Glass Animals @ The Fox Theater 9/19/2015

Glass Animals @ The Fox Theater 9/19/2015 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

There sure was a bunch of young, female show goers in short shorts and ankle boots arriving on the later side to the sold-out Glass Animals show last weekend at The Fox Theater in Oakland. Eclectic DJ, LA Priest, spun funky, industrial, house party beats before the headliners took the stage around 9:15.

Glass Animals @ The Fox Theater 9/19/2015
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Framed by faux palm trees, six triangular color changing hanging lanterns,a back drop of the cover their 2014 debut album Zaba, shades of violet, emerald and indigo  lightly illuminated the stage throughout the set. It's a crafty stage production that brings the album artwork  and Glass Animals' general indie-island vibe to life right before your eyes.

At the forefront and full-steam ahead, Dave Bayley led the band from one song to the next with a vivacious yet collective energy that kept the crowd pumped up. About three or four songs in, he stopped to say hello and to announce that it was the first show of the tour and as fans cheered for the inaugural show, Glass Animals carried on with the next song . 

Only a couple more times after that to comment on intense aroma of marijuana and to intro doing a cover of a song  (if you listened closely it was a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, which Glass Animals totally made it their own by drastically slowing the tempo down so much so that it  was almost unrecognizable) banter was light and far between. This, along the fact that they only have one album to date, made for an early night because of the naturally short(er) set. 

Glass Animals @ The Fox Theater 9/19/2015 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Bayley's performance came off a little rushed at times but I think it was his excitement of having his fans enjoy as much of their material live as possible, rather than wanting the show be over that was his driving force. After all, even with their successful break out last year, Glass Animals are still on the rise. Surely hoping to garner more new fans as they go, jam packing all of their songs into an hour long set is understandable. It's something fans attending shows through out the rest of their tour, which continues until December 8th, will definitely appreciate! 

Atlas Genius @ The Independent 8/30/2015

Two days after the release of their sophomore album, Inanimate Objects, Atlas Genius kicked off their North American Tour with a sold-out show at The Independent in San Francisco. Both openers, LA's The Shelters with their gritty rockabilly and Brooklyn's Dreamers with their dreampop grunge,  got about an hours worth of stage play as the cohort of show-goers filed into the already  crowded club.

Atlas Genius at The Independent 8/30/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

There's a different energy felt at a sold-out show, a certain excitement that subconsciously permeates through the air.
Yes, people at any show are generally excited to see the bands, or band, that's why they're there but when a venue hits max capacity and you're among the people there who got a ticket in, that collective buzz of anticipation for an act is incomparable to shows that don't sell as well.That was the case Sunday night. Appropriately enough, Atlas Genius took to the stage as the Etta James classic, "At Last" played over the PA until they were ready to start.  The crowd perked up upon hearing the familiar, deep, hearty hooks of "Symptoms", off of  their first album When It Was Now and as the Aussie bred band's enthusiasm synced, they quickly clicked with fans. Frontman, Keith Jeffery was visibly, genuinely happy to be there, welcoming everyone with utmost sincerity, to the first show of the tour in support of their brand new album.

Atlas Genius at The Independent 8/30/2015 
Photo by Marc Fong 

Soft cheers rose as familiarity continued with bubbly, electro-rock melodies carrying  the sweetly somber undertones of "If So".
The crowd swayed as Keith's crooning washed over the harmonious blended beat and airy guitar hooks of the emotion strewn song and you could hear people sing along to the simple, pain-tinged chorus. The positive energy levels continued to rise as the set shifted to highlighting new material.



Exploring their alt-pop roots with lavish layers of keyboard soaked electro well balanced with bright drum riffs and cool guitar, Atlas Genius have refined their sound since their 2013 debut. Positively glowing, Keith's performance fully embodied their euphoric indietronica: beaming the entire night with a light-hearted pride and making fans swoon when he teetered on the corner edges of the stage. His brother Michael humbly held it down on drums and the effortless fluidity of the band as a whole accentuated the show's fresh vibe.

Atlas Genius at The Independent 8/30/2015 
Photo by Marc Fong 

Their sound has blossomed with a sparkly maturity and Atlas Genius is still every bit as enjoyable live as they've ever been!

SET LIST 8/30/2015 

Symptoms

If So

Friendly Apes

A Perfect End

Back Seat 

Centered On You 

Stockholm

Through the Glass 

Refugees 

Don't Make a Scene 

Spin Me Round (cover)

On A Day 

Friends with Enemies

Balladino 

Stone Mill 

Molecules 

Electric

Trojans 

Sweet 16

Strawberries and Cream was a fitting cupcake flavor to celebrate my cousin's 16th birthday this summer! It was about $4.00 for a four pack of Rubicon Bakery cupcakes from Whole Foods. That's about $1.00 per cupcake, which is steal, especially for the booshie health food store!

Rubicon Bakery, is based in Richmond and exclusively makes these cupcakes for Whole Foods, so they're not just any, typical store bought cupcake, they're special.  My cousin might be young but she has a certain swanky, high-standard style making these specialty store bought cupcakes a good choice for her special day. 

Sweet Strawberry aroma seeped out of the packaging, tickling the air with a scent reminiscent of sugary Summer treats and a Sanrio Surprises store. The fragrant smell made my mouth water while en route to meet up with my family. 

The birthday girl had hardly finished eating dinner before she was ready for dessert and after singing Happy Birthday to her, my two cousins, my aunt and myself each enjoyed a cupcake. 

Rubicon Bakery handcrafts all of their baked goods with high quality, all natural ingredients and you can taste the difference between their cupcakes and other store bought cupcakes. 

The vanilla cake is buttery, not heavy and decadent but fluffy and fresh. Laced with Strawberry, the powder-pink, sweet buttercream frosting was creamy with the right amount of yummy flavoring. 

Deep inside the vanilla cake is a small portion of sweet whipped cream to complete the Strawberries and Cream flavor! I haven't had a frosting filled cupcake since having Hostess Cupcakes as an afternoon snack in middle school and the classic touch is a good one. I do have a substantial sweet tooth, so this amount of frosting wasn't too much for me. It might have been a bit too much for my cousin though seeing as she finished all but some of the Strawberry frosting which she left behind in the cupcake wrapper. 

Rubicon Bakery has 4 different flavors of their 4-Pack Cupcakes each season and being that the season is about to change so will the flavors offered at Whole Foods!