Pixies Fox Theater, Oakland December 7, 2017 All photos by Raymond Ahner. At the end of the excellent David Fincher directed film Fight Club, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter stare out a window holding hands. As buildings tumble, the screech of Joey Santiago’s guitar blares on screen. Cut to credits. Well, cut to a half a second picture of a male member…then cut to credits. The song featured is “Where Is My Mind?” off 1988’s Surfer Rosa. The song brought a new wave of listeners to the Pixies, who had disbanded in 1991 following the Trompe le Monde sessions.…
Author: Jonathan Reynoso
Jonathan Reynoso
Jonathan Reynoso has been a contributing writer for SFSonic for over two years. In this time, he's written articles for musicians in world of folk, rock, punk, psychedelic freak pop, absurdist classical electronica, and many others. He's attended dozens of concerts for SF Sonic and has personally been to hundreds more. Twitter: @JReynosoJ.
Chicano Batman Fox Theater, Oakland November 10, 2017 All photos by Jill Gerstenberger. Mexican culture bleeds into America’s own cultural landscape. For starters, there’s a taco shop in every state in the country. Even Alaska has its share of burrito builders and fish taco friers. Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo parties, Santana, margaritas, Chipotle, Bumblebee Man in The Simpsons — Mexico’s influence is strong here (and loved). Now look at Mexico, America’s fingerprints are seen all over the country. Little kids are often sporting Spiderman backpacks and adore American rock bands. My cousin from Mexico City told me his favorite…
Chelsea Wolfe Regency Ballroom November 4, 2017-11-09 Photos by Raymond Ahner. The front cover of Hiss Spun is truly haunting. Chelsea Wolfe stands lonesome in a stark white corner. She’s dressed in black, her hair is covering her face. She’s ready to attack, silently stalking her prey. Her weapon of choice: sludge metal. On her sixth studio album, Wolfe rises once again from the shadows to sing against wailing guitars. Wolfe is no stranger to the darkness that bred her. She has toyed with art rock and a bit of gothic folk on 2011’s Apokalypsis. She has flirted with some…
Slowdive Fox Theatre, Oakland October 28, 2017 All photos by Bobby Cochran. The love for shoegaze music has seen a resurgence in popularity across online forums. The boards of Reddit and 4chan all agree that the bands that constructed the genre in the 80s and 90s are My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Slowdive. There are several others, but those three have badges pinned to their chests for creating the evocative sound. Originally, the term was coined by rock journalists that couldn’t find a word to describe this sound out of the UK. Shoegazers would often stare at their feet while…
The music of MetronOhm is a much needed dose of tranquility in this chaotic world. Their output is small, but enough to get a listener thirsty for more. Their current lineup consists of a close, tight-knit group of friends. This cast of characters includes Annabelle Maginnis (mandolin, vox, violin, guitar), Kofi Asare-Aboagye, (vox, guitar, pocket piano), and Hunter Craig (bass). We got a hold of Maginnis to briefly discuss their entrancing sound. SF Sonic: What is the origin of the name MetronOhm? How did you all come up with it? Annabelle Maginnis: We had been thinking about a new band…
Julian Borrego Ouroboros Available on Spotify There’s always a harmony waiting to be released. You hear it all the time. Those who have never touched an instrument can whistle a tune to their delight, easily, without any musical prowess. This proves we have a certain connection to music be it spiritual or not. It’s up to you. However, someone like Julian Borrego, a multi-instrumentalist from California, sees something more fluid, a journey he must conquer. You may have never heard of Bob Bain, but you most certainly have heard his guitar strumming alongside Frank Sinatra and Quincy Jones. Bain…
Mac DeMarco September 8, 2017 Greek Theatre All photos by Adrian Jusue. The thing about Mac DeMarco is that his whole image is not a gimmick. If you picked up This Old Dog this year and looked up the artist himself, you might think otherwise. But the Canadian born singer-songwriter has always been that laid back guy ever since his first solo EP Rock and Roll Night Club. Since its release, DeMarco’s music has earned him a dedicated cult following of slackers embracing his “I just woke up like this” lifestyle. His former bandmates have splintered off to solo projects…
Swans The Independent August 22, 2017 All photos by Bobby Cochran. Describing Swans is very much like describing the animal itself. Sure, explain its great orange beak, its soft feathers, its long, curved neck. One can easily conjure up the words. But to experience the bird is to understand its beauty, much like the New York based experimental group Swans. Leader Michael Gira is the band’s compass. It pointed north from 1982 to 1997 and again in 2010. A revolving cast of characters have come and gone but it’s always been Gira guiding the music. Throughout the years, the band…
Swirlies August 8, 2017 The Chapel Photos by Jeff Spirer. During their initial run, Swirlies rode the shoegaze wave in the 90s. They were a bunch of college students living in Boston, screwing around and listening to music. Swirlies began as a Go-Gos cover band. However, according to long time Swirly, Damon Tutunjian, that idea didn’t last long. “The Go-Gos thing – it was over as soon as it began. Then we became Raspberry Bang. Seana [Carmody] and I wanted to do our own songs and just did that. Once Andy [Bernick] was in then it was Swirlies.” Swirlies…
Kendrick Lamar Oracle Arena August 4, 2017 Photo by Tom Dellinger. “Is it wickedness? Is it weakness? You decide,” are the first words uttered at the beginning of “BLOOD.,” Kendrick Lamar’s opening track on his latest DAMN. record. He tells the story of a blind woman revealing herself to be the devil or a demon, shooting the rapper and casting him into the depths of hell, I believe. For about 53 minutes after, the listener gets entangled in Lamar’s mind, constantly sifting through his cluttered thoughts, his insecurities, and his fears. DAMN. is arguably Lamar’s most inconsistent record. There’s no…
