music: BohoBlog, North Bay Bohemian

Free Tickets to Green Center Opening Weekend

Nicolas Grizzle — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:24:37 -0700

Free concert tickets are always good, and free concert tickets to the Green Music Center’s opening weekend Sept. 30 at 2pm are very good. But there’s a catch—these tickets won’t actually get you into the main hall to watch the concert.…

Smells Like Teen Spirit: Battle of the Teen Bands

Catherine Zaw — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 14:03:00 -0700

Don’t just play your music to dustballs behind closed doors anymore! The Sonoma County Fair is looking for young talent, so bring your garage band out to play in the Battle of the Teen Bands!…

Winners of the 2012 NorBay Awards!

Gabe Meline — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 08:57:00 -0700

The 2012 NorBay Awards winners were announced to an overflow crowd at the Arlene Francis Center on Saturday night, and though we'll have photos and video up soon, here, for now, are the awardees.

What a tremendous turnout we had in voting this year with 1,637 total votes!…

Sign Up for the 24-Hour Band Contest!

Gabe Meline — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:47:00 -0700

For this year's NorBay Awards held on July 14, we here at the Bohemian are premiering an exciting new experiment: the 24-Hour Band Contest.

Here's how it works: You sign up for the contest.…

Live 105's Not So Silent Night

David Sason — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:23:00 -0800

Live 105's Not So Silent Night at the Oakland's Oracle Arena

All photos by David Sason

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Endgame: R.E.M.’s Inspiring Second Half

David Sason — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 17:50:22 -0800

When R.E.M. announced their breakup back in September, reactions from critics and bloggers fell into one of three categories: summaries of an influential career; personal accounts of the group as gateway to subterranean scenes (ending sometime in the ‘90s, of course); or facetious assertions that they’d already broken up years ago.

My obit for the Athens, Ga. band could never be so flippant because I was one of the dwindling faithful.…

New Release Roundup, Part 2

David Sason — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:43:21 -0700

Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

This San Francisco duo brought national attention to San Francisco with their 2009 debut release Album, featuring their shimmering brand of guitar rock, which echoed psychedelia, surf rock, punk and other styles without deviating from strong melodies. On their highly anticipated follow-up Father, Son, Holy Ghosts, Christopher Owens, Chet “JR” White and company sound downright gigantic and ready for the world at large.…

New Release Roundup, Part 1

David Sason — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:06:27 -0700

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical

Proving their triumphant Outside Lands performance was no fluke, the Brooklyn/Philly quintet return with their strongest melodies and most danceable songs since their beloved 2004 debut. This is a welcome change after 2007’s disappointing Some Loud Thunder, where frontman Alec Ounsworth and the boys seemed embarrassed of their gift for bouncy pop-rock gems, shrouding the songs in bad reverb and fake lo-fi aesthetics – a clear reaction to their shimmering/scintillating debut.…

Photos & live review: Sade / John Legend - HP Pavilion, San Jose - August 25, 2011

David Sason — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:27:00 -0700

*

Photos and review by David Sason

I'm not sure what's more amazing: singer Sade's understated anti-diva confidence or her jazzy, soulful music's ability to touch an audience, even after a full decade away. Last night at the HP Pavilion, at the first of three Bay Area shows (she and John Legend play Oracle Arena tonight and tomorrow), the Nigerian-British vocalist and her eight-piece all-male band simply enchanted the surprisingly eclectic crowd with faithful renditions of her three-decades-plus career.…

Extended Play: Joey Burns of Calexico

Leilani Clark — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:46:48 -0700

The Tucson-based band Calexico have put out consistently beautiful, challenging, and eclectic recordings since the late nineties. We talked to founding member (along with drummer John Convertino) Joey Burns, about the European Southwest, borders big and small, and how it felt to have his music played in outerspace. Check out the full article in this week’s Bohemian.How did it feel to have your songs played in outer space?…

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Bridget and the Squares/The Chelsea Set/Spindles at Cast Away Yarn Shop

Leilani Clark — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:25:14 -0700

"Music should be big," says Laura Regan of Bridget and the Squares, a piano and drum duo from Brooklyn, New York. Regan and drummer Kyle Thompson stand outside of Cast Away Yarn Shop in Santa Rosa after a swooping and energetic set played before a pleased Monday night crowd.…
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Extended Play: Exene Cervenka

