Depeche Mode SAP Center, San Jose March 25, 2023 Buy Tickets Depeche Mode has confirmed the release date of its eagerly anticipated new album, Memento Mori, which will be released March 24 via Columbia Records. Memento Mori’s arrival is heralded by today’s release of first single “Ghosts Again.” Having been stealthily previewed in Berlin in October at the Memento Mori launch event, “Ghosts Again” is nothing short of classic Depeche Mode: Evocative Dave Gahan lyrical imagery including “wasted feelings, broken meanings… a place to hide the tears we cry” and a hypnotic Martin Gore guitar figure atop an uplifting, optimistic groove. “Ghosts Again”…
Author: Jeff Spirer
Jeff Spirer
Jeff Spirer is the editor of SF Sonic. He has retired from concert photography but still writes about music and travel.
Adia Victoria The Chapel July 5, 2022 Tickets Adia Victoria is on a journey through the conflicts of the American South and the troubling resonance of its past. Her dark gothic blues bring the troubles and wonders of the South to the stage with vibrant poignancy. Last year, Victoria released her critically acclaimed album A Southern Gothic last year, Adia was just nominated for 2 Americana Music Awards for 2022 Emerging Act of the Year and Album of the Year. Adia also recently shared A Southern Gothic B-Side, “In the Pines.” The track is available exclusively via Bandcamp and all proceeds will go…
Thievery Corporation Masonic Auditorium December 18, 2021 Photos by Jon Bauer The anticipation was high at the Masonic, Thievery Corporation having last played at the venue more than four years ago. And given that live music has been hard to come by for the last couple years, this was one show fans of the band were not going to miss. When they hit the stage, electricity rippled through the crowd, led by Rob Varza and Eric Hilton, as always, and moving straight into “Assault on Babylon,” with its dubby reggae feel. Hilton and Varza have been doing this since 1995…
Everyone in the music world is hurting now. Musicians not touring, not getting together in the studio to work on new material, not working out new songs in crowded rehearsal rooms. And venues are closing at record rates. SF Sonic has been talking with lots of musicians about how they are dealing with the disaster that the pandemic has caused, and now we are telling the stories of musicians from San Francisco about what it’s like. This is the fourth installment in this series, so read about what they’re doing, listen to some music, buy some merch. Vio-Lence (Phil Demmel)…
Everyone in the music world is hurting now. Musicians not touring, not getting together in the studio to work on new material, not working out new songs in crowded rehearsal rooms. And venues are closing at record rates. SF Sonic has been talking with lots of musicians about how they are dealing with the disaster that the pandemic has caused, and now we are telling the stories of musicians from San Francisco about what it’s like. This is the second installment in this series, so read about what they’re doing, listen to some music, buy some merch. The Wyatt Act…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
Everyone in the music world is hurting now. Musicians not touring, not getting together in the studio to work on new material, not working out new songs in crowded rehearsal rooms. And venues are closing at record rates. SF Sonic has been talking with lots of musicians about how they are dealing with the disaster that the pandemic has caused, and now we are telling the stories of musicians from San Francisco about what it’s like. This is the second installment in this series, so read about what they’re doing, listen to some music, buy some merch. Fast Times What…
Everyone in the music world is hurting now. Musicians not touring, not getting together in the studio to work on new material, not working out new songs in crowded rehearsal rooms. And venues are closing at record rates. SF Sonic has been talking with lots of musicians about how they are dealing with the disaster that the pandemic has caused, and now we are telling the stories of musicians from San Francisco about what it’s like. This is the first installment in this series, so read about what they’re doing, listen to some music, buy some merch. Ensemble Mik Nawooj…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last two weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last three weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The fifth in our series looking back at photos from SF Sonic contributors comes from Jeff Spirer. Jeff has photographed and written reviews since SF Sonic started (and in its previous incarnation). Here is his selection.
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last two weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. And with what has happened in the last two weeks, it’s harder to accept that things will ever feel “normal” again, although hopefully we will end up with a better world, not the end of it. That doesn’t mean musicians…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. That doesn’t mean musicians are sitting on their butts, there’s recording, there’s writing, and there’s those aforementioned online outlets. But musicians don’t want to be off the road and music fans don’t want to be sitting in front of their…
The 2020 mantra: It’s the end of the world as we know it and nobody feels fine. Live music has been crushed. Has anyone been to a show that would allow for social distancing? What about a mosh pit? With venues closing and performers unable to do more than live stream or make solo videos, the music scene feels grim. That doesn’t mean musicians are sitting on their butts, there’s recording, there’s writing, and there’s those aforementioned online outlets. But musicians don’t want to be off the road and music fans don’t want to be sitting in front of their…
Hangtown Festival Placerville October 24-27, 2019 Photos by Paul Piazza As the weekend of the 9th Annual Hangtown Music Festival was fast approaching, there were some unprecedented challenges looming on the horizon. Power was highly likely to be shut off preemptively by PG&E on Saturday due to high winds that were expected in the Placerville area where the festival takes place. In nearby Sonoma County, the Kincade fire was causing havoc and affecting the lives of many in the festival’s extended family. Heading in, the impending power outage seemed to be a potentially daunting situation for event organizers and staff.…