Author: Dakin Hardwick

Single of the Week: “godheads” by dear francis

dear francis is the nom de plume of Jennifer Clavin, my personal favorite songwriter, possibly ever? She spent her teens and 20s co-fronting the legendary Mika Miko, then she broke off and put together the power-pop tinged Bleached, and now she’s gifted us with the third release as a solo artist, and it’s bloody intense. Produced by No Age’s Randy Randall, this song is about losing a dear friend to addiction and the complexities of the emotions involved. If you’ve been through this, the song will feel like a warm hug. If you haven’t, this track will get you a little closer to understanding someone who has. 

There’s exciting stuff on the horizon with dear francis. New tracks can be found here as they arrive, and for those in LA, she’s debuting this project live ON MY BIRTHDAY (10/27) and Heavy Manners Library! (I’m on the Bay Area and can’t make it, but you should!)

 

“In The Living Room”: New Maggie Rogers Single Ahead Of Arena Tour

Maggie Rogers will kick off her first-ever arena tour tomorrow night in Austin. To prepare for bringing a party to the biggest crowds of her career, she’s giving us… a haunting, tearjerker of a ballad that will force the entire arena into mutual tears! BRILLIANT! “In The Living Room” is an excellent addition to her canon, and I can’t wait to experience shared catharsis in a room with 30,000 other people.  

Tickets still available for *some* of her fall tour. You can find those here! It’s fitting that she’s giving us a song about lamenting those we lost while playing SF on Dia De Los Muertos. 

Single of the Week: “All The People” by Daisy The Great

Honestly, the only reason I put on this track was because it was produced by Tony Visconti, best known as the man behind the majority of David Bowie’s esteemed catalog, as well as the person who helped Marc Bolan tap into his inner swagger. “All The People” is a track in the same family as T Rex- blissful orchestral pop with Daisy the Great’s signature head-swimmy harmonies and just enough of an edge kicking in to hit home the supervision of joy.

I’m really excited to hear the rest of this record, which is great because Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti is out TODAY! 

Single of the Week: “Crystals” by Sea Lemon featuring Benjamin Gibbard

Two nights ago, our owner was seeing bôa in Seattle, and I got a text from him saying, “This band opening is definitely Dakincore.” This was the first time I learned that I have my own genre of music. So… what is “Dakincore”? It’s both very feminine and very loud. It’s heavy yet delicate, and it’s great. Sea Lemon is doing something beautiful, and it definitely makes you feel the feelings that good music makes you feel. 

“Crystals” is a one-off single that can be enjoyed in all the usual places. Follow Sea Lemon to hear more!  

Single of the Week: “What Are You Doing To Me” by Beau

“What Are You Doing To Me” is such a classic rock song. Singer Heather Goldin delivers this song with such a wonderful, exasperated sneer that crawls under my skin, just like it should. And, for optimal effect,  listen on headphones. I haven’t heard such a clever use of right/left panning in YEARS. By the end of the song, I actually am mad at whoever this person is that is stringing Goldin a long. 

“What Are You Doing To Me” is from Beau’s upcoming record, Girl Cried Wolf. Pre-order it from your favorite digital music provider today! 

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Presents a Bonkers Full Lineup!!!!

The good folks at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass have unleashed the most bonkers lineup of any music festival this fall… I stare at the poster, and something I missed the first time jumps out at me. Like, how is Patti Smith just hiding on that poster? Oh, because it’s alphabetical.  Oh, and the whole thing is free, and the best way to kick off Rocktober and the event runs October 4th – 5th in Golden Gate Park- using a lot of the same space Outside Lands uses. 

Highlights include my all-time favorite band, Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power doing her Bob Dylan show, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, Aoife O’Donovan & The SF Girls Choir, SP favorite Zella Day’s new band Chaparelle, and legends like Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Dave Alvin, Robyn Hitchcock, Bobby Rush, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and so many more that I’m sure I’m missing someone that you will be mad at me for overlooking. 

Anyways! All the details are here. Daily lineups are below. And you can enjoy classic HSBs at HSB.TV! Continue reading “Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Presents a Bonkers Full Lineup!!!!”

Heart’s Royal Flush Tour has been rescheduled!

I was GUTTED when I found out that Heart had to cancel their Fall 2024 tour for vocalist/flutist Ann Wilson to receive and recover from cancer treatment. I was worried that this was the end. Happily, Wilson looks like she’s recovered and is ready to go! I will note that I’m gutted that their SF show at Chase Center isn’t happening on this round, although it’s making me speculate wildly about Bottlerock 2025. 

Dates begin February 28th in Las Vegas, and tickets can be purchased here on all dates! Tour dates after the jump, along with a ferocious recent rendition of the best rock song of the 70s below the jump: Continue reading “Heart’s Royal Flush Tour has been rescheduled!”

New Festival: United Sounds NYC

The guy who owns Spinning Platters, our first Editor-in-Chief, Gordon Elgart, remains furious that The Dismemberment Plan keeps neglecting to play the Bay Area. He remains furious that they KEEP ANNOUNCING EAST COAST SHOWS!!! Including a brand new (and very reasonably priced) festival in Brooklyn called United Sounds NYC. Joining them on the top line is the great Blonde Redhead. Fleshing out the bill will be Sunflower Bean, Les Savy Fav, Model/Actriz, Man Man, Monobloc, Peel Dream Magazine + more to be announced. And it’s my birthday weekend, so if you aren’t hanging out with me, you should do this. 

Tickets are on sale now!

Single of the Week: “Like A Dog” by Jordana

Fun fact: my family had a 1-month old foster puppy earlier this week. It was lovely and insanely stressful. I highly recommend it if you have the time and space, no matter how much poop you are cleaning up. Either way, that might be why I have “Like A Dog” by Jordana on repeat. Or it might be because my shoulders bob uncontrollably to the bright and cheerful rhythms combined with some of the most vivid metaphors in lyrics that I’ve heard in a minute. Either way, I like the song. I hope you do, too. 

“Like A Dog” is off Jordana’s upcoming release, Lively Premonition, due October 18th. Also, it’s Bandcamp Friday today, so if you preorder here, all the money you spend goes to Jordana! (There’s even a Bandcamp exclusive variant!)

 

How Did Noga Erez Get Here?

Noga Erez is a brilliant MC who, after years generating buzz in the underground, is putting out her major label debut, The Vandalist on September 20th. We had a great discussion about influences, working with Missy Elliott, her epic KIDS livestream, and even managed to discuss the complexities of promoting a record while living in a politically volatile country.