Mini cupcakes from La Farine

A friend gave me some Birthday treats from La Farine in celebration of my birth 37 years ago on January 11th. They came in two different boxes, each sealed with a gold La Farine sticker and inside one of those boxes were three mini cupcakes.
My friend knows me well. 

I hadn't heard of La Farine before but the name sounded French and upon investigation I learned that, oui mademoiselle it is!  La Farine Boulangerie is a French bakery, as the name suggests, that has been open in Berkeley since 1977. It's menu is full of French pastries, breads, cookies and cakes. Their fresh fruit tartes might be the most delectable thing on their menu: flakey pastry filled with crème pâtissière and finished with a kaleidoscope of fresh, seasonal fruit. Oh la la. 

Mini cupcakes from La Farine Boulangerie in Berkeley 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

From the looks of the three petite cupcakes I got for my birthday, one was chocolate, one was red velvet and one with specks of looked like cinnamon in the frosting made me initially think it was churro. Would a French place make a churro flavored cupcake? I was about to find out. 

That was the first one I ate and as soon as removed it's wrapper I knew that it was a Pumpkin Spice cupcake because of it's golden orange cake. I was a little surprised to have Fall's seasonal favorite flavor in January but I wasn't mad about it. The frosting was yummy and cinnamony, the aromatic cake for as small as it was had just enough of that warm pumpkin spice feel yet it wasn't as buttery as one might expect from a French bakery. When the mini Pumpkin Spice cupcake was gone in 2 to 3 bites I thought to myself that it might have been one of the best baked pumpkin treats I've had. 

Pumpkin Spice, Red Velvet & Double Chocolate mini cupcakes from La Farine 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Next up was the chocolate one: chocolate frosting on chocolate cake. Oh my goodness, this frosting! It was so thick and rich with chocolate, dark chocolate. And it was creamy, so creamy. It reminded me of a German Chocolate Cake, the frosting did. Again, the cake was not as buttery as one might expect from a French bakery and as many chocolate cakes do it missed the chocolatey mark. But, this frosting...best chocolate frosting I've had in a long time, possibly the best chocolate frosting I've ever had. Très bon. 

Last but definitely not least was the Red Velvet one. The color of the cake was one of the lighter hues of red I've seen of this popular flavor while the flavor itself was unmistakably Red Velvet. With my first bite of it I thought, wow, this mini cupcake sure packs a punch of red velvet. It's a hard flavor palate to describe but if you know it, you know. Also unmistakable was the cream cheese frosting which was on the sweet side. While eating the frosting off of the Red Velvet cupcake the thought popped into my mind that maybe the frosting on the Pumpkin Spice cupcake was cream cheese, too. I had originally thought it was a cinnamon buttercream however they both had the same, almost tacky consistency. 

I finished all three lickity split. Un, deux, trois pour moi. 

La Farine doesn't have cupcakes on their menu, cakes oui but no cupcakes. My friend told me that it is the type of bakery that makes off the menu items so you never know what they'll have when you walk in. He hoped that they'd have full size cupcakes for my birthday but I'm happy with the three minis he got me because it means that my first taste of La Farine was three fold. 

Mini fresh fruit tarte from La Farine 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The second box, for those who are curious, housed a mini fresh fruit tarte. With it's kaleidoscope of mixed berries (mainly strawberries and blueberries) on top of an exquisite crème pâtissière inside of a flakey pastry crust (which was so buttery and so yummy) it was basically a cupcake itself. It was my favorite birthday treat and I didn't want it to come to an end. 

Thank you to everyone who treated me with birthday wishes! 

Best of shows in 2020

I've grown up going to shows since my very concert when I was 5 years old. I have worked in and around live music for at least 15 years, it is a huge part of my life. I have been fortunate that my blog has allowed me to cover so many shows over the years and I will not take any future shows I get to go to for granted, not that I did but now I definitely won't. 

There weren't many, so every show I went to in 2020 ended up making it on to my best shows of the year list. 

