Royal Blood on Tour, Spring 2015!

In one whirlwind  year, even before the August 2014 release of their debut album, the British rock duo, Royal Blood have opened for Portugal the Man, The Arctic Monkeys and the legendary Pixies, and now they're headlining their very own North American Tour!

 

Royal Blood at LIVE105's NSSN Soundcheck Holiday Party @ DNA Lounge 12/10/14
Photo by Marc Fong  

 

 

Starting this Spring, Royal Blood hits the road on their tour with Mini Mansions and then they jump full on into the Summer festival circuit before touring with Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters! DO NOT forget your earplugs when you go to see these guys cause they bring the rock and will blow the roof off of venues including both of their sold-out shows at Slim's in San Francisco! 

 

Royal Blood at LIVE105's NSSN Soundcheck Holiday Party @ DNA Lounge 12/10/14
Photo by Marc Fong  

 

NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING TOUR
April 13th - The Fonda Theater - Los Angeles, CA (SOLD-OUT)
April 14th - Slim's - San Francisco, CA (SOLD-OUT)
April 15th - Slim's - San Francisco, CA (SOLD-OUT)
April 19th - Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA
May 23rd - Vogue Theater - Vancouver, BA
May 25th - Wonderland Ballroom - Portland, OR
May 27th - Murray Theater - Salt Lake City, UT
May 28th - Fox Theater - Boulder, CO
May 30th - Wooly's - Des Moines, IA


Royal Blood at LIVE105's NSSN Soundcheck Holiday Party @ DNA Lounge 12/10/14
Photo by Marc Fong  

May 31st - Wolly's - Madison, WI
June 1st - The Rave II - Milwaukee, WI
June 3rd - Metro - Chicago, IL
June 4th - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH
June 10th - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
June 11th - Amos' Southend - Charlotte, NC
June 13th - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA

FESTIVALS
April 10-12th - Coachella - Indio, CA
April 17th-19th - Coachella - Indio, CA
June 5th-7th - Governors Ball - New York, NY
June 11th - 14th - Bonaroo - Manchester, TN

SUPPORTING FOO FIGHTERS
July 6th - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
July 8th - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
July 9th - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre - Toronto, ON
July 13th - Susquehanna Bank Center - Camden, NJ
July 15th - Citi Field - New York, NY
July 16th - Citi Field - New York, NY
July 19th - Fenway Park - Boston, MA
August 12th - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB
August 13th - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB
August 16th - Fiddler's Green Amphitheater - Denver, CO
August 17th - Fiddler's Green Amphitheater - Denver, CO
August 19th - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater - Maryland Heights, MO
August 21st - Sprint Center - Kansas City, MO
August 24th - DTE Energy Center - Detroit, MI
August 25th - First Niagra Pavilion - Pittsberg, PA

Go see OK Go!

OK Go are about to embark on an epic North American theater tour so if you didn't catch them live last Summer don't miss your chance to see them this Spring!

The fun loving foursome is touring in support of their latest album, last year's Hungry Ghosts and they're starting the party with two shows in the Bay Area: March 20th at the Catalyst in San Cruz and March 21st at The Warfield in San Francisco! 

OK Go - Spring 2015 North American Tour Dates: 

3/20 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Catalyst 

3/21 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield 

3/23 - Portaland, OR @ McMenamin's Crystal Ballroom

3/24 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theater 

3/25 - VAncouver, BC @ Commodore BAllroom

3/27 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Ballroom

3/28 - Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall

3/29 - Saskatoon, SK @ Louis' Pub 

3/31 - Winnipeg, MB @ Garrick Center 

4/2 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

4/3 - Chicago, IL @Metro 

4/4 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant 

4/6 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall

4/9 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues

4/10 - Ithaca, NY @ The State Theatre 

4/11 - New York, NY @ Terminal 5 

4/12 - Baltimore, MD @ Ram's Head Inn 

4/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre 

4/15 - Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theatre

4/17 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live

4/18 - Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater 

4/20 - San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre 

4/21 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom

4/22 - Kansas City, MO @ Middle of the Map 

4/24 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 

4/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex 

4/26 - Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory 

4/28 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl 

4/30 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre

5/1 - San Diego @ House of Blues 

5/2 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern

If you enjoy their music videos but you haven't experienced them live you need to go to an 

OK Go show! Need proof of how fun their live shows are? Read my review of their sold-out show at The Independent last July! Tickets to see them at The Warfield are only $25, you gotta go!

