KALX Weblog

Review & Photos by Shae Lake

As soon as Tianna Esperanza took the stage, the room froze. Doused in purple lights, her long, dark dress and matching hair wrap made her look regal, otherworldly. She wasted no time, immediately launching into a brief rendition of “Backlash Blues” by Nina Simone. “Do you think all us colored folks are just second-class fools?” she crooned into the microphone, gazing out into the audience. And thus, Tianna Esperanza set the tone for the exquisite and intense performances to follow.

Review by Mia Call and photos by Ashlyn Reynolds

On February 24th, Christian Kuria, an up and coming R&B artist hailing from Vallejo, California, took the stage at the New Parish in Oakland as part of the annual Noise Pop Festival. This sold out show was opened by Malia, an R&B/soul artist and Dash George, a hip hop artist. I remember hearing fans recalling how much they enjoyed the openers.

On Thursday, February 23rd, Portland-based band Reptalienscaptivated concert-goers at the UC Theatre in Berkeley. Reptaliens created a surreal atmosphere that made everyone in the theatre feel the music throughout their bodies. They opened for  STRFKR and came second in the lineup behind one-man band Das Kope   at one of this year’s Noise Pop Festival concerts.