Tag: photos

Show Review: Howie Day with Tyler Hilton and Anna Rose at Yoshi’s Oakland, 12/10/2013

Howie Day is nothing if not entertaining.
Howie Day is nothing if not entertaining.

Tyler Hilton rarely gets himself to Northern California. I know, because every time he does, I’m there with bells on. I first met Tyler nearly a decade ago, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, of all places. Some friends and I had driven (!!) from LA to see a band we love play their hometown for back-to-back nights, and the night before the first show, Hilton (and touring buddy Curtis Peoples) was playing the little coffee shop venue next door. The poster showed a handsome guy who resembled Elvis, but sneaking in to check him out would mean losing our spot in line. Instead, we chatted the boys up when they arrived for soundcheck, and after their set, they came out with their guitars to play us a song or two. Nine years later, Curt and I are still friends, and I still have a crush on Tyler Hilton, owing in equal parts to his wonderful, raspy voice, and yes, his good looks. He never remembers me, but that’s okay: as long as I can hear him sing once in a while, I don’t need much more than that. So add him to a bill with singer/songwriter Howie Day (whose huge 2004 hit “Collide” has been an earworm for just about everyone on the planet at one time or another) and NYC’s Anna Rose,and I wouldn’t miss it. Early this week (Tuesday at Yoshi’s in Oakland), that’s exactly what I schlepped out to the East Bay to see. Continue reading “Show Review: Howie Day with Tyler Hilton and Anna Rose at Yoshi’s Oakland, 12/10/2013”

Show Review: Cody ChesnuTT with Siddhartha at The Independent, 1/29/2013

Cody ChesnuTT
Cody ChesnuTT

If you combined equal parts James Brown and Otis Redding, a splash of Hendrix and a dash of old time swagger, you might come close to figuring out just what Cody ChesnuTT is made of. In his own way, he’s found out how to blend hip-hop beats, soulful jazz stylings, silky smooth vocals and a sprinkling of Motown showmanship into a performance that feels almost… nostalgic. Cody’s pure love for the show and the art of the song truly comes from his heart, bursting at the seams with passion and care.

Continue reading “Show Review: Cody ChesnuTT with Siddhartha at The Independent, 1/29/2013”

Show Review: Tame Imapala with The Amazing at The Fillmore, 11/15/12

Tame Impala at The Fillmore
Tame Impala photos by Mark Ricksen.

The impala is a swift and sleek creature that has ultimately found itself endangered, much like rock ‘n’ roll these days.  It makes up the latter half of Tame Impala’s name, the former creatively and aptly chosen by this group of mellowed out lads from down under.  Hailing from the Western Australian town of Perth, whom you may or may not know is also home to INXS, Tame Impala bring forth sort of a revival of psychedelic rock, packaging it in a fresh, edgy and dance provoking product that has thwarted them to rising acclaim and continues to generate buzz amid the music world while toeing the line between pop and psych rock.  Vocally and instrumentally speaking, the band seems to naturally draw off late-Beatles work, with lead singer Kevin Parker’s thin falsetto vocals frequently compared to that of the late John Lennon.  Their San Francisco appearance sold out fairly early on and was a highly anticipated date on the calendar of Bay Area music fans.  Fittingly performing at the legendary Fillmore, who is no stranger to psychedelia, would Tame Impala deliver a night worth of causing Bill Graham to look down with a nodding grin? Continue reading “Show Review: Tame Imapala with The Amazing at The Fillmore, 11/15/12”

Show Review: Matt & Kim with Oberhofer at The Fox Theater, 10/26/12

Matt & Kim

I decided to see Matt & Kim on a whim and a general sense that it would be a good show.  I’ve seen them once before and remembered it being full of fun and positive energy, which is exactly what I needed after a sucky week at work. I just hoped I remembered them correctly. Continue reading “Show Review: Matt & Kim with Oberhofer at The Fox Theater, 10/26/12”

