Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018
photo by Marc Fong
She played Alt 105.3's BFD in May and less than five months later, Bishop Briggs was back in the Bay Area, playing The Fox Theater in Oakland on September 4th. The blue eyed British starlet kicked off her very first headlining tour in April and in June she announced more shows which included her show in Oakland with Joywave.
Joywave @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
It's hard to believe how far the 26 year old has come in three years since she only just released her debut album this Spring. She broke on to the scene in 2015 with her first single, "Wild Horses" but most know her because of "River", her 2016 her hit single that catapulted her into the spotlight. Now, with two EPs, one LP and after hitting the festival circuit hard for the last couple years it's great seeing Bishop Briggs out on her own.
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
The show wasn't sold-out like so many shows on her headlining tour are but that didn't slow her down. She burst on to the stage a little after nine o'clock in baggy white windbreaker pants, a black baggy long sleeved shirt and a beanie. Her pants almost looked see through as blinking lights kept illuminating them from behind her, silhouetting her legs in the moments she was standing still. She's cut her long jet black hair and has strayed away from the two high buns hair do look but one thing that hasn't changed since seeing her two years ago is her kinetic energy.
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
The girl never stops moving. During her songs if she's not jumping up and down, or bouncing around she's doing laps around the stage or running from one side of it to the other. And all while holding a tune with her seductive vocals. Before it seemed like nerves that kept her on the move but it's clear that she is fully in control now. Her stage presence is charged by her passion for her music, Bishop Briggs has really blossomed since headlining Club NSSN at Mezzanine in 2016.
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
For as big of a name as she's created for herself, she hasn't let it go to her head and is quite humble. Charismatic and personable, she squatted low to get to her fans level to converse with them throughout her set. She talked about her climb to the top and how amazed she was by all the fans going out to see her on tour, she gave an encouraging speech about knowing your worth and she introduced her band.
Apart from intense indigo and emerald and occasional bursts of light the stage remained rather dark which fit the mood of Bishop Brigg's brooding alternative pop. With her band tucked back behind her giving her ample space for all of her boisterous antics, she did just that, ending her headlining show in Oakland with her biggest hit yet, "River."
Bishop Briggs is on the road until the end of October so catch her if you can.
Bishop Briggs @ The Fox Theater 9/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Sundara Karma
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
Backed by a stage full of stacked Orange Amps, the British boys of Sundara Karma got things started with some arena aspiring, dreamy pop-rock. The opening slot at Mezzanine marked the last show of their debut tour of the States in support of their 1st EP, Loveblood and even though it was their very first time even being in San Francisco, they had a handful of hard-core fans there. In bell-bottoms, velvet pants, flowy blouses and corduroy jackets with long-hair everywhere, their psychedelic swagger was juxtaposed with a poker-faced demeanor.
Sundara Karma
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
Immersed in finely tuned, subtlety grandiose rock, cheers from the crowd grew louder with every song Sundara Karma played from their EP. Intent on delivering their very best, the Berkshire quartet gained momentum with the glittery, Summer Music Fest anthem "Flame" and the catchy, chorus driven "She Said" after a calm "Young Understanding" kick off.Brooding guitar, gritty bass, funky drum-lines lifted up by soaring choruses and sweet Baritone notes from frontman Oscar Lulu characterized their steadfast set which ended in a flurry of applause for title track "Loveblood".
Fans were anxious to keep the party going with How To Dress Well who went on about half an hour after all the Orange Amps were cleared away. Mr. How To Dress Well, Tom Krell, hit the hazy stage with a drummer, synth player and keyboardist as plumes of smoke blasted from the smoke machine. With a pep in his step and a charming wittiness, the singer/songwriter was quick to engage with fans, lightening up the mood in the room.