Leilani Clark — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:46:38 -0700

Best known for singing with the legendary L.A. punk band X, Exene Cervenka is a bit rough around the edges, and that's a good thing. She says she’s not a role model, but to the wild-bitten women out there, those that sing their hearts out and dream of being on a stage, she is nothing short of an inspiration. In the following interview for this week's Bohemian, she speaks about finding individual voice, feminism, singing with John Doe, and why girls need to be reminded that they are much more than what they look like on the outside.How did you find confidence in your voice?…
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Photos and live review: U2 – June 7, 2011 – Overstock.com Coliseum, Oakland

David Sason — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:28:26 -0700

Photos and review by David Sason
U2's greatest live triumphs have always been born of sharp contrast. Zoo TV's multimedia overload was a direct reaction to their austere '80s persona, and the Elevation Tour years later was a tasteful comeback built on minimalism and audience connection (the “no-concept” concept).…
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Sharky Coast brings the "New Garage Rock" to Sonoma County

Leilani Clark — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:06:12 -0700
San Francisco has a booming new garage rock scene , so claims Pitchfork.com writer Aaron Leitko. In Positive Destruction: San Francisco's New Garage Rock, Leitko profiles Kelley Stoltz, The Fresh and Onlys, Sic Alps and Ty Segall--four of the most recognizable names in an apparently tightknit scene.…
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Announcing Our Animal Collective Cover Song Contest

Leilani Clark — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 10:37:26 -0700
We know, we know
. You tried to buy tickets.…
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Album Review: R.E.M. "Collapse Into Now"; The Decemberists "The King Is Dead"

David Sason — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 12:47:11 -0800

Photo by Anton Corbijn
The King’s Speech
On their new album, R.
E.M. drops the ball, but the Decemberists pick it up and go country on The King Is Dead
By David Sason
Like R.E.M.'s 2008 comeback album Accelerate, Collapse Into Now starts out strong with potent back-to-back rockers “Discoverer” and “All the Best”, both featuring superb rawk riffage from Rickenbacker hero Peter Buck. But after the kinetic, acoustic-based “Uberlin”, their most interesting mid-tempo pop ditty in ages, the momentum stops with the bland, embarrassingly earnest “Oh My Heart”, a sequel of sorts to 2008’s Katrina narrative “Houston”.…
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Photos & Review: PRINCE - Oracle Arena, Oakland - Feb. 23, 2011

David Sason — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:09:47 -0800

By David Sason
Prince and the New(est) Power Generation were in fine form Wednesday night, at the second of three nearly-sold-out shows at Oakland's Oracle Arena. The Bay Area residency was only the second of his hit-and-run Welcome 2 America tour, announced less than a week earlier.…
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Photos and Live Review: PUBLIC ENEMY - Yoshi's San Francisco, Saturday, Jan. 15 (late show)

David Sason — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:18:14 -0800

Photos and review by David Sason
The first time I saw Public Enemy in concert, December 2006 at Mezzanine, was undoubtedly my biggest letdown as a concertgoer. After an energetic opening portion referencing the legendary shows I’d watched on VHS throughout my youth, the show was quickly derailed when hype man Flavor Flav – at the height of his reality TV popularity – took over the show for over an hour.…
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Photos and Live Review: GORILLAZ - Oracle Arena, Oct. 30, 2010

David Sason — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Review by David Sason
Photos by John Joh and David Sason
I’m not sure if there’s a fancy plural form for “legend”, but there should be, just to accurately describe Gorillaz’s Escape to Plastic Beach Tour, which dazzled Oakland on Saturday. While not filled to capacity, the costumed crowd was enthralled from start to finish not only by Jamie Hewlett’s inventive animation (projected on a giant screen behind the performers) , but also musical pioneers as diverse as Bobby Womack, De La Soul and The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon (whose sailor outfits inspired clones throughout the arena).…
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The 13th Annual Boho Awards

