AltWeeklies Wire
Gillian Welch: The Harrow & The Harvestnew
Gillian Welch has often said that she does her best work when she's miserable, so one can assume that the eight years since she released her last album, Soul Journey, have not been pleasant ones. Happily for her fans, her melancholy has contributed to what may be the best album she's ever made.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
07-08-2011 |
Reviews
The Heart and Grit of Blame Sallynew
An all-woman folk outfit embraces its "anti-rock star" ethic.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
05-04-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hunx & His Punks: Too Young to Be in Lovenew
Oakland bad boy Hunx, former sex god of the dance happy band Gravy Train!!!!, is currently resurrecting sounds of the '50s and '60s with his new album, a record drenched in the girl-group sound of New York and Philadelphia.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
04-05-2011 |
Reviews
'For All Mankind': Thirteen Inspired Blasts of Sugar-Coated Adrenalinenew
f you only look at their gear -- Star Trek-meets-Devo space outfits, odd retro/futuristic eyewear, toilet paper guns -- you might dismiss the Phenomenauts as a joke, but behind the image there's a serious message about brotherhood, ecology, peace, community cooperation, and, yes, science and honor.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
05-14-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: For All Mankind
Clinic is More Head-Scratching than Toe-Tappingnew
How much you like Do It! will depend on your tolerance for arty poses, oblique lyrics, asymmetrical song structures, and your familiarity with the 13th Floor Elevators, John Cage, and Velvet Underground.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
05-14-2008 |
Reviews
Songs from the Cryptnew
A toxic sugar factory and YouTube video inspire Oakland's eccentric band Cryptacize.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
02-20-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cryptacize
Being an Only Child Was Appropriate Trainingnew
Even with the backing of Sub Pop these days, Kelley Stoltz is still waging an uphill battle for recognition.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
02-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Circular Sounds, Kelley Stoltz
Willow Willow Un-Freaks the Folknew
"We sing pop music," singer-guitarist-songwriter Miranda Zeiger says. "The freak-folk bands and the punks and rockers get attention, but people don't seem to want straightforward pop. They want stuff to be weird and ironic, and we're not."
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
12-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Willow Willow
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Fest Turns Sevennew
One of San Francisco's biggest free music festivals kicks off October 5 in Golden Gate Park for three days of mostly traditional music, courtesy of Warren Hellman, billionaire investment banker, bluegrass aficionado, and, yup, banjo picker.
East Bay Express |
J. Poet |
09-26-2007 |
Concerts
Welcome to the Berkeley Old Time Music Conventionnew
Depending on who's counting, this would be the 40th, 22nd, 27th, or 5th annual four-day gathering of pickers, strummers, crooners, and pluckers who celebrate precommercial country.
East Bay Express |
J. Poet |
09-13-2007 |
Concerts
There Isn't One San Francisco Soundnew
On this four-CD set, you get all the expected hits, from Jefferson Airplane's "It's No Secret" to the Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction" to Santana's "Evil Ways." You also get the minor hits and obscure gems from dozens of bands long forgotten.
East Bay Express |
J. Poet |
09-05-2007 |
Reviews
