Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020

YouTube sensation turned singer/songwriter/Sanrio model,  Moriah Rose Pereira is quite the entertainer as Poppy. Back in November, Poppy released a new single off of her up coming new album."BLOODMONEY"  was the third single from I Disagree which was released on January 10th, 2020. Pretty impressive, three albums in three years.

I forget exactly how I came across Poppy...I think it was when I was in L.A in October 2018 and she was playing at The Wiltern on Halloween. Her music then wasn't exactly my cup of tea but she seemed fun and I dug her edgy Harajuku-ness but I wasn't approved to cover the show soalas I didn't go. Flash forward to November 2019 by the time "Concrete", "I Disagree" and "BLOODMONEY" were out and I was listening to all three on repeat.
It was dark, it was heavy, it was industrial.
 It's what the Nine Inch Nail fan inside of me didn't know I was missing, craving even.
The album cover (which was released before the album release date) got me, too: an eerie image of a pale, platinum blonde Poppy wearing spiked collars with what looks like black oil rising out of and around her eyes and face.

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

The 1st of 37 stops on the I Disagree tour was at Great American Music Hall on January 22nd. By the time doors opened that Wednesday night, tickets to the show were sold-out as many of her shows across the country are. This is one off those show reviews that I was not approved by the artist's management to "officially" cover but I ended up going to the show and reviewing it anyway.












During the long change over, the stuffy room got more stuffy as people packed in. There was a lot of dudes there, metal heads, queers and even a drag queen. A white back drop that looked like a projector screen hung in the back of the stage and a large mirrored rectangle was positioned in front of it. I was so excited to see what Poppy would bring to the stage.
Would she come out of that big iPhone looking thing?
What would she be wearing? Leather? Rubber? Latex?

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 

photo by Nikki DeMartini 

After about 35 minutes and people chanting her name, the 25 year old finally made her way to the stage. Following her band who were dressed in all white with what appeared to be white fishnets covering their faces, the petite singer, donned a dark, double bun up-do and an oversized black blazer.
The industrial, instrumental introduction led into "Concrete" which led into "BLOODMONEY". As people head banged and politely thrashed around me I couldn't help but wonder...was she lip-syncing?






Everything was so loud:the bass, the guitar, the synths, everything except for her. I get the juxtaposition of a soft voice against hard beats and hooks (huge Sleigh Bells fan here) but Poppy's vocals were literally lost. There were points while she was singing when I actually couldn't hear her at all. But, no one else seemed to bat an eye about it.
The room was dark but the lights on stage were bright creating a silhouette effect throughout the show. The big rectangle onstage didn't serve as anything more than a beaming focal point. Poppy kept turning her back to the crowd, facing her own reflection in it's mirror as she sang or as a song ended. That's how a lot of the songs ended, with her back to her fans. She didn't do much more than that on stage and she didn't waste time between songs with banter except for the two times she briefly paused to say hello to San Francisco in an almost inaudible, mousy voice. It wasn't until she passively threw up two peace signs that it started to click.

Poppy at Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

The set-list consisted mostly of new songs, a lot that were her first time playing live which was neat. She did play a couple songs from last year's Am I A Girl? and she even went back to her cover playing roots with t.a.t.u's "All The Things She Said". About an hour after she hit the stage, Poppy left the stage only to return after making fans work for an encore. After a few minutes they got what they wanted, two more songs from Poppy, the last song of course being "I Disagree".

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

I wanted so much more from Poppy. I wanted weird and creepy. I wanted her to scream during "Play Destroy" and thrash during "BLOODMONEY". I wanted antics and theatrics. Instead, I got a show that sounded exactly like the album and not much more than that. I got a show that I'm still not sure if she was singing or lip-syncing. Yet, everyone at the show was so deeply enthralled that when I left I thought, maybe I just don't get it.








And don't get me wrong, it was entertaining and I was entertained but it wasn't until afterwards when I got it. Poppy's current music can be classified somewhere in the metal genre while her pervious work definitely fits better in the pop music mold. What I didn't realize is that Poppy is the American version of a K-Pop artist. Poppy wasn't only putting on a show, Poppy is putting on an act. Poppy is the show. It is all a show.
I also hadn't realized that I Disagree is Poppy's first album released on Sumeria Records, not Island Records who originally signed her in 2015 and that she's coming out from working under Titanic Sinclair for years. And to that, I say, you go Poppy, keep on doing you.

Poppy @ Great American Music Hall 1/22/2020 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

set-list 1/22/2020 
1. Concrete
2. BLOODMONEY
3. Scary Mask 
4. X
5. Play Destroy
6. Fill the Crown 
7. Am I A Girl?
8. Anything Like Me
9. Nothing I Need 
10. All The Things She Said 
11. Sit/Stay 
12. Sick of the Sun 
13. Don't Go Outside 

en core 
14. Bite Your Teeth
15. I Disagree 

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery

Magnolia Bakery sign 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

When I was in New York last October my busy work schedule kept me from going to and trying all of the places my fabulous foodie friends recommended to me. One of those places was a bakery, so when I found a New York Bakery in L.A in November I was so excited. Alas, it was not Martha's Bakery as was recommended to me while in New York, it was Magnolia Bakery. Magnolia Bakery first opened it's doors in 1996 in the West Village and by 2007 it's vintage shops started popping up across the country, including the one at 3rd Street and Orlando in L.A.











