully generating movement on the floor as well as in the balcony and besides the occasional hiccup from shirtless drummer Matt Tong the set, which included songs from all  of the Bloc Party albums, sounded solid.  Forgetting to mention that 4/20/2009 was the last time that Bloc Party played at The Fox Theater Okereke commented more than once about the weed aroma coming from the crowd even saying that he felt high at one point before playing Day Four, a song about recovery. 

It was no surprise that Hunting for Witches, Positive Tension, This Modern Love and  Banquet  caused a dancing commotion through out the venue: fans were definitely elated to see and hear the oldies though enthusiasm did dip during some of the newer material.
 

 



After 13 songs Bloc Party left the stage only to return with not one but two encores, the second of which was opened with a short spunky rendition of Rhianna's We Found Love. Bloc Party went out with a bang, ending the show full throttle with Helicopter before taking a bow and exiting the stage for good.


So He Begins to Lie
Trojan Horse
Hunting for Witches
Positive Tension
Real Talk
Kettling
Waiting for 7:18
Song for Clay
Banquet
Coliseum
Day Four
One More Chance
We Are Not Good People
—
Signs
Ares
This Modern Love
Flux
—
Truth
Helicopter

LGBTQ. FUN.

FUN. are part of something seriously cool; the band and fashion designer Rachel Antonoff have joined forces in the creation of TAC: The Ally Coalition. 

TAC works with members of the music, fashion and all around entertainment worlds to raise awareness and funds in support of LGBTQ (Lesibian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Youth) equality.  Dani Shay has been a major supporter of the band and their non-profit and unveiled the music video for his newest single "One" on TAC yesterday.

 Rachel's brother and FUN. band member Jack Antonoff  has been a guest blogger for The Huffington Post where he has written in favor of gay rights and of the importance of straight allies. 

“TAC is a place where we as allies can make our statements and make them clear, together. We can use social media to make sure our friends and family hear our words, see our videos and read our posts. Together we can be bigger than hate, ignorance and homophobia and inspire others to look at things a different way.” - Jack Antonoff 

 FUN @ The Independent March 28th, 2012. Photos courtesy of Marc Fong Photography

FUN. is on tour now and will be playing at the beautiful Fox Theater in Oakland on February 7th, 2013 and  Dani Shay's One: The Winter EP will be available on December 18th but you can (and should) join TAC before then!

 

Johnny Cupcakes

 Johnny Cupcakes offers 0 carbs, 0 sugars and 0 fat goods proving not all cupcakes are for eating!  

 Johnny Cupcakes serves up custom clothing like button-down shirts, shorts, polos, jackets, sweaters and baseball caps replacing recognizable pop-icons and images with cupcakes! Now you can enjoy cupcakes all day long!

There are 6  Shoppes offering varieties of cupcake fashion at appetizing prices as well as an online store!

My Go with Gotye

Earlier this year I was more familiar with the music video for the song "Somebody That I Used to Know" (featuring Kimbra) than I was with the single itself let alone knowing who the artist was. Before I knew it I was on a plane from SF to DC about to hit the road as the Assistant Tour Manager for Gotye on their first tour of the US!

I had a lot to learn and a short  time to do it; first thing first was how to correctly pronounce Gotye (Go-Tea-Yay) then within the first 5 minutes of meeting the tour manager I learned the most important rule of life on the road which is do not take a shit on the bus, ever. Knowing how to tell military-time as was real important, too!

Derived from Gauthier, the French equivalent of Walter or Wouter Gotye the band consists of bassist Lucas Taranto, keyboard/synth-wizard Tim Sheil, Michael Iveson on drums, guitarist  Ben Edgar and of course Gotye himself, Wally De Baker. These boys are truely a band of friends and the friendships extended to throughout the entire crew! From stage techs, audio techs and guitar techs to light techs and video techs the band may consist of 5  but there was a total of 13 mates on tour who made up what and who I came to know as Gotye.

                                   Photos courtesy of Marc Fong Photography: 4/18/2012 @ The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Along with getting to know and work alongside the Gotye gang, I also go the privilege of working with the supporting act and other half of "Somebody":the young, beautiful, talented, stylish and extremely driven Kimbra.

                                  Photos courtesy of Marc Fong Photography: 4/18/2012 @ The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

The 19 show tour brought me all across the country to destinations and venues I otherwise may have never visited:

 - 9:30 Club, Washington DC                                 

- Tower Theater, Phillidelphia                                                            

-Terminal 5, New York                                                                      

- Webster Hall, New York                                                                 

- House of Blues, Boston

- Corona Theater, Montreal

- Kool Haus, Toronto

- University of  Michigan

- Aragon Ballroom, Chicago

- EPIC, Minneapolis

-  Ogden Theater, Denver

- The Vogue Theater, Vancouver

- The Crystal Ballroom, Portland

- The Showbox, Seattle

- Coachella Music Festival, Indio CA

- Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco

- The Nokia Theater, Los Angeles

- Coachella Music Festival, Indio CA

                                                   

The 9:30 Club's decedent chocolate cupcakes were the tastiest post-show treat, Terminal 5's mech manager was a darling (and is now Kimbra's tour manager!), Webster Hall reminded me of the Great American Music Hall back home, The House of Blues in Boston was filled with history and beautiful art, I even got to visit good ol' Canada and by the time we got to Coachella Gotye had hit #1 on the Billboard charts! 

Photo-Op with Wally

Needless to say the entire experience was a highlight in and of itself but weaving through thousands of people  with Wally to see M83 at Coachella was something else: I was watching an amazing performance with an amazing musician, an amazing man. It blew my mind.

Photo-Op with Lucas

When I stopped to think about where I'd been, where I was, where
I was about to go and what I was doing I could hardly believe it myself: I was doing what my dreams are made of and never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would be on tour with such wonderfully humble rockstars.

Being on tour is hard work: long days turn into show nights turn into rushing on to the bus before rolling out to the next city in another state, often with no time to shower and I absolutely loved it. After being on the road with the band and crew for over a month the day came when it was time to go home:I felt like Dorthy saying goodbyes  to my colleagues who by that point felt like family and just like that I was back home.





Currently on tour in their native Australia, I couldn't be more happy to hear that Gotye has been nominated for three Grammys: Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for Somebody I Used To Know featuring Kimbra), and Best Alternative Music Album (Making Mirrors) plus their hit track "Somebody" has been named the UK's biggest-selling single of 2012 so far! As the boys would say, "BOOM! SLAMMIN!"