A Swirlies record flows like a lucid dream. Various familiar voices and sounds seep into the mix, populating each song with unconnected noises, attempting to create a narrative of chaos. Swirlies caught the shoegaze train in the early 90s, creating a batch of excellent records along the way including Blonder Tongue Audio Baton and They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons. Andy Bernick and Damon Tutunjian are the band’s anchors, the two original members that have seen the entire arch of the Swirlies. We got hold of them right before they embarked on a…
Run The Jewels Bill Graham Civic Auditorium July 22, 2017 All photos by Jeff Spirer. Killer Mike stood before the sold out Bill Graham Civic Auditorium the night of July 22nd. Adoring fans clapped and yelled, others were making the iconic “snatching the chain” logo that’s on all three of their excellent albums. He revealed that their show held the largest audience the duo has ever played to. In 2013, rappers Michael Render (Killer Mike) and Jaime Meline (El-P) played to only 500 people in that same venue. The July 22nd show held 7,000. Quite impressive for a group only…
Phono Del Sol Potrero Hill June 17, 2017 Photos by Raymond Ahner. As summer rolls into the Bay Area, residences are shedding their spring coats after an unusual rainy season that soaked them all. Finally, with the sun out, the festival season begins. Phono Del Sol is the product of The Bay Bridge, a non-profit source for stories on the Bay Area’s independent music. Tiny Telephone, a recording studio owned by record producer John Vanderslice and also DotheBay have a hand in making Phono Del Sol possible. Under the hot sun and in the midst of a cool breeze, festival…
Colossal Clusterfest 2017 Civic Center/Bill Graham June 2-4/2017 All photos by Elizabeth Gohr except where noted. Over three days, thousands flocked to the Civic Center Plaza for the very first Colossal Clusterfest from Superfly, the people that put on the annual Outside Lands Music Festival, and Comedy Central. The lineup sported some of the best-known comedians around including Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Hart, and Jerry Seinfeld. Along with a weekend of laughs, Clusterfest invited a handful of bands, musicians, and even comedic musicians! Here is SF Sonic’s coverage of the biggest headliners we saw over the weekend. Ice Cube…
Moon Hooch Great American Music Hall April 28th, 2017 All photos by Jeff Spirer. Great entertainment does come cheap. Listen, you don’t have to pay a lot of money to see quality music. If we’ve learned anything from a certain Bahamian music festival, the cost of a good time won’t break the bank. To see Moon Hooch, you had to let go of just one Andrew Jackson. That’s it. Moon Hooch delivered the rest. The music of Moon Hooch is a mix of nu jazz and electro fusion. A New Orleans dance party on the moon, rather. Actually, I’ll…
In the little town of Gjøvik, Norway, there was a budding musician recording songs as a hobby. His talent grew and soon singer/songwriter Koen van de Wardt formed the ethereal Klangstof. A sea of synths and guitars blossom in Technicolor across 11 tracks on Close Eyes To Exit, their debut album. Klangstof are on tour supporting The Flaming Lips this year. Both bands thrive off experimentation, creativity, and widescreen sci-fi soundscapes. Before the show in Oakland’s Fox Theatre, Koen van de Wardt walked us through his journey from being a lone synth player to playing a spot at this year’s…
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard April 12, 2017 The Fillmore All photos by Jeff Spirer. This band is busy. In November, the Melbourne-based psych rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard (try and say that five times fast) announced they are going to release five new albums in 2017. We got the first taste of this overhaul of music with Flying Microtonal Banana in February, a record that turns the heat down a little after the tidal wave of harmonicas, guitars, and synths in Nonagon Infinity, the band’s previous album that loops for eternity. Meanwhile, the boys are…
The Damned April 11, 2017 The Fillmore All photos by Jill Gerstenberger. The Damned are an original group of blokes from London. Their first records helped construct the UK punk scene in the late 1970s that dominated the underground rock scene. While arena rockers were selling out shows for thousands of adoring fans, the punk scene was a fast growing alternative that hated uniformity. The original members include Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, and Rat Scabies (David Lett, Raymond Burns, and Chris Millar, respectively.) The band first opened for the Sex Pistols in 1976 shortly before the release of their first…
Ty Segall Fox Theatre, Oakland February 27, 2017 All photos by Amber Gregory. At the Fox Theater, a sea of black T-shirts, piercings, and tattoos that I couldn’t make heads or tails of flooded the floor of Oakland’s Fox Theatre. It was a crowd of excited 20-somethings ready to rock. Right before Ty and company came to the stage, the energy in the room changed. The calm before the storm of guitars, bass, and drums. Ty Segall is a prolific figure in the word of underground and indie rock. The singer-songwriter has put out many full-length releases with several bands.…
Cherry Glazerr Slim’s February 11, 2017 All photos by Jeff Spirer. The three-piece rock group Cherry Glazerr was founded by then-15-year-old singer and guitarist Clementine Creevy. The singer recorded demos on her own and shared the tracks on Soundcloud. Upon discovering her songs, the California indie record label Burger Records offered her a chance to record an album under their moniker. She quickly said yes. Creevy enlisted a bassist (Sean Redman) and a drummer (Hannah Uribe) and the band got to work. Their Burger Records full length debut Haxel Princess is a whimsical record about teenage crushes and amazing grilled…