It was the end of October, so you know what that means? Halloween and Pumpkin Spice Season. After working at Starbucks for years on end and being traumatized by rude, basic bitches modifying their non-fat, half decaf, iced Pumpkin Spice whatevers with precise percentages of the orange sugar sludge, I do not usually indulge in the pumpkin spice phenomenon. Unless of course, it tickles my fancy and by tickle my fancy I mean it's not your run of the mill Pumpkin Spice flavoring. Cupcakes for example don't seem to spice things up when it comes to Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes. But, when I checked out the weekly cupcakes on the Magnolia Bakery website and saw their Pumpkin Spice Cupcake, I knew I had to have it. A Pumpkin Spice Cake made with Nutmeg and Cinnamon, a caramel cream cheese frosting and candied cranberries. Ummm, hello. Yes, please.
But the day I went in to get one, those cupcakes weren't available for another couple of hours and I left without one. My Dad suggested getting a slice of the Pumpkin Spice cake but I review cupcakes, there is a difference.

Magnolia Bakery cupcakes 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

Magnolia Bakery cupcakes 

photo by Nikki DeMartini

The spacious store smelled of frosting and had long counter tops and glass showcases with whole cakes on top from which you can buy slices. Other treats filled the shelves and an array of cupcakes on cake stands has counter space designated just to them. The bright pink, blue, green and yellow frostings caught my eye and I knew then that I would be back before returning to SF.
Maybe I'd get one of their special a Christmas time flavors.

























By the time I made it back to Magnolia Bakery for a cupcake it was already the end the end December and I had missed almost all of the Christmas time flavors: Hot Coco, a chocolate cupcake topped with meringue icing and a custom marshmallow. Chocolate Peppermint, the candy cane inspired cupcake is a chocolate cupcake topped with a swirl of red and white Peppermint meringue buttercream sprinkled with crush peppermint candy. The Sno Cap, a cupcake featuring devil's food cake with a high peak of meringue icing.
The Red Velvet White-Out was the weekly special when I went in on my second visit: a classic Red Velvet cupcake with meringue icing covered in Red Velvet crumbles but I went with a selection from their classic cupcakes.

Magnolia Bakery cupcakes with chocolate frosting 

photo by Nikki DeMartini 

There was a whole cake stand full of cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting so I got one of each: one vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and one chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I was hoping that the vanilla cake with chocolate frosting was yellow cake with chocolate frosting because that is my favorite flavor of cake and/or cupcake but it was indeed vanilla cake with chocolate frosting.

Chocolate & Vanilla cupcakes with Chocolate frosting at Magnolia Bakery

photo by Nikki DeMartini

Both of the cakes were, well they weren't bad. The vanilla was vanilla and the chocolate was chocolate.
(if you have read any of my past reviews on chocolate cake you know what I mean. If you haven't read any of my past reviews on chocolate cake, what are you waiting for?!)
The chocolate frosting caught me off guard, it looks like a buttercream frosting but it's a whipped icing. Think the type of frosting on grocery store cupcakes, simple and sugary only way more fancy. And there was a lot of it which being a frosting lover, I fully enjoyed all of it. For a classic cupcake, the vanilla and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting from Magnolia Bakery live up to the name. Classic flavors of standard cupcakes.


All of the cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery are picture perfect and they have a different weekly cupcake all year long. The weekly cupcake schedule is on their website and classic cupcake flavors are available everyday of the week. 

My favorite albums of 2019

When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? 

Billie Eilish 

1. Billie Eilish - When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

After three years of non-stop touring and hit single after hit single after hit single, 17 year old (now 18 years old) Billie Eilish finally released her debut album, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in March of 2019. Unbeknownst at the time, the single "You Should See Me In a Crown", which was released in July of 2018, was one of the 14 tracks off of her highly anticipated debut album.  

The first official single from the When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go, was "Bad Guy". The deviously catchy song with an inescapable beat, layers of hooks and those simple, sarcastic breaks has been all over the airwaves since it's release as well as on heavy rotation in my ears.


Though her song lyrics mature her past her years and are poignant to a tee, tweens and teenage girls are the largest and probably most loyal portion of her fan base which inevitably boomed when her album dropped. When We Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? has songs about the zoned out/over medicated/preoccupied society of today, stardom, growing up in the lime light, un-requited love/crush/lust, losing a friend, battling inner demons. As a whole it ebbs and flows between upbeat and somber with intermittent candid clips of Billie herself and sound clips from her favorite TV show, The Office. And no matter what the tempo, as we already knew with 2016's "Ocean Eyes", this girl can sing. It's introspective, it's different, it's fun, it effortlessly blends genres. Billie Eilish's first album is easy to listen to from it's "!!!" intro to it's montaged "goodbye" and it still has me hooked. 

