Alice Phoebe Lou shows

 Berlin based, South African born, Alice Phoebe Lou has stelthfully been on the alt-indie rise. With five albums under her belt since 2016 the 31 year old singer/songwriter has been coming up under of the radar, as rising indie music starlets tend to do. Since the fifth instalment to her catalog, 2023's Shelter, Alice Phoebe Lou hit the road with her own North American tour this past Spring. 

By September Lou was back on the road not only opening for fellow indie starlet Clairo on the Charm tour while simutaneously playing limited shows of her own.  That's right,  Lou played headlining sets at intimate venues that coincided with her opening sets on Clairo's tour. 

As if she isn't giving making a name for herself her all already, a couple days ago Lou announced she'll

be opeing for yet another indie starlet. Next April is your chance to see Alice Phoebe Lou open for Remi Wolf at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado!
Tickets to that show are on-sale tomorrow, Friday October 18th. 

She's currently still on The Charm tour opening for Clairo with a show of her own in Mexico City at the end of this current run.

October 17th = The Salty Shed in Chicago, IL

October 20th = Kemba Live! in Columbus, OH

October 21st = The Anthem in Washington, DC

October 23rd = Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada

October 24th = Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada

October 25th = Massey Hall in Toronta, Canada

October 28th = Roadrunner in Boston, MA

October 29th = Roadrunner in Boston, MA

October 30th = Roadrunner in Boston, MA

November 1st = Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, PA

November 2nd = Franklin Music Hall in Philadelphia, PA

November 4th = Opry House in Nashville, TN

November 5th = Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, NC

November 7th = Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA

November 8th = Fox Theatre in Atlanta, GA

November 10th = Brooklyn Steel in Brooklyn, NY

November 15th = Corona Capital in Mexico City, Mexico 

Bob's Donuts: cruffin or cupcake?

 Back when I was a fresh faced festival worker some more experience festival working friends of mine introduced me to Bob's Donuts. A hole in the wall donut joint on Polk Street in San Franscisco.
Bob's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week which put them on the map with the area's surplus of bar hoppers and donut enthusists alike. The gristle of their deep fried dough made into apple fritters or donuts topped in thick, chocolatey, chocolate frosting or covered their famous crumbs has kept people coming back since 1977. 

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Before the pandemic, Bob's branched out of San Francisco's Polk Gulch district with a store closer to the panhandle on Baker Street and outside of SF on Altomonte Street in Mill Valley. The Polk Street store is the only one with a 24/7 status. Since the pandemic Bob's Donuts has branched out from their usual, run of the mill, fresh donuts. These days to stay in the growing donut game, along with their classic cake, raised and old fashion donuts Bob's has more fancy donuts with fancy toppings and fillings.They even have their own take on the cronut.

 

After a two and a half week work fueled visit back to The Bay, I took one of my festie besties to my favorite SF donut spot. She'd had Bob Donuts in years past when we'd worked in SF.
but this was her first experience visiting Bob's Donuts.
We went to the orginial location, my favorite one, on Polk Street. It's a litte rough around the edges like a beloved dingy dive bar. There's just something about that old oil they use and when customers walk in they might find Bob's Donuts donuts being made right in front of them. 

Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Cruffins at Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

We got there at the right time because there was no line!
My friend got to take in the full view of all of the different donuts on display in their store front windows that face SF foot traffic. Something caught my eye as she looked. It was something I hadn't seen in Bob's window before. Being that I used to live only a couple city blocks away I'm quiet familiar with what Bob's Donuts has to offer but this was something new. It looked like a cupcake, a giant cupcake. Upon closer review I thought maybe it was a morning bun? Or some sort of cinnamon roll? Some were dusted with sugar, some with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles, others with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles but what were they?

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When we stepped inside my friend was taken aback that there were even more donuts to choose from inside. My first question was what are those giant cupcake looking things in the window?

Cruffins. 

I took one with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. 

 Introduced to me by Mr. Holmes Bake House not too far from Bob's, I had forgotten about cruffins: the cross-bred pastry creation that popped into exsistance a few years back.

Sadly, the pandemic claimed Mr. Holmes Bake Shop but it didn't claim cruffins.  

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The cruffins from Bob's are huge. One took up a brown paper lunch bag all on it's own. 

