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Music
Kisses and All-Nighters
Even after a long day of interviews, housecleaning and preparing for a cross-country tour that ends at Bottom of the Hill on March 27th, Marnie Stern sounds as energetic and driven as her latest LP, This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That. The New York-based musician, who has earned accolades for her finger-tapping technique from guitar aficionados worldwide, spoke with SF Station during a phone interview from her home. More
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Music
Rose City to Fog City
Portland’s husband-and-wife duo Viva Voce are back on the road for the first time in more than a year for a quick loop around the west that will culminate with a handful of gigs at Austin’s South by Southwest music conference. The band, with two additional members in tow, starts the tour March 12th at the Rickshaw Stop. Its fourth LP Rose City (likely one of the best of ’09) is due out May 26th. Anita Robinson (guitar/vocals) spoke during a phone interview about the new record, Portland’s magnetic pull for great bands, and Blue Giant, a country-influenced band she also shares with her husband Kevin. More
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Music
Released on Jagjaguwar, 3/10/09
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
The latest release from Julie Doiron, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, is both reminiscent of her days as bass player/singer of low-fi revolutionaries Eric’s Trip, and reflective of the long road traveled to reach her current perch in life. The lyrics -- blunt, playful and honest -- speak of the present time but the tendrils of music burst forth a full three hundred and sixty degrees, giving the listener insight into Doiron’s pilgrimage through the last sixteen years of her creative process. More
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Music
Released on Rough Trade Records, 2/17/09
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Listening to To Be Still, the third release from Nevada City native Alela Diane, what immediately comes across is the confidence Diane projects within the song structure and sound. More
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Music
Hip Hop’s Digital Messiah?
Mickey Factz has reached a simmering buzz with a continuous stream of free music online that showcases his lyrical versatility and hints of Kanye’s braggadocio, Jay Z’s swag and Pharrell’s couture. It’s a good look that some say fits perfectly with "hipster rap", the latest label du jour tossed about freely among the new era of wild-style hip hop acts. The New York rapper, who sounds equally comfortable on a Lykke Li remix or a 9th Wonder beat, spoke with SF Station over the phone during a break from working on his debut LP The Achievement. He makes his San Francisco debut at the Rickshaw Stop on March 6th. More
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Music
The Element of Surprise
Sound Tribe Sector 9, the five-piece instrumental band from Santa Cruz that has built a following with crazy light shows, visual art and space-out jams, is back on the road in support of their latest LP Peaceblaster. STS9 kicks off its tour on February 26th with a four-night stand at the Fillmore. Drummer Zach Velmer spoke with SF Station during a phone interview from Santa Cruz. More
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Music
Alt-Rock Vet Strikes a Keynote at Noise Pop
Bob Mould is a busy guy. In addition to a solo career that has produced nine albums during the 20 years following the breakup of Hüsker Dü, he regularly co-hosts Blowoff, a reoccurring DJ gig usually held in clubs on the east and west coasts. He is also working on an autobiography, prepping for high-profile gigs at Coachella and Carnegie Hall, and participating as a keynote speaker and performer at this year’s Noise Pop festival. He will join Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr./Sebadoah/Folk Implosion) at the Swedish American Music Hall on February 27th for the keynote discussion at the festival’s Industry Noise conference. More
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Music
Mountains out of Molehills
Annuals, the sextet that emerged from North Carolina with the critically acclaimed 2006 debut Be He Me, is back on the road in support of Such Fun, a solid sophomore release that teeters between mid-tempo rock, whimsical string and piano melodies, and sawdust honky-tonk arrangements. Frontman Adam Baker spoke with SF Station during phone interview from the road in Louisiana. Annuals perform at Slim’s on February 21st. More
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Music
Bringing it Back
San Quinn has been bubbling at the surface of the Bay Area rap scene for more than 15 years with gritty tales of turf life in San Francisco's Fillmore District, but he still struggles break out of the bubble that keeps most Northern California rappers out of the national spotlight. The rapper is hoping that will change with Scokland, his collaboration with Keak da Sneak, an Oakland rapper in a similar situation after the hyphy movement failed to catch on outside of California. San Quinn spoke about his neighborhood and his new album with Keak during a phone interview. More
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Music
Historic Movie House Re-Emerges as Mid-Size Music Venue
The landscape for Bay Area performance venues changes February 6th, when Oakland’s Fox Theater, after decades of dormancy and deterioration, hosts Social Distortion. More
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