1. Shakey Graves @ The Independent January 27th, 2020 

Shakey Graves @ The Independent 1/27/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Shakey Graves @ The Independent 1/27/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Four days before Shakey Graves played three nights at The Independent I figured why not try to get myself in to cover one of the shows. On the morning of Monday January 27th, 2020 I was approved to cover night two of his three night stay. I got there early to increase my chances of getting some decent photos with the only camera I have, my iPhone 8. What a magical night it was. I can still remember as chills of euphoria washed over me through out the show and I knew then that I was at one of the best shows I'd see that year. With the way 2020 turned out for live music, Shakey Graves at The Independent on January 27th held on to that top spot making it my #1 show of 2020. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Shakey Graves review 

2. Mumford & Sons @ Okeechobee Festival in Florida March 8th, 2020

By March 8th, 2020 I think everyone knew that something not good was about to happen though no one knew or could have guessed what. I usually don't review  festivals that I work or include them in recaps like this because well, it's work and I usually don't get to see much, if any of the music at festivals when I am working. At Okeechobee I was working with some of the best of the best artist hospitality workers in the biz on what was the cusp of this global pandemic. We were all looking forward to working Coachella together, little did we know that our livelihoods were about to be ripped away from us in the blink of an eye with as little as a moments notice. Though we didn't really talk about it at the time because we didn't really know what was about to happen, we could all tell, and we all knew that something was weird looming and not in the fun way. But the show had to go on and it did. It was my first time working the four day festival in Florida and on the last night me and some of my co-workers caught a few songs of the headliner, Mumford & Sons. I'd worked lots of festivals that Mumford has headlined but this was my first time actually seeing them. I finally saw "Little Lion Man" live and that made me and makes me really happy and very grateful that I got to enjoy that experience. 

Mumford & Sons @ Okeechobee Music Festival 3/8/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

3. Poppy @ Great American Music Hall January 22nd, 2020

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Not only was really hoping to be approved to cover Poppy at the Great American Music Hall on January 23rd but I was really excited to see her live! I was so curious about how she'd be live and what she would wear! This is one of those shows where I tried and tried, email after email and I did not get approved due to high demand media coverage. To my surprise, my good friend pulled some strings and bought me a ticket so I could go to the sold-out show. Bass was loud, strobe lights were blinding and the eclectic crowd that packed the room loved it. It was definitely something. Even though I wasn't approved to officially cover Poppy at the Great American Music Hall that night, I still did anyway. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Poppy review 

4. Best Coast @ The Regency Ballroom February 29th, 2020

Before flying out to Florida on March 2nd to work Okeechobee, I got a late, last minute invitation to see Best Coast at The Regency Ballroom on Saturday February 29th. Of course I said yes. I'm not a huge fan but that has never stopped me to seeing a show, for free, with a friend, let alone a good friend and it never will. It was the night before last of the Noise Pop Festival here in SF and the show that night felt like it was super close to being sold-out if it wasn't. Bay Area fans are pretty loyal to Best Coast and I love being in crowds like that. I have covered Best Coast before and this was the liveliest and most personable I had ever seen them. In 2020 hindsight I gotta say I'm happy that this ended up being the last show I saw last year. There was a great vibe in the air, along with a lot of pot smoke so I guess you can say that my show going ended on a high note.
Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Best Coast review 

Best Coast @ The Regency Ballroom 2/29/2020 
photo by Marc Fong 

5. Bag Raiders @ The Independent February 28th, 2020

2020 marked the 28th year of the Noise Pop Festival which pretty much takes over venues across the Bay Area for two weeks straight. It's a unique music festival that ranges from unknown acts, up and coming bands, local favorites and well known, popular musicians and bands. Even the press/photo passes are kind of unique: you can't get approved to cover just a show with a single, one off pass. You get a passport sort of deal so you can cover as much of the festival as possible during it's run. I went a different route and was stoked when I got approved to cover Bag Raiders at The Independent on February 28th. They've had some buzz over the years in the San Francisco music scene but I had never seen them before, plus  it was the closing weekend of the Noise Pop fest. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Bag Raiders review