I love a good maple old fashioned but Bob's chocolate frosting takes the cake for the best chocolate frosting on a donut. Not only is slathered on in generous doses but it's also thick and richly chocolatey. Far from the thin, waxy, hardly flavorful chocolate that passes for frosting at other donut shops, Bob's chocolate frosting is never skimpy no matter what kind of donut you get. 

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The cruffin, a hybrid of a crossiant and a muffin, is laminated dough (the dough used to make crossiants) baked in a muffin tin.

The cruffin from Bob's was so big I almost didn't know where to begin, so I unwrapped it and started from the bottom. The billowing muffin top wasn't bothered as I ripped a piece from the tappered bottom, exposing the off-white, fluffy croissiant pastry dough under it's golden exterior. The inside was so bouyant and fresh. Tearing off piece after piece it was easy to gobble this whole monstrosity of a cruffin up with a cup of coffee. Eating pieces from the chocolate covered top was like eating a petit chocolate croissiant with every bite. 

Chocolate cruffin from Bob's Donuts on Polk Street in San Francisco 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Sure there are fancier cruffins out there but lest not forget that a cruffin is a croissiant baked to look like a muffin and that's what you get at Bob's. A large crossiant, rolled and baked like a muffin that looks like a big cupcake.

Simple yet delightfully delicious. 

Cruffins, cronuts, eye-catching, influencer worthy topped donuts, Bob's Donuts takes signs from the times and rolls with it.
Whatever kind of pastry tickles your fancy can probably be found at Bob's Donuts. Sharing my favorite SF donuts and donut spot with friends and family brings me joy and I love that bringing a festie to Bob's Donuts came full circle with this visit. 

Nikka Costa @ Cornerstone Berkeley 9/22/2024

 Divine funkstress, Nikka Costa, returned to the Bay Area on Sunday September 22, 2024 at Cornerstone in Berkeley, her third performance on the West Coast leg of the tour promoting her latest album, Dirty Disco. 

Nikka Costa at Cornerstone Berkeley 9/22/2024
photo by Curtis DeMartini

Accompanied by a four piece band, Nikka delivered the goods. The entire set that night was a rollicking joyride of rock infused funk that had the crowd grooving and moving. 

Opening with the Prince inspired title track followed in succession by the second and third songs from the new record, Nikka exhibited the grit and vocal prowess reminiscent of her earliest U.S. releases. 

Nikka Costa at Cornerstone Berkeley 9/22/2024
photo by Curtis DeMartini

Nikka informed the crowd that she set out to record an album fuelled with joy and chock-full of danceable tunes to lift us out of the post pandemic doldrums to add a counterbalance to a world that can seem uninviting at times I couldn’t help but think that is the essence of Nikka Costa's musical aura. 

As the notes to her seminal "Like a Feather" kicked in, the crowd erupted as Nikka belted out her lyrics, swayed her hips and spurred her band. The happiness emanating from the room and the stage was palpable. The classic was followed up with two more from Dirty Disco. A glorious medley of tunes from the albums Pebble To A Pearl and Can'tneverdidnothin followed. 

Nikka Costa at Cornerstone Berkeley 9/22/2024
photo by Curtis DeMartini

Ending with the inspirational anthem "Everybody Got Their Something" in which Nikka stoked the audience into an all-out sing along. It was a sight and sound to behold. Absolutely fantastic! 

The set ended with "Dance Wit Me", "Glitter In My Tears" and an en core of “Connectivity" all from her 2024 LP. Nikka Costa's performances have always been a joyus romp of funk and her show at Cornerstone that Sunday night was no exception. 

Nikka Costa at Cornerstone Berkeley 9/22/2024
photo by Curtis DeMartini

Her tour is ongoing so if she is performing in a town near you, I highly reccomend that you attend. 

review and photos courtesy of Curtis DeMartini

The Matches @ The Fillmore 9/21/2024

 From the moment I saw The Locals perform in my high school's cafeteria on grad night twenty two years ago I was a fangirl of theirs. The next few years my friends and I tracked them down at every show they played in and around the Bay Area. We watched as The Locals became The Matches and saw their populairty explode with every album released. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

By 2008 the local boys from Oakland had 3 albums under their belts, the last of which, 2008's  A Band in Hope found them working with Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Nick Hexum of 311 as two of the producers. The Matches were well on their way to stardom. Then the devistating news of the band's disbandment in 2009 shattered pop-punk hearts around the Bay Area, the country and quite possibly  the world. 

