Concert

Concerts

Calpurnia, overflowing with charisma delivers energetic set at legendary Fillmore in San Francisco

August 26, 2018

  The Canadian indie rock band Calpurnia delivered a truly entertaining set last night at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco. The 4-piece band was founded in 2017 and is led by Finn Wolfhard, known for his role in the highly acclaimed series Stranger Things. Finn met drummer Malcolm Craig on the set of a music video and the chemistry was immediate, adding Ayla Tesler-Mabe and Jack Anderson to the mix.  Together their passion for music was evident and highlighted through their music. They released their debut single “City Boy” on 7 March 2018. Last night at the SOLD OUT show the crowd was ready for a night of great music.  When we arrived, hours prior to the doors opening, the line of dedicated fans wrapped around over two city blocks. The elation raced through the crowds as the young fans could hardly contain their excitement. The night kicked off with a killer set by Spendtime Palace, a 5 piece rock band from Costa Mesa who won the crowd over instantly. Check out some photos of their set by [Read More]

Concerts

PHOTO GALLERY: Dispatch delivers stellar set at Fox Theater in Oakland

August 23, 2018

    The infectious indie rockers Dispatch made an impressive stop in Oakland at the Fox Theater. They are currently out on their summer tour with Nahko and Medicine For the People. Check out photos from Sean Liming:   Dispatch is truly one of the country’s most successful independent bands. Last year they released the highly praised album, America, Location 12 and they are set to release Location 13 this fall. Have you checked out their latest track Came For the Fire off Location 13?  A note from Chad on the song’s origin and the history behind Stinson Beach where America, Location 12 and Location 13 were recorded:   “The song is a story of my own relationship with my wife with the different paths and rocks along the way, combined with the extrapolated story of the man and woman who built the studio in Stinson Beach where we’ve been recording the past two years. Built in the 60s, the house was not originally a studio; but a dream house built painstakingly by an English teacher and [Read More]

Concerts

Combichrist, Wednesday 13 and Night Club – Everybody Still Hates You-tour 2018. By Alex Bock

August 1, 2018

Munich, July 21st – Technikum – a short review Over the last few years, a summer wouldn’t be a summer, if Combichrist didn’t come down and play shows in Germany. So with 2018 making no exception, Munich welcomed the band once again. They brought two opening acts along. Night Club, a two people act, was the first to enter the stage. While Mark Brooks manages the music DJ-style, Emily Kavanaugh is the front woman/singer. Though the venue wasn’t that full at the beginning of their set, Emily managed to entertain quite well, not being intimidated by the (at first) quiet audience. Their music is quite catchy. Definitely a band worth checking out. Shock rocker Wednesday 13 already assembled a steady fan-base over the years. Their 7th studio record ‘Condolences’ was released in June 2017. Their show was definitely one for the books in terms of appearances. No dull moment there. Finally, Combichrist hit the stage at around 10 pm. At the moment we experience really hot summer days, but believe me, the temperature inside rose [Read More]

Concerts

CONCERT RECAP: Thirty Seconds to Mars delivers successful “Monolith Tour” to Shoreline Amphitheater

July 19, 2018

Last night was quite a night at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View.  Thirty Seconds to Summer delivered their highly praised Monolith Tour to a packed crowd.  In addition, the tour features Walk the Moon, K.Flay and Welshly Arms.   The show kicked off with the bluesy rockin set of Welshly Arms. This is one kick ass band and we loved catching them earlier this year at BottleRock Napa Festival. They recently released their debut album No Place is Home last month. The album spotlights their alternative rock dipped in just the right amount of gospel, soul and blues. You are instantly drawn into their music which highlights their midwestern roots. Their live performance enhances their music with their infectious energy. Next up was K.Flay as she brought to life a blend of alternative indie hip hop. She got the crowd off their feet and into a groove. The energy of the crowd grew as Walk the Moon took the stage. They brought the positive feel good, booty shakin vibes to life. The fans were singing along to [Read More]

Concerts

CONCERT REVIEW: Static and Surrender ‘Electrifies’ @ Hollywood’s Hotel Café

July 17, 2018

Written by Jessica Klausing Bay area rockers Static and Surrender are on tour throughout California in honor of their debut album release. Their energetic riffs and rhythms are on par with the alternative superstar acts such as Lifehouse and Matchbox Twenty. Jeff Campbell (lead vocals, guitar) backed by John Schuman (drums), Adam Schuman (guitar, vocals), and Lauren Stockner (bass player) delivered a passionate performance at Hollywood’s Hotel Café. Jeff Campbell puts his heart into each song and it certainly shows. He kept the set running smoothly and without interruption for the majority of the night. Opening up with “Killing The Vibe” Campbell belts a powerful vocal delivery that commands the attention in a room while his band mates exerted lighting-in-a-bottle energy around the small stage with ease. With such a strong reaction from the crowd, the level of energy and intensity only grew with each song.  The next song, “If Only We Could Sleep” was no exception.  John Schuman pounded the drums as if his very life depended on it! His intensity was so great, [Read More]

Concerts

Greta Van Fleet; like a pair of shock paddles resuscitating the life of Rock n Roll

June 26, 2018

  Within the last decade,  we have seen many bands deliver some good blips on the heartline of the rock and roll, but none as huge as the spike that Greta Van Fleet is making.  They are bringing a full on resuscitation to ROCK ‘N ROLL so get ready, hang on and enjoy the ride. We recently caught Greta Van Fleet perform at the beautiful intimate outdoor venue of John Anson Ford Amphitheater in Hollywood. The venue is situated in the rugged beauty of an LA County regional park. The setting was superb and as the bands took the stage, the sound was spot on. The crowd was greeted with a high energy gritty alt-rock set from SlothRust, LA/Brooklyn based three piece band. Their music is a great blend of 90’s grunge, garage punk, and alternative rock. The crowd grew to capacity as Greta Van Fleet were to take the stage. The excitement raced through the crowd as the lights dimmed and the band entered. From the first note to the last, the energy was [Read More]

August Hall

Blue October at August Hall in SF; a true transcendent performance for the books

June 15, 2018

tran·scend·ent ˌtran(t)ˈsend(ə)nt/   adjective beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience. “the search for a transcendent level of knowledge” surpassing the ordinary; exceptional. “the Blue October concert  was described as a “transcendent experience.””   Last night we ventured to San Francisco for the return of Blue October. They are currently out on tour as they prepare to release their ninth studio album, I Hope You’re Happy on August 17th via Up/Down-Brando Records. We have been anticipating this show as the music of Blue October has been the soundtrack of our lives for nearly the past 20 years. It was there for the good times, the bad times, the laughs, the tears, the triumphs, the losses and everything in between. We all have music that gets us through those times, but not often is it by the same artist/band. Most recently through our loss of the business and our home in the Santa Rosa fires, the music of Blue October was there as our staunch friend. Amid all the loss and struggle, we couldn’t help [Read More]