Bag Raiders @ The Independent 2/28/2020 
photo by Marc Fong 

6. Major Lazer @ Bayshore Drive-in October 24th, 2020

I honestly didn't think I'd work another show for a long time. When I was hired to work on the parking and traffic team for the Bayshore Drive-in shows late last year I cannot describe the joy that it brought me. One of the show dates was two back to back Major Lazer shows. Major Lazer is a dance fusion experimental project of Diplo's and Diplo is a well known DJ/producer for those who don't know. People were so excited to be there, a lot of them were dressed up in partial to full on raver gear and there were lots of sparkles being worn. I was back in my element, playing a part in bringing joy to other people, complete strangers, all there for the same reason, music. 
Ah, my heart.
People danced outside of there cars, people danced on top of their cars and in truck beds. They clapped and cheered and sang along under their mask. It was a good time, different but still a good time. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Major Lazer review 

Major Lazer @ Bay Shore Drive-in 10/24/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

7. Atmosphere @ The Regency Ballroom February 11th, 2020 

It had been years since I had seen Atmosphere at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley. The show at The Regency Ballroom last year was definitely scaled down because of the difference in size of the two Bay Area venues but the crowd's enthusiasm was not. Neither was the rapper's enthusiastic energy. If it were any other year I can't say that this show would make it to my best of list but 2020 was not like any other year.

Atmosphere @ The Regency Ballroom 2/11/2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

8. Envision in Costa Rica February 17th - 24th, 2020

Luna Stage @ Envision Festival February 2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Envision Festival holds a special place in my heart. 2020 was the third year that I ventured into the rain forest along the coast of Coast Rica to work this, hippy, yoga, art & music festival. It's hot, it's sweaty, it's grueling and the on-site living conditions are...well, they are what they are. Working this festival has allowed me to grow as a festival worker and as a person and I get to do it with some of my most favorite people ever. Last year I worked the over night shift in the VIP cabanas and even though I didn't necessarily see any music, I was able to hear some type of techno pumping from the Lapa stage right which is right next to the cabanas from.
And, the Lapa stage goes from dusk til dawn, just like the cabanas.
The stage design of one of the main stages, Luna Stage always impresses me and it was exquisitely breath taking yet again. I don't know how they do it and I can't wait to see what they do with it for Envision 2022. 

Luna Stage @ Envision Festival February 2020 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

9. Andrew St. James in Nob Hill area August 13th, 2020 

Andrew St. James @ Nob Hill Area in SF 8/13/2020
photo by Marc Fong 

Musicians found creative ways to bring us shows during the pandemic: a lot went virtual, some played drive-in shows and some, like Andrew St. James, took it to the streets. These were not your typical shows, but in a year of "new normals" what is typical anymore? After five months of what felt like forever these pop-ups were some of the the only live shows being offered in SF. Andrew St James was taking requests via Instagram and then showing up and playing where people asked him to play. That's a pretty cool thing to do to keep the music alive and his music translated well to the acoustic busking. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Andrew St. James review

Drama @ The Independent 3/4/2020 
photo by Marc Fong

I didn't personally go to this show so I can't technically include them on my 2020 best of shows list. Drama at The Independent on March 4th was the last show that I got officially approved to cover for Sweet Sound Bites in 2020 & covered. I was pretty bummed I missed this show because I dig their style and it looks like it was a good one. I'm glad I got approved to cover it for Sweet Sound Bites though. 

Read the full review here: Sweet Sound Bites Drama review 

Two shows I had lined up and was really looking forward to were  Grouplove and Glass Animals.

I hardly ever buy tickets to shows but when I found out Glass Animals were playing intimate shows at small venues in anticipation of the release of their new album I knew I had to go! I got denied coverage pretty much as fast I had asked, no surprise there. So, I was happy to be able to buy a ticket to their sold-out show at The Independent on March 12th but it was canceled just hours before door were supposed to open.
I'd never seen Grouplove at a one off show and they had just dropped a new album in January. I was thrilled that I got approved to cover them at The Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz on March 24th and was so excited for the show. Sadly by that time all tours had already come to a screeching halt.  

For a year when all shows were canceled by the second week of March this isn't a bad spread of shows considering how short the "season" was. There are pre-covid shows, pre-covid festivals, different kinds of shows during covid times and in the age of learning to appreciate everything you have, shows that wouldn't have otherwise made it to the list if it wasn't for the pandemic cutting things short.
I wonder what shows will be like in the new normal. 

Please wear a mask so we can get back to going to shows and so that everybody can have a happier year than 2020.