Lauryn Hill Shoreline Amphitheater, Mt. View September 20, 2018 Photos by Jill Gerstenberger. It’s been 20 years since Lauryn Hill made history with her Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album. Back in 1998, the album was a socially conscious call to arms – not the arms that kill, but the arms that hold. It was a call for revolution through empowerment and self-love. It was part breakup album and part declaration of independence. It extolled the virtues of, well, being virtuous, and called out all those who identify as Christian even when their actions are dubious. As Ms. Hill, as she…
Author: Dragonfly de la Luz
Dragonfly de la Luz
Dragonfly de la Luz has a harem of true loves: writing, travel, sativas, and music. Though she has been praised by the Sacramento Bee for her distinctive style as a ganja critic, hailed as “a rising cannabis star” in Peter Hecht's Weed Land, and named one of the most influential women in weed by SKUNK Magazine, it's OG punk rock that really gets her high. Formerly a guitarist for an all-black-grrrl punk band, when she's not writing or listening to music, you can find Dragonfly chasing total solar eclipses, following Radiohead around the world, and holding it down front and center at old-school punk shows.
Crystal Mirror, Pt. 1 The Genie Buy As one of live looping’s freshest innovators, San Francisco’s own The Genie creates spellbinding, futuristic electronica that is a remarkably seamless blend of diverse genres and avant-garde, guitar-based instrumentation. Known for taking “a DJ approach to guitar,” he developed a highly original live remixing technique called “g-mixing,” and a unique brand of live looping he calls “scratch guitar,” which utilizes the same method a scratch turntablist might use, only on his electric guitar, played horizontally with a slide and ample pedal manipulation. (The term also reflects that he makes his music in the…
Tinariwen UC Theatre, Berkeley July 31, 2018 Photos by Dragonfly de la Luz. Whatever it is you might imagine when you hear the words “rebel fighters” and “refugee camps,” surely it is no match for the actual experience of Tinariwen, the Grammy-winning Tuareg-Berber nomads from the Saharan Desert. With their striking traditional attire and intricate guitar work, the group played to a sold-out crowd in Berkeley recently. Their sound – characterized by multiple guitarists finger-picking in a manner not unlike fellow Malian Ali Farka Toure, and thematically similar to folk music and Islamic poetry – is in a class by…
Burger Boogaloo Mosswood Park, Oakland June 30 – July 1, 2018 Photos by Raymond Ahner. Burger Boogaloo, Oakland’s punk rock in the park festival, returned last weekend for its 9th year. Featuring headliners Devo and The Damned, this year’s lineup was rounded out by grunge pioneers Mudhoney, local punk and garage bands, and eccentric outfits from across the country and as far away as Italy and Japan. Many of the bands on the lineup reunited just for Boogaloo, like Devo and The Spits, while others, like Pookie and the Poodlez and Le Shok, played their farewell show. As usual, the…
Belle and Sebastian Fox Theater, Oakland June 25, 2018 Photos by Jill Gerstenberger. Belle and Sebastian brought their baroque, melodic chamber pop to the Fox Theater in Oakland last Monday. Touring in support of a recently released trio of EPs, each titled How to Solve Our Human Problems and all featuring writing contributions by multiple band members, Belle and Sebastian were charming and disarming, alternating instruments as well as singing duties and harmonizing. With up to 10 people on stage, including two Bay Area natives, the Scottish outfit were an impressive sight with their line-up of guitars, basses, flute, cello,…
Photos by Raymond Ahner. Jello Biafra, founder of seminal punk band Dead Kennedys and one of the most influential figures in the Bay Area music scene, burst into the spotlight in 1978 when he unleashed his quivering voice and biting social commentary on the masses with the release of “California Uber Alles,” followed by “Holiday in Cambodia,” on the band’s own label, Alternative Tentacles. His frantically dramatic and maniacal stage presence, coupled with the sardonic humor he used to convey the sheer truth of his words, solidified him as an instant punk rock legend. After four albums with Dead Kennedys,…
The Emerald Cup Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Santa Rosa December 9-10, 2017 All photos by Pollen Heath. On an unseasonably warm day in December, The Roots played at one of the most uniquely Californian festivals of the year: The Emerald Cup. More than just another weed-off, the Emerald Cup is the world’s only outdoor organic cannabis competition, and the longest running pot contest in the country. Now in its 14th year, this NorCal Cup has come a long way since its underground and totally OG beginnings – from 23 entries by old-school growers who weren’t necessarily growing legally and were understandably…
Allah-Las Bimbo’s 365 Club October 6, 2017 Photos by Robert Lyons. With so much music these days drawing on the sonic aesthetics of the 80s – which many people who were actually around in the 80s are quick to point out didn’t necessarily sound that great even then – it is surprisingly refreshing to hear the return of the 60s in present-day rock. For anyone who’s ever lamented being born too late to catch that whimsical musical era, Allah-Las is your kind of time machine. Allah-Las brought their sunny, summertime garage-rock to a sold-out crowd at Bimbo’s 365 in San…
Agent Orange and The Happys Mystic Theater, Petaluma September 22, 2017 All photos by Pollen Heath. Agent Orange is one of SoCal’s original surf-punk bands, and their influential sound has been fueling mosh pits since 1979. At their show headlining at the Mystic Theater, founding frontman Mike Palm, bassist Perry Giordano, and drummer Dave Klein rocked on as though it hadn’t been almost 40 years since the band’s inception. With lyrics still just as relevant as they are bleak, Agent Orange remains a band for the disaffected, disillusioned, and disenchanted. Opening with Chantay’s surf cover “Pipeline,” the band blasted through…
The Buzzcocks The Ritz, San Jose August 24, 2017 All photos by Robert Lyons. The legendary Buzzcocks took over The Ritz in San Jose on Thursday, some 40 years after their debut album helped usher in the dawn of punk rock. It was their second Bay Area show in as many months – a treat for fans who typically only get to see them once every few years. The band gave a stellar performance, obviously pleased to play the nearly sold-out show, and carrying the same youthful energy they have since 1977. The two original members, Pete Shelley and Steve…
Belle and Sebastian The Independent August 10, 2017 Photos by Jill Gerstenberger. Belle and Sebastian, in town to play the Outside Lands festival, performed a gorgeously intimate concert Thursday at the Independent. The show sold-out during pre-sale, and tickets were in such high demand they were reselling for over $200. Clearly, San Francisco loves Belle and Sebastian. And Belle and Sebastian love San Francisco. In a pretty significant way, Belle and Sebastian owe their existence to this love affair. Stuart Murdoch, the band’s founder and chief songwriter, came here in 1993 to escape the Scottish winter – a fact that…
The Dickies Slim’s July 29, 2017 All photos by Jeff Spirer. Celebrating their 40th anniversary as the “clown princes of punk,” The Dickies unleashed their melodic brand of cartoon, bubble-gum punk on Slim’s last Saturday. Despite being “86 years old,” as original singer Leonard Graves Phillips joked, the band rocked it hard and hilarious, jumping frequently and bringing the infectious high energy their shows are known for. The Dickies, whose very existence is a glorification of humor and silliness, hold the title of being the first California punk band ever to be signed to a major label. Unlike the more…