Reviews

Balloons, a loincloth, self flagellation with a belt—this night had it all. While considering going to see Throw Rag at the Ivy Room, I realized it’s been a while since I went to a show that was all dudes on

Rogê came to Ashkenaz in Berkeley, on Saturday, February 22nd, the first stop in his tour to promote his latest album Curyman II. The record was released by Diamond West records and produced by Thomas Brenneck of Menahan Street band

Martha Redbone, a black and indigenous Kentucky-hailing folk artist, walks up the stairs of the Morrison Music building on an unusually warm February afternoon. Sunlight streams through the windows as we gathered for a songwriting workshop hosted by the Berkeley

Oakland’s Fox Theater thumped like a giant beating heart on the night of Wednesday, March 5th, when it hosted Belarusian post-punk doomers Molchat Doma, along with Los Angeles-based synth-punk duo Sextile. I was thankful to have my earplugs in when

Let’s face it: Doll Fest Pre-Party was the party. Doll Fest is a fresh new festival of femme-fronted bands. Thankfully, organizer Maria Chaos (interviewed on KALX on February 26) plans to bring it back next year. I showed up at

Immediately two days after performing her latest single “Driver (stripped)” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Soccer Mommy (Sophie Allison) took to the stage of San Francisco’s beloved poster-filled venue, The Fillmore on February 28th, as one of the many artists involved

I love it when an opener and headliner just make sense together. That was exactly the case with Jake Minch and Grace Enger at their sold-out show at Cafe Du Nord on February 19th. With his soft-spoken demeanor, nervous giggles,

It's always a good sign when a small venue hosts two indie/alternative pop bands—my favorite genre and a guarantee for a great show. On February 18th, Pretty Jane and Night Cap took the stage at Cafe du Nord, bringing a mix of

924 Gilman was ready for the night. Valentine’s Gay, the annual show created by Middle Aged Queers five years ago, was ready to go. The merch tables were strewn with a wide variety of eye-catching items, kids were giggling and

Jamie XX came to the Cow Palace on Saturday night, January 25th, as part of his In Waves tour, performing his third album of the same name. I’ve loved his music since his days with The XX, captivated by his

The Freight & Salvage is on a little theater alley in Berkeley lined with the jazz conservatory, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and a couple other arts centers. It's the East Bay’s Broadway, in a way. The Freight, a non-profit venue, claims to

It’s Tuesday night at Horsies Saloon, which means Carly Scena takes the stage. She opens her notebook, lyrics penciled in, and welcomes us all into “Tender Tuesdays.” We’re lined up almost single file down the long, wooden bar. In the

To see a show at Rickshaw Stop is to stop at a wall with no sign in the shadow of Davies Symphony Hall, the grand venue down by the Civic Center in San Francisco. The wall is a giant octopus

Primus’ New Year’s Eve show returned to Oakland’s Fox Theater for the first time since 2017, previously an annual affair dating back to 2010. While the two-night event was rebranded as “Claypool Gold” (a nod to both the New Year’s

The KALX holiday party is our Cannes, Met Gala, and Oscars for audiophiles of the East Bay. Celebrities, known by their DJ names, walk the linoleum floor into the venue. They sport their finest looks, mostly band t-shirts.  Inside, 50

After a brisk walk with my friend from one end of Piedmont Avenue to the other, and stepping over the hordes of parked Veo’s (rentable e-scooters), we made it to our glorious UC Berkeley bragging right: the Hearst Greek Theatre.

On November 4th I did an interview with Klaudia Reynicke, the Swiss-Peruvian writer and director of the film Reinas, or Queens (2024). Reinas premiered at Sundance Film Festival and is the Swiss entry for the International Feature Film category at

As the crowd trickled into the Regency Ballroom on a cold Tuesday evening, November 12th, Casey MQ took the stage solo, which caught me off guard. Despite being alone, his performance as the opening act was anything but sparse. His

Robin Pecknold does not deal in charades of passion. On Wednesday night, under the dimly lit arch of The Chapel, San Francisco’s most beanied 30-year-olds convened to witness the singer-songwriter’s first appearance in the city on his solo tour. More

On Saturday, November 30th, I went to Fousheé’s concert in San Francisco at The Independent. From the moment I walked in, the vibes were on point. The theatre had an ambiance with nice overhead lighting and a bar with a