How To Dress Well
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
Emotionally charged songs were softened by sparkling electronic and acoustic melodies. Bandmates kept mentioning bad feed back but their experimental indie-electro sounded good from where I stood. Carrying every song with an un-sung power, Krell's angelic falsetto was cooly enthralling from the sexy, "Can't You Tell " to the extended dance version of "And It Was You" to the alt-pop, islandy track off the new album Care. They even treated SF to a low-key cover of Ariana Grande's "One Time" and invited fans to sing along.
How To Dress Well
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
With lots of laughs on stage between songs, they're a very likable, down to earth band with a fun upbeat vibe and danceable tunes to get lost in. It was fun to see How To Dress Well having fun while getting us geared up for Bishop Briggs.
Bishop Briggs
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
The headliner stayed behind the scenes until the stage was ready and set for her. With her band tucked in the corners, giving her ample space on the stage, the illusive Bishop Briggs coyly hit the stage at 11:30. In a cute skirt, halter top, festive rhinestone covered bomber number and Nike's, the London born starlet literally bounced around the stage. Leering out over the mic, she looked intimidating as she sang but between songs she was sweet and friendly: thanking her loyal fans, LIVE105 and DJ Aaron Axelsen for supporting her since the beginning. With such a big hit single and soaring popularity, it's kind of hard to believe that she only has one, (very) recently released EP so of course the set consisted of songs from it. Her velvety vocals delivered "How I Do", "Wild Horses" and almost everything else in between, saving her huge hit, "River" until the end!
Bishop Briggs
CLUB NSSN @ Mezzanine 12/8/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
LIVE105's CLUB NSSN has been giving San Francisco show-goers and new music enthusiasts alike the great gift "little" shows the night before Not So Silent Night for 10 years! Cheers to another 10 years of intimate shows with line-ups of breaking bands!
Summer is the time of the year when bands jump on the Music Festival bandwagon and I don't blame them: it's an easy meal ticket (so to say), it's great exposure and awesome chance to expand their fan base (for example I discovered and ultimately fell in love with The Dead Weather at Outside Lands in 2009). Being surrounded by other bands and music biz peers has to be fun experience for them, too! And, depending on the festival, the band's show day and when they roll-in, bands and crew might be looking at treasured, per diem off day (AKA a day off)! Festivals can also be great platforms for staging come-backs: like how LCD Soundsystem reunited after 5 short years and hopped on the Festival circuit starting at Coachella this year and riding that "reunion tour" wave all the way to Outside Lands in August. They're not the first band to take advantage of staging a Summer Music Fest comeback and they certainly won't be the last.
Festivals are great for bands and fans alike: bands reach hundreds of fans with a huge potential to make more fans and fans get to see a bunch of different bands in a day, two days or over the course of a weekend depending on the festival! In all of their glory, Music Festivals just can't compare to a one-off show and, as seasoned show goers know, this time of year is slow as far as shows go. Except for a few indian-summer/Fall fests like: Voodoo Fest, Austin City Limits, Life is Beautiful, Desert Trip and Treasure Island Music Festival, the end of Summer is bitter sweet because it's also the end of festival season BUT when the fests end, the one-off shows begin!
The identical twin sister indie duo took last year off to work on their 8th studio album, Love You To Death after hitting the festival circuit pretty hard in 2014. Their new album dropped on June 3rd, and their world-wide tour in support of it, which started in London on June 22nd, brings them to states in September!
PEACHES @ Outsidelands 2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
It had been SIX years since we heard anything new from PEACHES but as of last year she's back and ready to rock our world! The provocative, feminist rocker is currently on tour in support of 2015's Rub, her 6th studio album. October 3rd is your chance to get up-close and personal at her intimate and titillating show at Mezzanine!
One year after their sophomore album, Voices, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel of the electronic-dream-trip-pop duo, Phantogram joined forces with Outkast's Big Boi to create the experimental hip-hop group known as Big Grams. The trio graced stages at festivals the past two Summers but Phantogram released a new single earlier this Summer and their current tour is in support of their third album! Threedrops two days after their headlining show at the beautiful Fox Theater in Oakland!