Show Review: Nightwish with Kamelot at The Warfield, 10/3/2012

Floor Jansen, new vocalist of Nightwish
Floor Jansen, new vocalist of Nightwish

One of the most difficult challenges that can face a band is the task of replacing their lead singer, since they are often one of the most important elements of the band’s sound, as well as one of the most recognizable faces in the group. When said band performs a genre of music as complex as symphonic heavy metal, that task becomes even more Herculean, especially when said vocalist possesses an incredible range, classical training, and a truly operatic quality to their voice — and such was the case in 2005, when Finnish band Nightwish were searching for someone to fill the shoes of signature siren Tarja Turunen. Two years later, soubrette soprano Anette Olzon took up the reigns, and remained with the quartet for half a decade. Halfway through their fall 2012 tour, however, a sudden hospitalization was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back for Olzon’s position with Nightwish, and former After Forever vocalist Floor Jansen was summoned with barely a moment’s notice to spare. What the band may have planned after their Imaginaerum tour is still unknown, but Jansen has risen magnificently to the challenge before her, and if the band’s performance at the Warfield was any indication, she may remain with the group for a long time yet.

Continue reading “Show Review: Nightwish with Kamelot at The Warfield, 10/3/2012”

Show Review: Stevie Jackson, The Softies, Kim Baxter, Allen Clapp and Kurt Heasley at Rickshaw Stop, 9/22/2012

The Softies (All photos by Marie Carney)

Chickfactor turned 20 this year, and several shows in California and London have been set up to commemorate 10 years each as a printed magazine and a webzine. This is the Chickfactor that Belle and Sebastian wrote the song about, so it is only fair that member Stevie Jackson headlined a show at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco. Continue reading “Show Review: Stevie Jackson, The Softies, Kim Baxter, Allen Clapp and Kurt Heasley at Rickshaw Stop, 9/22/2012”

Show Review: Desaparecidos with The Velvet Teen at Bottom of the Hill, 8/28/12

Desaparecidos

Waiting in line for the doors to open at Bottom of the Hill last night I knew it would be a nostalgic evening.  Ten years ago I came to the same place, early and excited, to find a printed paper sign saying that Desaparacidos would not be performing, that instead Conor Oberst would be performing a solo acoustic show.  That show was great, though it was hindered by the fact that Conor Oberst had played the same show as Bright Eyes earlier that year at Great American Music Hall and that anyone going to see Desaparecidos at Bottom of the Hill should have been expecting a night of feverish music and aggression not intense sadness and introspection. As I walked inside I just hoped my dreams of ten years ago would not be destroyed. Continue reading “Show Review: Desaparecidos with The Velvet Teen at Bottom of the Hill, 8/28/12”

Show Review: San Francisco’s 2012 Outside Lands Festival, Day 1

The iconic Outside Lands windmill greets all attendees at some point in the festival
The iconic Outside Lands windmill greets all attendees at some point in the festival

Additional contributions to this article by Dakin Hardwick. All photos by Jonathan Pirro except where noted.

Summer is always slow and somewhat sporadic to come to the Bay Area, and with it comes a mostly dry spell of live music, with many large groups heading overseas for massive festivals and international tours, while California and the rest of the country relax and find other ways to enjoy themselves in whatever sun decides to creep over the land. The city of San Francisco is even more prone to aberrant weather and happenings, especially since right in the middle of August is the colossal technicolor monstrosity that is the annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. In 2012, the festival enters its fifth year of existence, and a crowd of 65,000 fans plowed into the historic Golden Gate Park each day of the surprisingly chilly and foggy weekend, which was relatively unexpected based on the forecasts from earlier in the week. However, with tickets sold out and a number of huge bands set to take the 4 stages across the three-day weekend, even dreary weather couldn’t dull the enthusiasm of the sprawling, voracious crowd that clambered into the park, and raised voices, fists, and flags in unison for over 10 hours of music each day.

Continue reading “Show Review: San Francisco’s 2012 Outside Lands Festival, Day 1”

Show Review: Jay Brannan at Great American Music Hall 8/4/12

Jay Brannan’s stories are so good, he even makes himself laugh

Leaving the Great American Music Hall Saturday night, sure we talked about the great show and how opener Chris Pureka was a perfect fit, but mostly we talked about how Jay Brannan should be a superstar.  His personality beams charm at you from the stage and his voice is clear tenor perfection that emotes every single word, so much so that it can almost break your heart. So why isn’t he super famous?  Continue reading “Show Review: Jay Brannan at Great American Music Hall 8/4/12”