JMSN @ The Independent 3/2/2015

Last March Christian Berishaj better known by his stage name,  JMSN opened for Crosses at The Independent  and last Monday night he headlined there!

JMSN @ The Independent 3/2/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

JMSN @ The Independent 3/2/2015 
Photo by Marc Fong 

Dressed in Bermuda cutoffs, an oversized stripped t-shirt, slip-on kicks and a simple gold cross on a long gold chain, JMSN looked every bit indie, complete with a well kept beard, when he breezed on to the stage.

JMSN @ The Independent 3/2/2015 
Photo by Marc Fong 

A diverse crowd leisurely mingled following  supporting act Rochelle Jordan and the show was sold out by the time the headliner started. With an exhilarated pep in his step the Albanian American singer/songwritter/producer from Detroit kicked things off with "Addicted" from his 2014 self titled (The Blue) album. 

Greeting the crowd with a charismatic"how y'all doing" JMSN came off very friendly and genuine quick to interact with and introduce his band mates and coolly connect with his fans. His R&B singing style paired with indie back-up bass and drums gave the spirited set a subtle folk feel with a feel good vibe. The talented frontman gracefully bopped around the stage all night, delivering a lively show which pleasantly offset the somberness of the songs.

JMSN @ The Independent 3/2/2015 
Photo by Marc Fong 

Compared to the likes of How to Dress Well and Bon Iver, JMSN has undoubtedly mastered a unique technique of blending the soul, Indie and R&B genres.  Appealing to a wide ranging fan base, JMSN continues to garner  high praises and a growing popularity with a wholehearted ease. 

New Music Madness!

It's madness how much new music is announced and/or released in March! 

Take a  look at a couple releases from last month, who's releasing albums this month and some albums that are slated to be released in the months to come.  

Canadian indie-electronic duo, HUMANS dropped their first official album last week on February 24th via Hybridity Music. Get the party started today with Noontide: available on itunes and on HUMANS' website,  dashumans.com. 

The sassy, stylish singer/songwritter/party starter MNDR teamed up with Sweet Vally (Wavves' Nathan Williams and his brother Kynan) to bring us 5 songs on the EP, Dance 4 A Dolla.  

The dark, yet catchy club-pop  EP was also released last week on February 24th. 

Get a digital copy of it today!

Purity Ring's  hauntingly romantic, eerily whimsical Synthpop seems to have gone a little more mainstream on Another Eternity out yesterday, March 3rd. The Canadian  duo still have a distinct dreamy, trance sound on their sophomore album but more pronounced vocals heard on it may broaden their audience. 

Listen for yourself, I'd love to hear what you think.  

Arcade Fire's Will Butler is releasing his first "solo" album, Policy featuring AF's Jeremy Gara drummer on March 10th. Will's debut album is brought to us by Merge records which is the same label that Arcade Fire is on.  

It will be interesting to see what  loyal Arcade Fire fanatics think of this venture. 

Modest Mouse haven't had a new album since  2007's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank but that will change on March 17th!
The band is set to release their long awaited 6th studio album , Strangers to Ourselves this St. Patrick's Day. Can't wait? Place your pre-order today!

San Francisco transplants, Geographer will release Ghost Modern on March 24th. The band has already debuted a single off of their upcoming third album, "Need" and they're already touring in  support of the new album!

Ben Gibbard has been busy recording new Death Cab For Cutie music since announcing that his project, The Postal Service would permanently disband after the band's 2013 reunion tour. Kintsugi, the 8th album from Death Cab  drops at the end of the month on March 31st. See them live at The Greek Theater in Berkeley on July 11th!  