Music Video for Phantogram's single "You Don't Get Me High Anymore"
The Lumineers @ Bottle Rock Napa 2016
Photo by Marc Fong
The 4 years between The Lumineers' self-titled debut and their sophomore album Cleopatra felt like forever, right?! At long last the feel good indie-folk faves returned earlier this year with the single "Ophelea" and the release of Cleopatra on April 8th. Now they're on the road again! A second show at The Greek Theater in Berkeley was added by popular demand on October 7th with one of last year's biggest breakout artists, BORNS!
The fun loving, energetic, alternative-dance group, Grouplove is back with their third album! Big Mess dropped September 9th, the same day they kicked off their tour in support of it!
Seattle's indie-folk rockers, The Head and the Heart are hitting the road in September following the release of their third album, Signs of Light. The gang plays The Greek Theater in Berkeley October 8th, the day after they play The Greek Theater in L.A!
Fitz and The Tantrums' "Hand Clap" is one of this Summer's hottest singles and the energetic jazz-pop fusion band is going to rock The Fox Theater in Oakland on October 12th! The debut solo album Neon Trees' frontman Tyler Glenn drops on October 21st! The "Shameless" singer is opening for Fitz and The Tantrums on their 2016 Come Get Your Love Tour!
The Temper Trap just played at Mezzanine on June 5th but the Aussie boys are already on their way back to the Bay. This time they're playing at The Warfield! The foursome has grown since the their wildly successful 2009 debut, both literally and figuratively: the now a five-piece indie-rock band explore their own sound on their latest release, Thick as Thieves which they're on tour in support of!
The last time I was this excited about a comeback was a couple years ago when The Matches from Oakland reunited! Berkeley's original punks, Green Day never technically "left" so I guess it's not really a "comeback" but I am super stoked! Four years ago Billie Joe, Mike and Tre gave us three separate albums, Uno! Dos!, Tres! and onOctober 7th the Rock n' Roll Hall of Famers' deliver their 12th studio album, Revolution Radio! Their hometown show at the newest music venue in the Bay Area, The UC Theater in Berkeley on October 20th is already sold-out!!
Home of the Strange, Young the Giant's 3rd album featuring "Something to Believe In", "Silvertounge" and "Amerika" dropped August 12th! They'll be at The Fox Theater in Oakland with Ra Ra Riot on October 22nd!
Icelandic rock band, Kaleo and the unsigned, British musician (now based in L.A) Bishop Briggs both continue to grow in popularity with their singles "Way Down we Go" (Kaleo) and "River" (Bishop Briggs). With no album to date, Bishop Briggs still manages to drive throngs of fans to see her live, making her show with Kaleo at the historic Fillmore on October 23rd a highly anticipated one! Kaleo's sophomore album, A/B is available now!
Five years after their famous Hurry Up, We're Dreaming album, Anthony Gonzalez's M83 returned this year with their 6th studio album, Junk. Now the acclaimed synth-shoegaze-dreampop pioneers are on their second tour of 2016! On April 17th they graced the stage at The Fox Theater in Oakland and next month they're bringing their show to The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium!
Stanford University Alumni, K-Flayslayed sets at Music Fests this Summer, including Bottle Rock Napa and she just released a brand new EP! Crush Me is the innovative indie, hip-hop artist's fourth EP to date but it's the first release from Imagine Dragons' frontman Dan Reynolds imprint Night Street/Interscope Records! Catch her headlining show at Great American Music Hall October 27th!
music video for K-Flay's single "Blood in the Cut"
T'is the night before Not So Silent Night and all through out the city everybody will be stirring to get out of the house and go to a show! LIVE105 has stuffed our stockings with a pre-party show to warm us up for nights one and two of Not So Silent Night with CLUB NSSN at Mezzanine on December 8th!
