Barcelona – Perfection is not something one comes across…ever. Obviously the notion of true flawlessness is subjective and differs from person to person, but as a seasoned veteran of festival culture (going on twelve years), the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona is as close to godliness as one can get when it comes to large,
Berkeley – Gratitude is one of those things that we just never see enough of. We all learn to say “please” and “thank you” when we’re growing up, but as we proceed through life, the words seem to lose meaning as they take their place in common, everyday conversation. So when someone says, “thank you,” and actually means
San Francisco — I am constantly astounded at the sheer size of the United States. Most of the time, we aren’t really thinking about the big picture, just catching a glimpse of a map of the nation on weather reports here and there. We usually think about this country in terms of its fifty individual parts. When you’ve
San Francisco – I’ve always wanted someone to throw me a surprise party. It just never happens though. I tend to blame sitcoms for this yearning; they just make it look like so much fun, and there are always seemingly endless antics to be had on such an occasion. That, and the notion that all your friends are
San Francisco – “Enigma” is a word that is not used enough these days, despite the many modern artists whose personas can really only be described in such a way: Björk, ANOHNI (f.k.a. Antony Hegarty), Richard James (Aphex Twin), etc. When it comes to originality, these are all people whose musical innovation and talent is surpassed only by the
San Francisco – The farther we progress through the second decade of the 2000s, the more apparent it is becoming that we are living in a time of transition. Things we wouldn’t have dreamed possible are happening, both good and bad: diseases are being cured, Donald Trump has a terrifying shot at securing the U.S. presidency, and our
San Francisco – Young talent always amazes me. To see an artist as young as the U.K.’s newest wunderkind Holly Fletcher – who operates under the moniker Låpsley (her middle name stylized with an accented “å” for aesthetic reasons, also a nod to her Scandinavian-Scottish lineage) – bloom so quickly and so successfully is both heartening and enviable. The
San Francisco – A man once sang, “Every man wears a symbol.” It’s a loaded statement, and one that can be interpreted in any number of ways. That symbol could be some kind of badge, a mask, or even a projected image of self. It could be a tattoo or a hand-stamp used as proof of admission. It
San Francisco – Success is a double-edged sword, as are many of the aspects that seem to fuel it. When it comes to music, there are several struggles an artist or band must face to decide their next move: analog vs. digital, consistency vs. reinvention, accessibility vs. experimentation, genre vs. post-genre… these are just a few examples of
San Francisco – All venues are not created equally. The Constitution of this country will have you believe that we still hold the ideals of equality and the inherent right to happiness/prosperity/whatever in regards to all Americans, but that can’t be said of just about everything that falls under the American umbrella. While this terribly over-quoted, misquoted, and admittedly