On April 7th the energetic power-pop couple, Matt & Kim will burst back on the scene with New Glow. 

Here's hottie with a body, Kim shaking her tail feather in the video for the first single, "Hey Now", from the upcoming  album. Get ready to bust a move with the duo because they're  hitting the road in April! Catch Matt & Kim at The Warfield in SF on May 2nd! 

Alabama Shakes is already on tour in support of their sophomore album, Sound & Color out on April 20th/21st. 

They'll be at The Greek Theater in Berkeley a few days before the new album drops on April 11th!  

This is pretty cool: Passion Pit is offering instant digital copies of their new singles, "Lifted Up (1985)" and  "Where the Sky Hangs" from their upcoming new album from Kindered also out on April 21st.  Keep an eye out for show announcements because these guys sure do love the festival circuit! They're on the bill for a bunch of Music Festivals all over the place including BottleRock Napa Valley on May 30th.

The rumor mill has been spinning with releases that will hopefully happen this year!

- Ratatat: Last year the homepage of their website stated they were working on new music and the experimental electronic rock duo has a a handful of shows lined up but there's still no confirmed word on a new album.  

- The Dead Weather : We all know Jack White is a busy guy but The Dead Weather's third album, which was suppose to be released in 2014 still doesn't have a 2015 release date, what a "Buzzkill(er)".  

- Deftones: Front man Chino Moreno has confirmed that the band is working on a new album. It will be the first album following the passing of bassist Chi Cheng. 

- Fun.: Last month on Facebook Fun. confirmed that they are NOT breaking up but unfortunately the band is not working on new music despite the high demand for it.  As Nate works on his first solo album, Jack's continuous pursuit with Bleachers and Andrew scoring films, Fun. fans should keep their fingers crossed that the band will be back with a new album soon!

- Dr. Dre: 2013's Detox never dropped but there has been buzz around Dre releasing an album, appropriately titled Not Detox sometime this year.  

- Gwen Stefani: The hot mama released the single "Spark the Fire" late last year and No Doubt is touring a lot this year.... do you think that means new albums?!

There's much more in store down the road of course, but until then, happy listening! 

Congrats! Strawberries & Champagne Funfetti Cupcakes to Celebrate!



I recently got a third job, it's crazy I know but hey a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. I'm very excited about my new gig because I am finally back on my music/marketing career path! To celebrate, I baked a batch of  Strawberries and Champagne Cupcakes. 

Finding a Champagne Cake recipe was easier than I thought it would be, just replace the water that the recipe calls for with Champagne, it's a piece of cake! Being that I'm pressed for time and not opposed to saving a few dimes I went the store bought route. I chose funfetti cake and frosting because confetti comes to mind when I think of celebrations and wishing congratulations, so this cake flavor version of confetti was perfect!

I followed the egg-white recipe on the back of the box, replacing the 1 and 1/4 cups of water with 1 and 1/4 cups of pink Dreamstone Champagne. It was funny to see and hear the batter fizz when I mixed in the bubbly! 

 Once the cupcakes were in oven it was time to prepare  the fresh strawberry frosting. First of all, Funfetti frosting isn't like it used to be with the little circles of colorful waxy sugar in it, maybe that was Confetti frosting, I'm not sure. Now, Funfetti frosting is plain vanilla frosting that comes with rainbow colored sprinkles to sprinkle on top of cupcakes once they are frosted. Anyway, I scooped all of the frosting into a bowl, washed and cut seven medium sized strawberries then used a fork to mash and stir them into the frosting.

The juice from the strawberries made the frosting runny, almost like yogurt, so I popped it in the fridge to firm it up a bit. It was still pretty runny,by the time the cupcakes were ready more like a fresh strawberry icing . I carefully iced the cupcakes and got them in the fridge quick so the icing wouldn't drip!