The four piece, arena ambitious "indie-Springsteens" from the UK, Sundara Karma will be the first of three bands that night following DJ Aaron Axelsen. Touring in support of their brand new EP Loveblood, Sundara Karma will get us into the spirit with anthemic guitar music, soaring choruses and brooding romanticism tied up with an uplifting euphoria!
Next on the nice list is Tom Krell delivering groove-alicious How To Dress Well jams. The latest How To Dress Well LP, Care is a collective evolution of the singer-songwriter's sound from hazy bedroom R&B to full fledged alt-pop with more depth and clarity than we've heard from him before. He'll be spreading Holiday cheer for all to hear until it's time to get our jingle on with Bishop Briggs.
Up until Black Friday last week, this year's biggest starlet in the music scene was un-signed and album-less but Briggs managed to make a name for herself in a BIG way. The fashionable "River" singer has finally given us the gift of a self-titled EP via Island Records! Prepare to be merry and bright because one week from tonight is her first headlining gig in the Bay Area!
After this line-up we'll be ready to rock around the Oracle Arena at Not So Silent Night!
Live music after all, is the best present you can get!
Our Rocktober started off strong with a review from contributing writer and professional concert photographer Marc Fong. For his first visit to August Hall he covered headliner Alice Merton.
Alice Merton is literally hitting the ground running. The singer-songwriter has to-date only released a handful of songs, but watching her live, it's clear this up-and-coming artist is going to be huge.
Alice Merton @ August Hall 10/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Last month, Merton announced that her debut album Mint would be released January 2019. Those who argue that the artist is a one-hit wonder clearly have not seen her perform live recently. I have seen Merton on a couple of occasions (LIVE105's, now Alt 105.3 N.S.S.N 2017 and Bottlerock 2018) and not only is she getting more comfortable as a live artist, but she continues to create and perform great music.
Last week, the Bay Area was treated to an amazing performance from the English-born/German raised artist. San Francisco's August Hall hosted Alice Merton on October 4th and she did not disappoint in the least. Not only did she play her familiar radio hits , she also gave soulful performances of unfamiliar tracks. Her set had some songs for us to look forward to on her album next January.
Alice Merton @ August Hall 10/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
I expected August Hall to be packed to the gills and was disappointed to learn that more tickets were not sold. This is likely due to Merton's present song collection which is small since she doesn't have an album out yet. In any event, if the songs she performed in San Francisco are indicative of what's on Mint, I am confident that had this show occurred after the release of her debut album, she would likely need a couple nights booked at August Hall.
Not withstanding the modest ticket sales, Alice Merton's performance was powerful and heartfelt. Her sound is for fans of Florence + the Machine meets Bishop Briggs; a cross between dance, pop, rock and soul, Merton's music can be both melodic and raucous. Live, the familiar radio fave tracks, "No Roots", "Lash Out", and Hit the Ground Running" sounded fantastic, just how they sound over the airwaves. Hearing the un-familiar tracks performed with passion, emotion and poignancy was as incredible as hearing the known singles.
This show stuck with me long after it was over. The morning after I found myself humming the punchy fun track "Holes" which she performed the night before. It's catchy single without the stigma of kitsch.
Merton's live show has certainly improved compared to her fairly stiff performance in Napa at Bottlerock last May. Now when she is on-stage she is cat like and fluid. She danced and swayed with the audience at August Hall making the show more of an enjoyable experience. Even in the poorly lit venue, her personality blossomed as her engaged with her fans.
I was fortunate to be a part of this intimate experience which left me looking forward to hearing Mint
in full in a just a couple of months.
Alice Merton @ August Hall 10/4/2018 photo by Marc Fong
From the “sleepy” town of Brisbane Australia, 20 year old Mallrat is waking people up to her take on electro-indie pop. She dropped her latest EP In The Sky earlier this year and started touring around Australia at the start of Summer back in June. Before that, the teenage lyricist had a slot at SXSW in Austin Texas this past Spring and is currently on her first U.S tour.