In 2020 a documentary Bleeding Audio hit the scene at Sundance Film Festival outlining The Matches' rise and fall then their successful reunion shows that follwed their fall out. Creative differences may have been a player in their break-up but they kept being drawn back to the stage after they stopped  making music together.
And they were selling out those shows.

Honetsly,  I can't remember going to a show if theirs that wasn't packed since the name change. 

Twenty years later proved to be no different when The Matches annouced a show at The Fillmore in San Francisco on September 21st. The show was in celebration of 20 years since the release of their debut album, E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals and tickets sold-out in a heartbeat. Then came the annoucement of a show in Chicago at The House of Blues on September 28th with the third show added in L.A. at The Taragram Ballroom on December 13th just a few weeks ago. 

All but one friend who I use to frequent Matches shows with from the height if my pop-punk days withstood growing up and apart pains of adulthood. Me and my cousin were going to The Matches show at the historic Fillmore, a favorite of both of ours. 

We hadn't been to show there together in years and we were both so excited to be back. 

The line was long when we got there about the time doors opened around 7:00pm but it moved quick. As we waited we reminised about the shows we had seen there together when we were younger, No Doubt in 1999 definitely being the hightlight. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 

Inside, at the top of the stairs was the fimilair brass bucket full of apples. I had wondered if it would be there and there it was. Only this time instead of the Washington Delish red apples, which had been offered for as far back as I can remember, the apples on Saturday night were Pink Ladies. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

We headed up to the infamous poster walled rooms to gaze at all of the artwork stretching decades of live shows played on the stage there. This is a must when you're there to see a show. 

Amongst other things, The Fillmore is known for handing out a show poster to attendees when they exit the show. This use to be an every show occurance but a while back only shows that sell-out within a certain time frame before the show date now get a Fillmore show poster. 

Needless to say, we would be getting a Fillmore show poster that night. 

We made our way downstairs bypassing the winding merch line and watched the openers, Omnigone, on the floor which was already packed at that point. 

We were ready and so excited for The Matches! 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

To think that twenty years ago we filled the L3 warehouse in Oakland at Matches shows with a lot of the same people who were there that night. A lot has changed since then, including the fact that I didn't have a drop to drink (back in the day me and my posse were the wasted ones in the straight-edge pop-punk scene). The venue roared with excitement when the house lights dimmed as the band made their way to stage. In a matter of minutes it was as if the room time traveled to 2004: opening with the first song off of their first album "Dog Earred Page" literally had everyone on the floor jumping and singing along like we had all done when we were young, er. 

The first songs of their set were songs off of their first album and all three had the floor bouncing. By the third song of the night, fan favorite"Chain Me Free", my cousin I found ourselves closer to stage right where the enegtic and animated gutairst Jon is stationed and he was giving it his all. 

Knowing first hand that Jon had become a personlal trainer and physical therapist I mentioned to my cousin that I hoped he had done his stretched before the show. We were tickeled when he led a crowd stretch when the song ended! 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They did a good job with their set list, balancing slower tempoed songs after a block of more rowdy ones, giving everyone, including the band, a chance to catch their breath before picking things up again.
There were no guitar or bass changes through out the night. The boys tuned their own instruments from one song to the next which resulted in little lulls. Early on their was a little banter offered during these breif lulls, sharing stories of when they worked in the kitchen at the famous venue they were playing that night and fun pop culture facts from the early 2000s.
As the show went on there was less banter and honestly I don't think fans cared either way, shouting words of encouragement as we waited. At one point I noticed Shawn, the lead singer's, familiar red guitar with what looked like a homemade black swirl on it. Pretty sure it was the same guitar from when they packed venues in the early 2000's I couldn't help but wonder if they were all playing the same instruments from back in the day.

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 
You could sence that maybe The Matches were a little out of practice and they knew it but again, Matches fans didn't care. We were at a Matches show and that's all that mattered. We were their to see them play and as always, they put on a great show.  

