Reviews of albums, films, concerts, and more from the Bay Area Music and Movie Nerds
I didn’t fully know what to expect walking into Tuesday night’s concert experience, and I certainly didn’t expect for me – a generally-optimistic-but-sometimes-snarky-and-a-bit-jaded-30-year-old – to walk away from being immersed in a crowd of mostly teens with a better connection to myself and a little more hope for the future than I had when I walked in.
Continue reading “Show Review: Madison Beer, Aleem at Swedish American Hall, 4/24/18”
Walking into The Independent on Friday night, I was greeted by a huge white screen stretching from ceiling to floor, effectively and purposefully blocking the entire stage. As DJ Roscoe 2000 set the mood with tunes blending seamlessly into one another, a long white strip of tape on the ground politely requested we stand behind it, helpful arrows drawn to indicate the direction. The screen held a projected animation of a large white circle on a black background. As I watched, parts of the circle’s lines began to glow brighter, light expanding and pushing the boundaries of the circle until particles of light began to escape their linear confines. More and more areas started to glow, particles of the light escaping faster and in greater numbers, swirling outward, creating their own patterns, connections, and collective energy, until eventually returning to the circle, only to start the entire process again. As the lights started to dim, the DJ’s set faded to an end, and the projection began to alter its loop. Continue reading “Show Review: Cornelius, DJ Roscoe 2000 at The Independent, 3/16/18”
I’ll start by telling you that I have The Album Leaf’s emblem tattooed on the inside of my right wrist. Let’s just say, my love for their music runs deep, and my respect for them as musicians is significant. I’ve been able to see them perform live several times over the years, each time special and important to me – and Friday night’s show was everything I wanted. From the opening acts until the last note of “Lights” at the end of the evening, it was intimate, emotionally powerful, and beautifully passionate.
Beginning the evening was Indy Nyles, with a compact-but-complex set up on a table in front of the stage. It was an interesting dynamic to be on the same level as the performer, with no barrier to audience members seeing every cord connected, each individual button and key selected. I was impressed with his ability to capture the audience’s attention, forming a quiet energy while building and layering the arcs of his music.
Last night’s performances were raw, emotional, and beautiful. You know that feeling you get when someone chooses to open up to you, sharing a personal experience that may have hurt them deeply, but also helped shape them into who they are? All of the performers chose to open themselves up to a room full of strangers, connecting us to each other with emotive lyrics and personal stories of the human heart – both in their song lyrics, and in the backstories while introducing the next song. Continue reading “Noise Pop Review: Amy Shark, BOWER, MILCK at The Independent, 2/21/18”