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018 photo by Marc Fong
Her first show here had Mallrat, AKA Lil M, opening for buzz-worthy, indie-pop princess Maggie Rogers at The Fillmore on October 15th. That's a pretty big deal, especially for a young new artist: playing on the same stage that's hosted some of music's greatest artists and on a bill with someone as acclaimed as Maggie Rogers is.
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018 photo by Marc Fong
The historic chandler illuminated room was scarcely filled when the music started at 8:00, Mallrat and her accompanying DJ behind her front and center in front of the headliner's back-lined instruments. But twenty and thirty something year old couples started filing in as Mallrat played on.
There's a certain innocence that Grace Shaw (Mallrat) carries that goes beyond her youthful age. Long, soft curls, a sweet smile, longing gaze and some-what prepubescent style accentuate her cherubic aesthetic. But it's the fleeting innocence of her songs that reels you in. There's an obscure maturity that bestows her and she acknowledges it in a way that I think most adults wish they had the heart to.
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018
photo by Marc Fong
She started making music when she was in High School with her first release dropping in 2014 but her music has the ability to resonate with people beyond those formative years. The uppity dance song with bass-heavy drops and shiny beats of "Inside Voices" from her earlier work sings a song extroverted, introverts can relate to while the string laden "Groceries" off her newest EP builds up with rhythmatic looped verses about hesitant, guarded baby steps toward a maybe love. That's some pretty grown-up stuff to be aware of at her age. Her music has the ability to move people in more ways than one with a fun and flirty sound laced with uplifting beats and a fast, almost rap like delivery.
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018
photo by Marc Fong
There wasn't too much action going on on-stage as Mallrat is still coming into her own but she did greet SF as the audience for the sold-out show thickened and she also hyped up Maggie Rogers. She played radio worthy "Texas"and the catchy track "UFO", both from In The Sky but the most fun she visibly had was when her friend/DJ joined her on for dance break during the Japanese chorus of "Oh Boy - Donatachi".
Mallrat @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018
photo by Marc Fong
I was happy to see that the floor of The Fillmore was packed before the end of Mallrat's set. Give it a couple years and I can see this girl in the ranks of Bishop Briggs and Billie Eilish who were once shy on-stage early on, too.
Maggie Rogers @ The Fillmore 10/15/2018
photo by Marc Fong
Like a firework in the night sky on the Fourth of July, Maggie Rogers ignited the room into an energetic frenzy. As I watched her work the stage amidst clamoring fans I couldn't help but admire her for giving Mallrat a great launching pad at not one but two shows in SF and her whole North American tour.
The little miss from down under undoubtedly got few more fans under her belt because of it.
2016 was a rough year in the music world. It started in January when we lost David Bowie then Prince and Merle Haggard both passed away in April, Sharon Jones and Lenard Cohen in November and we just learned of George Michael's death right after Christmas. That's not even the full list. . .
These were visionary artists. They were creative, free spirits in their own right. They pushed the envelope, broke, bent and blended musical genres. Without these musicians, singers, song-writers some of today's "stars" would have never found their voice, they would have never been heard. They didn't just change music, they shaped it in a lot of ways.
Some people say that 2016 is the year that music died and it's hard not to agree, but life isn't fair and we gotta have faith. As hard as it may be to see a silver lining, the last year did have some good stuff.
I get excited when bands and/or artists announce new albums and I wait to buy physical copies of my favorites, which is an anomaly now for a couple different reasons. A lot of people don't listen to albums anymore and I'm not talking about vinyl. I mean pressing play and listening to an album from start to finish. It's a trend I've picked up on the last couple of years: asking people what their favorite albums of the year are so far more often than not the answer is "I don't know, I don't really listen to whole albums." People listen to songs and they don't buy physical copies of music.
Even services like Spotify make it hard to listen to an album as it's meant to be heard. Sure you can listen to all of the tracks but the only option you have is to play it on shuffle which just isn't the same. Not only do I love full albums and listening to an album's tracks in the order the artist envision them to be heard but I love starting the new year, wondering what upcoming new releases will make it to my best of list. It's something to keep in mind all year long.