Everytime a song from E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals was played was blury flurry jumping and singing our hearts out just like it was all those years ago and just like the days of our youth it was an involuntary reaction. They would start playing the song and as much as our necks and backs were already aching there we were having the time of our lives.
Closer to the end of the set more and more people were crowd surfing and I forget what song it was but Shawn went into the crowd and started walking on raised hands, an antic he'd been known to do which I had completly forgetten about. Shawn and Jon's dynamic on-stage was endearing. It was so fun to watching them exchange looks as they sang the lyrics of their songs and I couldn't have been the only one left questiniong the story behind the lyrics. Clearly, Matches fans weren't the only ones reliving their past and the height of The Matches hiatus. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The set was heavy with songs from their first two albums and a couple from their third and final LP, A Band in Hope including one of my favorites, "Wake the Sun". 

Before the show I had wondered out loud to my cousin if they were going to end the show the song they had ended every show with for years, "Sick Little Suicide". As 11:00 neared they left the stage only to return minutes later for an en core. First up was "Salty Eyes" followed by a surprise cover of the Pixies' hit "Where is My Mind" and last but not least was none other than, "Sick Little Suicide". 

We left elated with a Matches Fillmore show poster in hand and big smiles across our faces. Concuring immediately what a great show it was, what a fun night we had had and that we would be sore in the morning but it was worth it.
I myself had not had that much fun at a show in a very long time. It was invigorating.
The Matches have always put on a great show, anyone who has seen them live knows that.
It's one of the reasons they're fan base is as loyal as it is.
People literally flew in from around the country to see them play in San Francisco and if they couldn't get to that show they flew out to Chicago to see them a week later.
And they'll fly to L.A. to see them in December. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They may not make music anymore or tour regularly and they have proved that they don't have to.

As they rose to the top before calling it quits they made a place were outsiders and weird kids belonged and that place is at their shows. The Matches struck gold because Matches fans keep going back and we always will as long as there's a Matches show to go to. 

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The Matches at The Fillmore 9/21/2024
set-list

1. Dog-Earred Page
2. Audio Blood 
3. Chain Me Free
4. Little Maggots
5. What Katie Said
6. Yankee ina Chip Shop
7. Clouds Crash
8. Superman
9. Borderline Creep 
10. The Restless
11. More Than Local Boys
12. Destination: Nowhere Near
13. The Jack Slap Cheer
14. Life of a Match
15. Wake the Sun
16. Didi (My Doe, Part 2)
17. Papercut Skin
18. Track 11/Scratched Out

en-core
19. Salty Eyes
20. Where Is My Mind? (Pixies cover)
21. Sick Little Suicide

Osees @ The Bellwether 8/30/2024

OCS. The Ohsees. The Oh Sees. Thee Oh Sees. Oh Sees. Osees. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Over the years the garage rock band formed and grown in San Francisco, California has gone by a handful of different monikers but one thing has remained constant, frontman John Dwyer. This dude knows how to rock, hard and the band brings it to every show, every time.
At least, everytime I've seen them live. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I was introduced to Thee Oh Sees back in 2017 at a little music festival in the heart of SF's Mission District called Phono Del Sol. Since then, they've been Thee Oh Sees to me no matter what they happen to be going by.

Osees is their lastest redition of themselves and their latest release, 2024's Sorcs 80, falls under that moniker. It is their 7th album  released as the Osees which only emerged in 2020. In total this band with it's everchanging name have released a grand total of 29 albums since 2003. 

It was stoked to be seeing them outside of SF for the first time. 
The task of finding a plus one to join me at a show has always been oddly daunting to me because unlike me not everyone will take you up on a free ticket to a show, hang out with your pal for a few hours and possibly discover a band you're into. The way Osees rip though, I was pretty sure one of the boys I work with would join me. Alas  two simply couldn't go, one had gotten their fill of seeing Thee Oh Sees when they lived in SF and another answered to my invite with "fuck no" which left me wondering, "fuck no" to Thee Oh Sees or "fuck no" to a show with me?
And just like that, my search continued. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I asked a female coworker if she wanted to go to the show her quick, enthusastic YES got me even more fired up! She too had seen them a bunch when she lived in SF but that didn't stop her.
We were stoked!