Solutions

K-Flay 

2. K-Flay: Solutions 

The follow up to K-Flay's Grammy Award winning 2017 album, Everywhere Is Somewhere would prove to be a real test. Sophomore albums are hard enough but with the July 12th release of her third album,  Solutions, K-Flay came out victorious. The once upon a time Standford rapper also came out leading up to her new album which most likely played a huge role in the softer, more optimistic side of K-Flay that she unabashedly now shares with us. Before the album we got "Bad Vibes" in March and while it's title suggests bad vibes ahead, the beat heavy, rock-rap-synth track leaves you feeling good vibes. "Bad Vibes" was the perfect foreshadow of Solutions and K-Flay's shift from a negative perception to a positive one. 

The first three of ten songs are my favorite, opening with the self loving anthem with sparkly build ups and euphoric climaxes, "I Like Myself" (Most of the Time). By the time the album dropped it's second track "Bad Vibes" was already a hit and coming up behind it is the sassy, dancey "This Baby Don't Cry". K-Flay may have shifted perspectives but the things we love most about her haven't changed: her unique voice and her smart lyrics. When you listen, really listen to her songs and hear what she's saying, you're like, "yes!". Just like my #1 Billie Eilish, K-Flay has a creative way of keeping it real and I really like that. 

3. Missy Elliot - Iconology full EP.

2019 was a big year for Missy Misdemeanor Elliot: she was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, becoming the first female rapper to ever receive the honor. She received an honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berkeley College of Music and she was the first female rapper to receive the MTV Michael Jackson Vanguard award. This year she also released new music for the first time in almost 15 years! On August 23rd Iconology dropped, officially bringing Missy Elliot back. Ok, Ok, it's an EP not an LP but it's good. It's funky, sassy and original like only Missy can do. Maybe we'll get a full LP soon, until then Iconology will be on repeat. 

Iconology 

Missy Elliot 

Top songs of 2019

"Spaceships" - Tank and The Bangas

"Juice" - Lizzo

"Sunday Driver" - The Raconteurs

"In This Life" - Bag Raiders
“Hot Shower” - Chance The Rapper

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019

Alaskan outfit, Portugal. The Man brought 2019 to an end with two nights of shows at The Fox Theater in Oakland. I wasn't at their New Year's Eve show but I was at their show on the eve of New Years Eve and it was just as exciting. Night 1 was very close to selling out and very well might have by the time I got there for some of the opening act, Chicano Batman. 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

The crowd was vibrant and chatty, millennials, Y and Gen-Xers still giddy with Holiday cheer and ready to celebrate. And really, what better way to celebrate the end of a decade than at a concert surrounded by happy people who like the same music that you do? 

A couple of indigenous Alaskans took the stage before the band (Portugal. The Man) with a passionate speech. It wasn't preachy and fans respected it. It's great when musicians use their voice for the greater good and the stage is the perfect platform to give people an insight to what topics matter to them. 

Lights turned low, fog machines kicked in to high gear, sound clips teased "Feel It Still" and a huge projection of Beavis and Butthead whirled fans into a frenzy at the start of their set. 

They kept that energy going with a  cover of the Metallica hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls" which was pretty epic coming from an alternative, psychedelic rock band. 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019

photo by Marc Fong 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

The 6 bandmates spread them selves out thin, making the stage spacious as they played. There was bursts of light and colors and a whole lot of foggy haze and even some confetti but other than some images being projected behind them, it was a minimalistic setting. 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

The only song they played from their last album, 2017's Woodstock came at the end of their set by way of what some will argue made them sell-outs. Portugal. The Man pulled a classic move, saving the best for last and the crowd was definitely feeling it when they finally played "Feel It Still". Every other song was either off of 2013's Evil Friends or 2011's In The Mountain In The Cloud. They ended Monday night's show the same way they started it, with a cover, two covers actually, Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall" and "Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones. 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

It looks like these Portland transplants are gearing up to hit the music festival circuit in 2020 so keep an eye out for Portugal. The Man on festival line-ups near you! 

Portugal. The MAn @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

Portugal. The Man @ The Fox Theater, Oakland 12/30/2019 

photo by Marc Fong 

set list 12/30/2019 

1. For Whom the Bell Tolls 

2. Holy Roller 

3. Modern Jesus 

4. Creep in a T-Shirt 

5. Atomic Man 

6. All Your Light 

7. Purple Yellow Red and Blue 

8. Hip Hop Kids 

9. Sleep Forever 

10. Feel It Still 

11. Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd) 

12. Satisfaction (The Rolling Stones)