Here are my favorites from this year.
Albums
#1 M.I.A - A.I.M
After being shelved for months on end because the record label told her it wasn't controversial enough, M.I.A's 5th album, A.I.M, was finally released on September 9th! A.I.M isn't as world music sounding like we've heard on M.I.A's older albums, there's far less fog horns but like 2013's Matagni, M.I.A's lyrics could be considered controversial, you just have to listen and understand. She touches on topics of race, religion, refugees, Prejudices, acceptance and how the Western World has affected and continues to affect and influence all of that and everything in between. We've heard her sing these themes through out her career and I think this is her most beautiful piece of work: "Freedun" and "Survivor" being her prettiest songs.
I find it interesting that she recycles some of her old work, not by sampling but re-using lyrics from albums past or mentioning old lyrics and/or songs. I love that the name of the album is her name backwards, it plays into how introspective her music can be: how well she's come to know herself inside and out as an artist, an activist, a mother, a person and how she inspires others not to be afraid to do the same. Or to go ahead and be afraid but to knowledge that fear, own it and then overcome it. The album features collaborations: pop-star Zyan (One Direction) on "Freedun" and version of "Bird Song" by Blaqqstar. There's another version of the same song remixed by he ex (boyfriend/producer) Diplo, which I think is a wonderful testament to how great M.I.A is. Hopefully the rumors about this being her last album are not true but unfortunately because of her re-occuring VISA issues and now our President Elect, who knows if and when we'll see M.I.A on stage in the states again.
#2 The Kills - Ash & Ice
It had been five years since hearing anything new from The Kills so I was beyond excited in March when The Kills announced they were releasing their 5th album, Ash & Ice on June 3rd! And they were going on tour in support of it! The dynamic garage rock duo really grew up on 2011's Blood Pressures refining their raw grit yet remaining true to their rock roots. The same is goes for Ash & Ice. I love the way their voices compliment each other's and the way they harmonize...I can't put my finger on it...it's just a deep, pure sound that Alison and Jamie create. When you listen to The Kills there's a sense that they are meant to be, I can't explain it...but...you can hear it, especially on "Echo Home."
If I had to pick a standout track it'd have to be "Doing It To Death" but track for track this a standup album. Feels good to have The Kills back! They'll be back on the road again soon too, celebrating 15 years of rockin' and rollin'!
Lindsey and Julie have always rocked and I dare say they rock harder on their sophomore album, Femejism. They met in a knitting class, started playing music together and having been rocking the music scene since their 2011 debut. Last Year, the duo's drummer, Julie toured while pregnant with her first child and they were working on the new album! Now she has a baby and as of September 16th, we have their new album! Femejism is grittier with heavy garage rock influences and less greasy blues but that appeal is still there just not as prominent as it was on Sistrionix.
With big, confident guitar riffs, plenty of fuzzy reverb, coarse vocals and galloping drums, this album will bring you back to "Doll Parts" by Hole days, it has that sort of 1990's grunge feel.
"Baby Beauty Queen" and "Teenage Queen" are at the top of my favorite track list off this badass album from a couple of badass women.
#4 The Lumineers - Cleopatra
The Lumineers finally followed up their crazy successful self-titled debut four years later with "Cleopatra" on April 8th! It took a few listens for this album to really resonate: it has the acoustic friendly, indie-folk sound that The Lumineers do so well but it's missing that sparkling optimism we heard on the first album.Cleopatra is a bit sadder, like someone in the band went through a breakup, the album carries that sort heaviness. The first single "Ophelia" probably has the biggest optimistic spirit with a chorus that invites you to sing along in the same way that the chorus of "Ho Hey" does. I love the melancholiness in the lyrics of title track, "Cleopatra" and Cleopatra as a whole ended up making it to my last after a little tender listening.