The Champagne made the  consistency of the funfetti cake more bouncy or chewy like an angle food cake or sponge cake not fluffy or moist like some cupcakes tend to be. Otherwise it was  a standard white cake with colorful spots throughout it. The fresh strawberry frosting, turned icing was super sweet and the chunks of strawberries made this cupcake so to say. I usually prefer fresh cupcakes but in this case the fact that these Strawberries & Champagne Funfetti Cupcakes had to be served chilled played well for the flavor because bubbly should always be put on ice!

Cheers to new adventures and starting new chapters in life! 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015

Native San Franciscan band Two Gallants celebrated the February 3rd release of their  5th Studio Album,  We Are Undone with three shows over the course of three nights on February 5th, 6th and 7th.

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

Sandwiched between the first show at Leo's in Oakland and the hometown finale show at the Great American Music Hall, Friday night's  sold out show was in the heart of hipster heaven at The Chapel in San Francisco's Mission District.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The venue was fully packed by time Two Gallants finally took their places on stage following St. Andrew James and a change over which seemed to take forever.

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

Adam and Tyson have been making music together since they were twelve years and the comfort level they share when they play makes for an inviting and welcoming live show as seen and heard at Friday night's show . With a nonchalant demeanor they calmly immersed the audience into the set with "Reflections of the Marionette" from their 2007 self titled album.

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

 

 

While the balance of guitar and drums are layered evenly, Tyson's fervent performance carefully grabs the audiences' attention: with his head-banging and hair whipping the drummer keeps a steady hand whilst drumming without overbearing his band mate's earnest showmanship. Further admirable is Tyson's ability to sing solid back up vocals on almost every song and  Adam's sweet harmonica melodies mixed with his guitar playing between lyrics. Even though it was a record release show, Two Gallants ended up playing tracks from across their five album collection.

 

 

 

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

The  rustic, refurbished setting was perfect for the alternative folk duo: spot on acoustics delivered their polished garage rock sound with proper reverberation of their lo-fi aesthetic. And, framed under vintage wooden aches, basked in pleasant lighting as they modestly performed their indie-blues, Two Gallants quickly set a  mellow mood to match their like-minded vibe.

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

Two Gallants @ The Chapel 2/6/2015
Photo by Marc Fong 

 

 

The hometown crowd remained rather respectable with appropriate coos, cheers and applause throughout the show. The loudest cheers rose when the front-man expressed his speechlessness, simply saying how proud they were to be there. The We Are Undone Tour continues with shows in the UK before the S.F boys come back to the states, playing more shows on the East Coast before the last two shows in L.A this May!

Sage Francis @ The Mezzanine 1/30/2015

Our friends at ShowBams sent us out to cover the Sage Francis show on San Francisco last week! 

It was a few minutes before midnight when headliner Sage Francis took the stage following a couple different guest DJ sets Friday night at The Mezzanine. Scheduled openers, The Metermaids, had to cancel due to the blizzard in the East Coast. 

Sage Francis @ The Mezzanine 1/30/2015
Photo by: Marc Fong

It's been less than a year since Francis' last show in SF, and the innovative raper from Rhode Island gave fans a performance unmatched to any other solo hip-hop artist, bursting with his unique sound, style and grace. 

Sage Francis @ The Mezzanine 1/30/2015

Photo by: Marc Fong

He hit the stage wrapped in a Strange Famous flag (a some-what subtle self promotion for his record label) with nothing more than a microphone and laptop laden with original instrumental beats to carry him through the set. While a majority of the set-list weighed heavily on tracks from older albums than more recent releases, like last year's Cooper Gone, Sage wholeheartedly spit his brutally honest lyrics with a certain attention grabbing swagger and spoken-word flare. The captivated crowd crowd was compelled to dance as they cheered him on through his lively and humbly engaging performance. 

Sage Francis @ The Mezzanine 1/30/2015

Photo by: Marc Fong

Sage has a few more shows lined up in March on the East Coast before he comes back to Cali in late May to play at the M15 Concert Bar & Grill in Corona. Hopefully it's not another four years before we hear new music from one of SF's favorite off-beat rappers so that we can jump back in the Sage train!

Sage Francis @ The Mezzanine 1/30/2015

Photo by: Marc Fong