Recent articles in music publications have decried the state of indie rock, declaring that is has gone “soft” and become too “wimpy.” While these sentiments may be extreme, it’s true that indie has trended less toward the rock ‘n’ roll of Pavement or the White Stripes and more toward the Read More…
There’s the essential canon of Lil Wayne’s extensive discography, and then there’s I Am Not A Human Being II. With his incredible music run in the second half of the last decade, Lil Wayne fulfilled his personal quest to become one of rap’s greats. The next few years found Wayne Read More…
“Guitar technology really stops in the 1950s,” according to Zivix music product specialist Chris Heille. “Guitars have basically been stuck, (with guitar players) relegated to one set of sound and expression. We want to give them another tool.” Zivix’s new JamStik sets out to expand the horizons of guitar-playing in Read More…
On Sunday, world-renowned trumpet player, bandleader, composer and music director Wynton Marsalis returned to Zellerbach Hall, performing for one night only. His band, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, is highly regarded as one of the best big bands in the world today. JLCO is a 15-piece ensemble composed of Read More…
Superstars have a lot of responsibility. Things they produce need to be bigger and better than what they did before. The best of the best thrive under that pressure, but some can’t properly deal with those expectations — D’Angelo and Dave Chappelle still haven’t come out of hiding. Read More…
Devendra Banhart, the Venezuelan-American singer who has often been labeled as freak-folk, is back after a four-year hiatus, though I’m not sure if I want him to be. Read More…
When an artist as iconic as David Bowie announces an album, expectations of something along the lines of a Second Coming tend to circulate. It was no help that Bowie’s announcement was coupled with the release of a new single, “Where Are We Now?,” a characteristically extraterrestrial ballad emanating the Read More…
In a small studio in the basement of Cesar Chavez Center, three dozen people sit and watch as a jazz combo plays John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice.” The guitarist, bassist and drummer take solos and add a flourishing end to the climactic tune. There is applause and then someone speaks. “That Read More…
Soojin Chang and Rahul Pandya give us a heads up on SXSW coming this week. Read More…
“Environmentally friendly” might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of an alternative rock band. However, that is the main driving force behind Cloud Cult, an extraordinary eight-member experimental “chamber rock” group. Read More…