Songs Not all of these are necessarily my favorite songs or singles of 2016 but there's no denying that they were some of the hottest tracks of the year!
Bang Bang - Green Day =Green Day is back with a BANG in the best way! With whirling guitars and rolling drums this song is fast the way a good punk song should be! It's one to be listened to loud and that's exactly what I do every time it comes on the radio! It's great to have these local punks back in action! I love the Beastie Boy's, "Sabotage"- esque music video for it too!
GUCCI COOCHI - Die Antwoord = The weirdness of Die Antwoord that captured weirdo's hearts has slowly been fading away but GUCCI COOCHI is dark, fuzzy, flirty and not as ravey as some of their other new stuff. And it features Dita VonTease so...that's awesome and hot!
Me Too - Megan Trainer =Learning to love myself isn't easy but this song helps!
Totally my #1 guilty pleasure of the year and it's great for any workout playlist!
Can't Stop the Feeling - Justin Timberlake = The hot single from the Trolls soundtrack quickly became the song of Summer of 2016 and heck, it could easily be the song of the year! You can't help but smile, sing and shake your groove thang when you hear this song, am I right?! Forget the suit and tie, Justin Timberlake brought sexy back with this pop sensation!
We The People... - A Tribe Called Quest = EIGHTEEN YEARS. That's the last time A Tribe Called Quest released new music and their sixth studio album, We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service, couldn't have come at a better time. "We The People..." is the first song off the album to get air-play.
HandClap - Fitz and the Tantrums = I'm honestly so sick of this song. It has saturated the radio (alternative, contemporary, and top 40 stations alike), commercials and fitness studios since it's release but it is good to see this band getting to revel in success. Blood in the Cut - K-Flay =The Bay Area's K-Flay is finally getting regular airplay with the uniquely catchy "Blood in the Cut" off her 2016 EP Crush Me and I couldn't be happier for this Stanford grad! It's a totally solid girl-power anthem! Work - Rhianna feat. Drake = This song got a lot of flack when it hit the airwaves earlier this year for being hard to understand (fans and critics alike would later learn Rhi-Rhi derived lyrics from a an English-based creole language called Jamaican Patios). Like it or not, it is another hit single from Rhianna. Just like a job, sometimes I like this song and sometimes I don't.
Starboy - The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk =I don't really care for this song but a lot of people do! Like Fitz and The Tantrums' Handclap this song has been everywhere all year! I didn't really care for the last Daft Punk single, "Get Lucky" either but regardless of what I like, the DJ duo know how to make a hit. Daft Punk's hand in this song played a role in making The Weeknd a (bigger) star.
Shows (this one goes to 11) Needless to say this list was not easy to compile and just because the shows that didn't make the list doesn't mean they weren't great: CHVRCHES with Wolf Alice, Cage the Elephant opening for Metallica AND headlining at the Bill Graham Civic, How to Dress Well & Bishop Briggs at Mezzanine, The Heavy at The Independent, Young the Giant at The Fox Theater, Oakland, The Head and The Heart at The Greek...I'm talking' about you!
Sleigh Bells @ Mezzanine 11/16/2016
photo by Evan Andrews
#1 Sleigh Bells at Mezzanine 11/16/2016
If you read my review of Sleigh Bells at Mezzanine in November you know how excited I was to cover that show! Alexis came down with laryngitis the night before their first of two scheduled shows at The Independent, however; instead of canceling both shows they merged both shows into one and moved it to Mezzanine on November 16th! How badass it that!?!
The front woman wasn't 100% but it didn't matter because Sleigh Bells still blew the roof off the place with an amazing, full throttle set!
The Lumineers @ Great American Music Hall 12/6/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
#2 The Lumineers at Great American Music Hall 12/6/2016
I caught their set at Bottle Rock Napa Valley but it doesn't get much better than getting to see The Lumineers in such an intimate setting. It may have been radio station show but they didn't phone it in!
