AltWeeklies Wire
Oddisee: Rock Creek Parknew
Between Summer 2009 and Spring 2010, hip-hop producer and instrumentalist Oddisee gave Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" a run for the money with Odd Seasons, a four-part EP that was released in installments as the seasons changed.
East Bay Express |
David MacFadden-Elliott |
10-05-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Oddisee
Beirut: The Rip Tidenew
Zach Condon proved early on that he was capable of manufacturing a sound uninhibited by his age or ethnicity. Five years ago, the nineteen-year-old New Mexico native already had a fetching affection for the foreign, an ear for arrangement, and a signature warble well beyond his years.
East Bay Express |
Will Butler |
10-03-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Zach Condon
A Broad-Ranging Hardly Strictly Bluegrassnew
The Bay Area's best music festival returns.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
09-29-2011 |
Concerts
The Many Lives of Celsius 7new
Famous for his theatrics, the Oakland rapper is now cultivating a more serious, focused persona.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
09-28-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Forever Youngernew
Brontez Purnell grows up and rocks flawless.
East Bay Express |
Ellen Cushing |
09-08-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Unknown Mortal Orchestranew
A nonsensical, nostalgic work of Sixties pysch-rock, it pushes all the right buttons, and when the stuttering guitar solo kicks in, it pushes all the right buttons at once.
East Bay Express |
Nate Seltenrich |
09-01-2011 |
Reviews
Darondo: Listen to My Songnew
Berkeley-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist William Pulliam, who recorded under the name Darondo, released just three 45 RPM singles during his brief recording career. Ubiquity Records tracked him down seven years ago and issued a CD made up of five of his six sides and four other tunes from tapes Darondo had in his closet. And now, with Listen to My Song, we finally get to hear another batch of long-lost tracks.
East Bay Express |
Lee Hildebrand |
08-24-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Darondo
Enter the Salsamuffinnew
From France to Colombia and back, Sergent Garcia epitomizes the mestizo paradox.
East Bay Express |
Juan Data |
08-24-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Roach Gigz: Bitch I'm a Playernew
Roach Gigz is a curious anomaly. The San Francisco native is a true rapper's rapper, spraying polysyllabic verses in a manner strongly reminiscent of Eminem circa "Low, Down, Dirty." Like MC Eiht or Celly Cell, he has a flair for snappy cadences. And his ability to transcend turgid subject matter with warmth and smarts recalls 2006-era Lil Wayne.
East Bay Express |
M.T. Richards |
08-24-2011 |
Reviews
Becoming El Ellenew
Post Stanford degree, post-circus, post Lovemakers, Lisa Light finds herself, again.
East Bay Express |
Ellen Cushing |
08-22-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Lisa Light, The Lovemaker
The Cool Kids: When Fish Ride Bicyclesnew
Cool Kids fans have been waiting three years — through two EPs and several mix tapes — for the band's debut LP, When Fish Ride Bicycles. As it turns out, it was well worth the wait.
East Bay Express |
Aaron Carnes |
07-29-2011 |
Reviews
Myrmyr: Fire Starnew
If you've ever listened to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, you realize there's a strong link between classical music and instrumental rock.
East Bay Express |
Nate Seltenrich |
07-15-2011 |
Reviews
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
Hagage "AJ" Masaed Learns the Art of Hip-Hop Diplomacynew
Raised in the 'hoods of Buffalo and North Oakland, an Arabic rapper parlays his skills to stave off violence, in Yemen.
East Bay Express |
Madeleine Bair |
06-29-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Kreayshawn Mythnew
The creation of an "outlaw" pop star.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
06-29-2011 |
Profiles & Interviews