Gretchen Giles — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Whole Lotta Love
Celebrating the 13th annual Boho Awards
The edit staff at the Bohemian loves us our annual Boho Awards issue something mighty. We love it because the Bohos allow us a chance to really consider which people and entities in the North Bay have made a true and deep impact on our arts community.…
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Photos & Live Review: Bob Dylan – Warfield Theater, August 25, 2010

David Sason — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Photos & Review by David Sason
The best part about seeing Bob Dylan in concert in the 21^st century is exactly that – seeing him. That still-formidable thrill was enhanced by the small venue size Wednesday night.…
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PHOTOS: Rock the Bells - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View - Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010

David Sason — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Photos by David Sason
For Gabe Meline's review & photos, click here for the award-winning City Sound Inertia.

More Photos Below.

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MC Oz In The House

Gabe Meline — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:00:00 -0700

We get mad books sent to us for review here at the Bohemian, but when an instructional manual called How To Rap showed up on our proverbial doorstep, we knew we couldn't just add it to the pile of bad poems, personal memoirs and hippie fiction accumulating in the corner of our offices.
Instead, we assigned it out to fearless intern Caroline Osborn, who was given a deadline of one week to read the book, assimilate the knowledge of the street, internalize the gift of rhyme—and learn, as it were, how to rap.…
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Photos & Review: Aerosmith / Sammy Hagar - Oracle Arena, July 23, 2010

David Sason — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0700

Photos & review by David Sason
Forgive me for being terribly unhip, but Aerosmith is essential rock n' roll. The Boston quintet's first five albums from the '70s and sporadic latter-day gems ("Cryin'", the entire Pump album) hold up against the best of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.…
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Live Review: Nikki Yanofsky at Festival del Sole, Castello di Amorosa

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:00:00 -0700

I’ve always wanted to be Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap. Ever since I’ve moved to the wine country, I’ve searched for that quintessential moment, the one where she’s driving to her dad’s estate in Napa for the first time.…
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music: BohoBlog, North Bay Bohemian

Free Tickets to Green Center Opening Weekend

Smells Like Teen Spirit: Battle of the Teen Bands

Winners of the 2012 NorBay Awards!

Sign Up for the 24-Hour Band Contest!

Live 105's Not So Silent Night

Endgame: R.E.M.’s Inspiring Second Half

New Release Roundup, Part 2

Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

New Release Roundup, Part 1

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical

Photos & live review: Sade / John Legend - HP Pavilion, San Jose - August 25, 2011

*

Photos and review by David Sason

Extended Play: Joey Burns of Calexico

Bridget and the Squares/The Chelsea Set/Spindles at Cast Away Yarn Shop

Extended Play: Exene Cervenka

Photos and live review: U2 – June 7, 2011 – Overstock.com Coliseum, Oakland

Photos and review by David Sason

Sharky Coast brings the "New Garage Rock" to Sonoma County

Announcing Our Animal Collective Cover Song Contest

Album Review: R.E.M. "Collapse Into Now"; The Decemberists "The King Is Dead"

Photo by Anton Corbijn

Photo by Anton Corbijn

The King’s Speech

On their new album, R.E.M. drops the ball, but the Decemberists pick it up and go country on The King Is Dead

By David Sason

Photos & Review: PRINCE - Oracle Arena, Oakland - Feb. 23, 2011

By David Sason

Photos and Live Review: PUBLIC ENEMY - Yoshi's San Francisco, Saturday, Jan. 15 (late show)

Photos and review by David Sason

Photos and Live Review: GORILLAZ - Oracle Arena, Oct. 30, 2010

Review by David Sason

Photos by John Joh and David Sason

The 13th Annual Boho Awards

Whole Lotta Love

Photos & Live Review: Bob Dylan – Warfield Theater, August 25, 2010

Photos & Review by David Sason

PHOTOS: Rock the Bells - Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View - Sunday, Aug. 22, 2010

Photos by David Sason

MC Oz In The House

Photos & Review: Aerosmith / Sammy Hagar - Oracle Arena, July 23, 2010

Photos & review by David Sason

Live Review: Nikki Yanofsky at Festival del Sole, Castello di Amorosa

On their new album, R.
E.M. drops the ball, but the Decemberists pick it up and go country on The King Is Dead