The Independent in San Francisco holds 500 people. It is the premier small venue in the Bay Area. On Thursday, Vancouver sent their premier small band and the two converged in a symbiotic mind meld that turned San Francisco into a place where degenerates, punkers and drunkards were one. I knew Japandroids had a phenomenal new album. What I didn’t...

West London’s The Vaccines are one of the hardest new bands to peg at times.  On first listen, they’ve totally got one of those late ‘50s, early ‘60s pop revivalist things going, except with a little more reverb and maybe a pinch more aggression.  But if you listen a bit more closely, the lines begin to blur.  They’re clearly on their way to beco...

ANR caught my ears as I was shuffling through the many of the unknown acts (to me) that would be part of a showcase. They impressed me so much that they made my Top 5 acts to see down here. Well at The Firehouse, an unofficial showcase, I was able to catch their brief set. It can be summed up in three words, did not disappoint. I am so glad I m...

Who: The Black Angels
Where: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
When: Halloween - Monday, October 31st @ 8:30pm
Cost: $20adv/$25dos
Age Restriction: 18+ Who: Zola Jesus
Where: The Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA
When: Halloween - Monday, October 31st @ 8:30pm
Cost: $12 adv, $14 dos, $15 at the door
Age R...

I'm a huge believer that the crowd is a main factor in live shows, however on certain special nights in certain venues bands can help bring you into their bubble where the sound is the only thing encompassing you. That is exactly what happened this past Thursday during Yawn's set at The Empty Bottle in Chicago. It had been several years since I ...

A B & The Sea Last night, I once again found myself taking in a show courtesy of the weekly Popscene event at the Rickshaw Stop. The resident djs started the night off by offering their mix of popular songs to help set the stage for the bands that were about to take the stage. Up first we were immersed in the sounds of San Francisco dream p...