The chance that we were all at the same shows at The Chapel in San Francisco, a venue Thee Oh Sees frequent, long before any of us ever worked together  is kind of rad. 

The moment that the house lights dimmed hoots and hollers started to rise, my plus one snatched me hand as she pushed our way closer. When the first buzz from the guitar hummed over the PA the whole crowd edged with excitement for what was about to go downt. It was in that moment that I remembered that I had forgotten, yet again, to bring ear plugs. 

I braced myself for a loud, mosh pit filled set. 

And we were off!
A quick cover of Pink Floyd steered the way before the energy charged, pyschdelic, post punk revival  "Plastic Plant" from 2016's A Weird Exits launched the show into full throtal. For as heavy of guitar driven band as they are, the song served as great kick off, highlighting each one of the five piece band.  Dwyer is a maniac on stage shifting back and forth between vocals, guitar and thrashing, while his counterpart bassist Tim Hellman stays rather reserved in comparison across from him on stage left. Between them, dual drummers Dan Ricon and Paul Quattronemore fell into and out of unison in a spellbidning way and last but not least Tomas Dolas on keys accentuated the pysch. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They blend it all together beautifully and deliver it with such vigor that you can't help but headbang alittle or a lot or stomp your feet, mosh or crowd surf. And when the crowd surfing started it didn't stop.

Before I knew it I was on the brink of a swelling circumfernce of a mosh pit. Long gone are my days of circling around, throwing elbows and dodging them but I couldn't be happier holding my own right outside of it.

It was rejunvenating.

Not just enjoying the chaos of the mosh pit from the edge of it but being back in the thick of a palpatating crowd. My little punk heart forgot the comfort that's found in the sort of chaos that the OSees bring to the stage. 

Sensing that my twenty something year old friend was itching for more and not wanting to going anywhere close to riding the rails or be tossed around anymore than I already was, I told her to get in there and have fun! I didn't have to tell her twice. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I wasn't fixated on Dwyer tearing it up on stage my attention kept being drawn back to  the two drummers as Rincon and Quattrone who were stealthly stealing the show. Seated right next to each other they sometimes drummed in unison and when they weren't they were drumming together but seprately. The moments when they were mirrioring each other, throwing hands holding sticks up high then bringing them down to create a beat on their drums as one, I've never seen anything like it live. 

Dwyer is a lot of fun to watch, the dude exudes an unmatched energy ignited by his fiery passion for his music. Whenever he paused from rocking, whether to tune an instrument, fix a technical hiccup or banter with the crowd it was still a good time.

Poking fun at Dolas who was hidden behind two drum kits Dwyer also engaged with LA fans expressing gratitude for being there and chastising people for taking selfies much in the same fashion as Idles singer Joel Talbot did at their show at The Brooklyn Bowl in May. 

Osees at The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Drenched in sweat, Dwyer asked later "Is everybody alive? Did everybody get drunk?" before again, showing gratitude for being there but only for the one night before heading to San Francisco for a 4 night residency at...The Chapel, of course. 

There are far too many albums in their catelog for me to try to figure out if the different genres heard in  their music are more pronounced depending on what band name the album is released under. Is their latest album, SORCS 80 released under the name OSees more pyschedelic-rock while albums as Thee Oh Sees are more garage rock and so forth? 

 The Bellwether 8/30/2024
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Their set list that night encapsuled the essence of their collection: some songs offer  more of a progressive jam band sound while others come off more punk or post punk revival, some are a little softer sounding like indie rock but with an edge. but one thing is for sure. No matter what name this band is going by and what songs they play they are a garage rock band at their core and that's what I love about them. With their hard grit, deep riffs, whirling purcussion and intense, endless energy on stage I will always want to see Thee Oh Sees if given the chance. Shocked to see Dwyer still jumping up and down after playing, thrashing, screaming and singing for an hour and a half. And the show easily went on for at least two hours!

Even with the long time SF based band's migration to Southern California, they're roots are unapologentically exposed.

After playing a few nights at their old haunt The Chapel in SF, Osees are rocking on with the rest of their tour. Go see what I mean yourself and go see Osees!