Snoop Dogg @ The Fox Theater 12/12/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
#3 Snoop Dogg at The Fox Theater Oakland 12/12/2016
I saw the Dogg Father at a festival a few years ago but again, one off shows are always better and this was SNOOP DOGG at The Fox! He played all the hits and Warren G joined him on stage for a couple songs! Be still my hip-hop heart.
If you would have told my high school self that I'd see these legends share a stage at a show I wouldn't have believed you. I'm thrilled to cross this one off my show bucket-list!
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros @ The Independent 4/11/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
#5 At The Drive In at The Warfield
One of my friends, a lovely lady who I admire a lot, was in town and had an extra ticket for At The Drive In and asked me if I wanted to go. It was so cool to see At The Drive In on their come back tour with one of my favorite people from the side of the stage! Cedric had crazy energy and their die-hard fans ate it up at the sold-out show!
#6 Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park August 9th, 10th, 11th
It doesn't matter who's playing, Outside Lands is always one of my favorites! I'm so grateful to be on the colorful team of vendor coordinators, working alongside Mitch this Summer in The Forrest learning how to put up fencing and scrim plus so much more.
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Third Eye Blind, Peaches, Big Freedia and Major Lazor were some of my favorite sets but being a vendor coordinator and working with that team is by far my favorite highlight of OSL.
#7 Green Day headlining Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena 12/10/2016
Green Day's headlining set at LIVE105's Not So Silent night was amazing. The Bay Area proud band were on fire, playing classics, hits from American Idiot and new stuff. Billie Joe made a touching tribute to the victims and survivors and everyone effected by the deadly Ghostship fire in Oakland, playing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in their honor. He brought a boy on stage to preform with them and the kid blew everyone away with his bass playing skills, including the front man himself who let the kid keep the bass guitar! It was a stellar set from some of the best punks around. It's like Green Day never left.
#8 WEEZER at The Shoreline 7/31/2016
I was giddy with excitement when I got invited to this show and I'm not even a huge WEEZER fan! I'm not familiar with their new stuff but they played "My Name is Jonas" and "Say It Ain't So" and that's all I needed.
#9 The Kills at The Fox Theater Oakland
I love The Kills. I love The Fox. Ash & Ice is one of my favorite albums of the year so seeing The Kills perform songs off their new album live at The Fox was awesome!
Florence and The Machine @ Bottlerock Napa 5/28/2016
photo by Marc Fong
#10 BottleRock Napa Valley 2016 & Treasure Island Music Festival Day 2
This was my first time at BottleRock: perfect weather + wine + Florence and the Machine + Red Hot Chili Peppers + The Lumineers + Deap Vally + K-Flay + Diego's Umbrella + with one of my best friends = great festival experience!
I'm sad to see Treasure Island Music Fest go but I am happy I was there for at least one of the days of it's 10th and final year. I had a fun time experiencing my first Fest in the rain and got to see the two bands I wanted to see: Sylvan Esso and Purity Ring!
Purity Ring @ T.I.M.F 10/16/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
#11 Metallica at AT&T Park 2/6/2016 & Metallica at The Fox Theater Oakland 12/17/2016
Book ending the year with seeing Metallica is reason enough to squeeze these shows on my Best Shows of 2016 list.
Metallica @ The Fox Theater 12/17/2016
photo by Nikki DeMartini
New albums rumored for release in 2017
HAIM (Summer)
Lorde (TBD)
The XX (January 13th)
Nine Inch Nails (TBD)
Run the Jewels (January 13th)
Iggy Azalea (TBD)
Icona Pop (May 31st, 2017)
The Shins (January 2017)
Nelly Furtado (March 31st)
The Chainsmokers (TBD)
St. Vincent (Spring)
Depeche Mode (Spring)
Paramore (TBD)
Suicide Silence (February)
Wavves (April)
Sylvan Esso (TBD)
Who else is excited to hear what new music the new year has in store?!