Osees @ The Bellwether 8/30/2024 set-list: 

1. Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd cover)
2. Plastic Plant
3. The Dream/TheDaily Heavy
4. Tidal Wave
5. The Static God
6. Funeral Solution
7. Scum Show
8. A Foul Farm
9. Rogue Planet
10. Sticky Hulks
11. Intercepted Message
12. Encrypted Bounce
13. Tunnel Time
14. Chem-Farmer/Nite Expo
15. Blank Chems
16. Web
17. Turned Out Light
18. I Come From the Mountain 
19. Earthling
20. Toe Cutter/Thumb Buster
21. Withered Hand
22. Animated Violence 
23. Scramble Suit II
24. If I Had My Way
25. C
26. Minotar

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024

August 18th was show night one of two Bikini Kill shows at The Warfield in San Francisco and we were lucky enough to be there for it!

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Seven short years after bursting on to the punk rock scene screaming femmist lyrics for everyone to hear, the band from Olympia disband in 1997. By then Bikini Kill had pioneered the Riot Grrrl movement combining femminism, punk rock and politics. Frontwoman Kathleen Hanna carried on with the electronic rock band La Tigre in the 90s and 2000s and began recording with The Julie Ruin in 2010.

In 2019 Bikini Kill announced their reunion with a 2020 tour which subsequently got rescheduled for 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Now Bikini Kill is on tour again selling out shows as fans new and old flock to see this trailblazing band. 

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I got to the Warfield after the openers had already played, later than I had ancipated but not as late as when I saw them play at Pappy & Harriet's in 2022. I've had pepper spray hanging from my keys for years so when I went through security I wasn't expecting to have the venue confiscate it. That was a first.
I was able to collect it when I left but the irony of having it confiscated at a femminist punk rock show wasn't lost on me.
The venue was packed but I managed to find enough room on the floor, squeezed my way in and waited. After thirty minutes of waiting through the change over I wasn't the only one in the crowd who was ansy for the show to go on. After a few more minutes, it finally did. With her signature high bun, Hanna was a vision in a soft pink poofy dress topped with sparkly sequence and black tights.

Who says wearing pink and sparkles isn't punk?

Backed by an all girl band: original bassist Kathi Wilcox and original drummer Tobi Vail and guitarist Sara Landeau, Hanna greeted The Warfield before getting got to it.

It was a soft launched frenzy that gained momentum with each song they played. Swimming in a sea of blarring red lights, a few songs in and sure enough a mosh pit was formed on true punk fashion as Bikini Kill cranked out what fans were there for.

Hanna shared the excitement for being there, stopping the show to share how good it was to be there, for all us to be there and how awesome it was to see all the generations come together at their shows. An inter-generational crowd as she deemed it.

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

 

She reminded us older punks in the crowd that we can learn a lot from younger generations and praised the youth for fighting for things like equal, fair pay. 

Eveything she said was met with cheers and applause. 

They switched things up a couple different times with neon pink haired sunglasses wearing Vail on vocals, Hanna on bass and Wilcox and Vail spiliting guitar and drum duty. The rearrangement didn't alter anything but rather it reinforced just how awesome of a band Bikini Kill is. They are all strong musicians no matter what role their playing. And their show (wo)manship did not disapoint. 

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The crowd ate up how personable they got on stage. Hanna's animated antics fed the growing energy through out the crowd as she screeched and wailed and growled. Short, fast songs from years past deliver messages about sex, drugs and rock n roll that still ring true today. So while the what the future holds for Bikini Kill might not be clear it is clear that Bikini Kill's still got it and people still want it. 

Bikini Kill @ The Warfield 8/18/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They went on to play The Warfield the following night before taking their show on the road to the next stop. Bikini Kill's current tour wraps up next month, catch them if you can!

photo by Nikki DeMartini

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024

Back in June I got to see  Khruangbin live for the first time at Boston Calling and while their fest set was highly enjoyable I still had a deep desire to see a one-off show of theirs. 

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

After a week of working in typical San Francisco cold and foggy Summer weather I could hardly wait to meet up with some good friends and see Khruangbin with them. 

It was a warm Wendesday under sunny Summer skies that faded into a warm Summer night at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley. As we made our way it dawned on me that the last time I saw Khruangbin it was on the campus of Harvard University, this time I saw them on the campus of UC Berkeley.

We got their during the openers, Peter Cat Recording Co., found seats and watched as the venue fill in. It was the first of three shows, the third show of which I believe was added by popular demand. I hadn't been to a show there since live shows started reemerging from the pandemic in 2021 when Sylvan Esso headlined. It was good to be back at my favorite outdoor venue in the Bay Area.

The three piece from Houston Texas is as interesting as their music is. Made up of the man who got the band together, guitarist Mark Speer, the Gospel choir drummer recruitment DJ Johnson and math teacher turned aspiring pianist turned bassist Laura Lee Ochoa.

They have created music over their five album catalog transcending a different place in time, lifting spirits along the way. The frontman and woman both wear wigs, a realization I had come to a while back but one my friend who I was there with, who's happens to be a barber, was still processing.
A simple yet ingenius effort to keep the focus on their musical personas rather than their personal, real life, lives. Khruangbin may have struck gold with that work, life balance approach as their popularity continues to grow. 

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

They're not your average jam band gaggle of mostly white dudes but they draw the same age limitless fanbase as other jam bands.
There were fans in the crowd that night ranging from teens to fans well past sixty. 
And man, does Khruangbin jam.

The same stage design from Boston Calling flanked the stage at The Greek only this time the A LA SALA cover art-esque design rotated projected images through the arched windows and behind them. The images flowed with each theme of the song being played, emersing the crowd in a full-on Khruangbin experience. 

The first half of their set they played their latest album, 2024's A LA SALA cover to cover. It didn't take long to understand what makes Khruangbin so good. These three fall together so effortlessly, blending each melody they create independently together in a captivating way. 

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The second song "May Ninth" found all three on the minimal amont of vocals the song offers and it was  clear to see just how tight their performance is. It's something heard on their albums but it's entirely something else to witness live.  

 Speer's wizardry on guitar is completley enthralling.
Slow tempo.
Fast tempo.
Chill tempo.
Dance tempo.

Doesn't matter, Speer never wavers and he delivers with a passion you can feel. Shredding and strumming worldy influences of Moroccan and Afgan melodies Speer's flamenco style playing is accentuated by the seamlessness of the whole band. 
The whole production is a flawless work of art. 

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

When they exited the stage after "Les Petits Gris" we thought they were doing wardrobe change. But they reappeared wearing the same outifts to play songs from the rest of their catalog.
There's no denying visual creativity of their live preformance as you watch Speer and Ochoa tell a story with each song they play. The simpilicity of their in sync steps around the stage are also in sync with the notes being played. The sort of cat and mouse game they play with each other musically and visually speak volumes in the absence of lyrics.

Johnson was included in this when at the top of one song he got off of his drum kit to stroll along the window panes, peering out for a moment of contemplation before returning to his drums. He's featured a lot more on those few and far between backup vocals than you might realize, too. 

A side from one shout out to The Greek Theatre in Berkeley there wasn't any banter and it would have felt out of place if there was more than that anyway. For Khruangbin it's all about the music and the autmosphere that they create. 

Khruangbin is the Thai word that means airplane and the band has stated that it "symbolizes the international set of influences that shape our music". Khruangbin gives fans the opporituinity to broaden their horizons, carrying you away to get lost in their music they've created from sounds around the globe. 
Simple yet complex.
Khruangbin makes great music and they put on a great show. 

Khruangbin @ The Greek Theatre in Berkeley 8/14/2024 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Khruangbin set-list 8/14/2024
set one
1. Fifteen Fifty Three 
2. May Ninth
3. Ada Jean
4. Farolim de Felgueiras
5. Pon Pon 
6. Todavia Viva 
7. Juegos y Nubes 
8. Hold Me Up (Thank You)
9. Caja de la Sala
10. Three from Two
11. A Love International 
12. Les Petit Gris

set two
13. Como me quieres
14. Father Bird, Mother Bird
15. August 10
16. White Gloves
17. Two Fish and an Elephant 
18. The Infamous Bill 
19. So We Won't Forget 
20. Evan Finds the Third Room
21. Time (You and I)
22. Zionville

encore
23. People Everywhere (Still Alive)