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10,000 Maniacs evoke 90’s nostalgia at The Indy

September 4, 2018 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

10,000 Maniacs //
The Independent – San Francisco
August 30th, 2018 //

With more than three decades worth of experience, 10,000 Maniacs brought their folk-rock vibes to SF last Thursday for a headlining show at The Independent.

Delivering plenty of fiddle-magic sounds that were entwined harmoniously with guitar, beats and keyboards, the six-piece band, which formed in Jamestown, N.Y., offered a rip-roaring set full of 90’s nostalgia as well as new creations with a packed, dance-bopping crowd on hand.

And despite not having a supporting act to warm up the audience, they had all of the 40-somethings in the house bouncing and grooving by the time they performed “More Than This” — a cover of Roxy Music’s 1982 single — from their sixth LP Love Among the Ruins.

Setlist:
The Candy Everybody Wants
Like the Weather
Trouble Me
Can’t Ignore the Train
Tension
More Than This (Roxy Music cover)
What’s the Matter Here?
Irish Tune / Eden
She Moves Through the Fair
Stockton Gala Days
Because the Night (Patti Smith Group cover)
Rainy Day
Pit Viper
Don’t Talk
My Sister Rose
Hey Jack Kerouac

Encore:
Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
These Are Days

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: 10000 Maniacs, Roxy Music, The Independent

Rivers Cuomo delights Weezer fans with a rare acoustic performance at Bottom of the Hill

May 11, 2018 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photos by Mike Rosati // Written by David Skaff //

Rivers Cuomo //
Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco
May 9th, 2018 //

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo brought his solo acoustic show to Bottom of the Hill, located in SF’s Potrero Hill district and touted by Rolling Stone as “the best place to hear live music” in the city, as he was greeted by a sold-out crowd mid-week.

Cuomo delighted the packed room with acoustic renditions of Weezer cuts as well as covers of Mike Posner, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, REO Speedwagon and Poison, but he also gave Weezer’s “Pig” — a bonus track off the deluxe edition of 2008’s Weezer (“The Red Album”) — its live debut. The audience, thrilled by what it was witnessing, came alive and sang along to most of the tunes Cuomo played during a 27-song set that lasted more than two hours.

Surprisingly, the show also included a special guest in former Weezer guitarist and founding member Jason Cropper, who performed two songs with Cuomo. Afterward, he remarked, “To be in a room stuffed with Weezer fans for a Rivers Cuomo solo show … So fun!”

Rivers Cuomo with Jason Cropper

“This crowd was a smart, kind, polite community of people who are passionate about this man, his band and the songs — it’s amazing,” he added. “To be playing Weezer (“The Blue Album”) songs with Rivers again after a 25-year hiatus? Wow! Literally a dream come true.”

With Cuomo leading the way, Weezer are set to hit the road this summer for a 29-date, North American co-headlining tour with the Pixies that features three California dates at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, The Forum in Los Angeles and Mattress Firm Amphitheatre in Chula Vista the second week of August following the release of the band’s 12th LP Weezer (“The Black Album”) this month.

Rivers, in the meantime, will also be performing another solo acoustic show, this time at a sold-out Troubadour in Los Angeles, less than four weeks before Weezer kick things off on June 23rd in Tampa.

Setlist:
I Took a Pill in Ibiza (Mike Posner cover)
El Scorcho (Weezer song)
Wonderwall (Oasis cover)
Buddy Holly (Weezer song)
Basket Case (Green Day cover)
Undone – The Sweater Song (Weezer song)
1979 (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
Say It Ain’t So (Weezer song)
Happy Together (The Turtles cover) (with “Longview” snippet by Green Day)
Island in the Sun (Weezer song)
Can’t Fight This Feeling (REO Speedwagon cover)
Sober Up (AJR cover)
The Good Life (Weezer song)
Slob (Weezer song)
(Girl We Got a) Good Thing (Weezer song)
Pink Triangle (Weezer song)
Cardigan Disaster (New song; live debut)
Getchoo (Weezer song)
Pig (Weezer song) (Live debut)
Talk Dirty to Me (Poison cover)
No Other One (Weezer song)
Falling for You (Weezer song)
Today (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
In the Garage (Weezer song) (with Jason Cropper) (preceded by a brief tease of “My Name Is Jonas” by Cropper)
No One Else (Weezer song) (with Jason Cropper)
Why Bother? (Weezer song)
Across the Sea (Weezer song)

Encore:
Tired of Sex (Weezer song)

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: AJR, Bottom of the Hill, Green Day, Jason Cropper, Mike Posner, Oasis, Pixies, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Rivers Cuomo, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer

A Perfect Circle’s new album ‘Eat the Elephant’ plays a lot better live than its critics might think

April 25, 2018 by Andrew Pohl Leave a Comment

Photos by Mike Rosati // Written by Andrew Pohl //

A Perfect Circle with The Beta Machine //
Event Center at San Jose State University – San Jose
April 18th, 2018 //

Between their two performances at Coachella (read our festival review here) this month, alt-metal supergroup A Perfect Circle made a quick stop in the Bay Area last Wednesday to play the Event Center at San Jose State University as a follow-up to their 2017 gig in San Francisco at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (read our show review here).

With their fourth LP Eat the Elephant — their first in 14 years — dropping two days later, APC were eager to share their latest material, with half of the band’s 17-song set dedicated to cuts off the new album.

Opening the show on this night were The Beta Machine, founded by APC members Jeff Friedl (drums, percussion) and Matt McJunkins (bass, keyboards, vocals). The four-piece is rounded out by Claire Acey (keyboards, vocals) and Nicholas Perez (guitar, keyboards, vocals), and its synth-laden, somewhat soulful music served as a nice prelude for what was to come.

The Beta Machine

APC then followed, starting with the title track on their new full length as frontman Maynard James Keenan stood back center in the dark, coiffed in a pig-tailed wig, which has become his standard “look” with the band. Meanwhile, the group’s other founding member and principal songwriter Billy Howerdel (guitar, keyboards, vocals) stood near the front of the stage, directly across from McJunkins and to the left of Keenan, with Friedl to the left of the singer.

To Kennan’s right stood Greg Edwards, who, as Maynard took a moment to point out, is filling in for James Iha while Iha gets ready for The Smashing Pumpkins’ upcoming reunion tour this summer. Edwards is a founding member of both Failure and Autolux (two incredible bands if I may say so myself), and he has a long history working with Keenan. Failure have been booked to play with Tool several times over the years, dating as far back as 1993 when they opened for them in San Francisco at the gone-but-not-forgotten Trocadero Transfer, and then again at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in 2014.

In San Jose, APC sprinkled in songs from all three of their previous albums and included a stirring rendition of Depeche Mode’s “People Are People” toward the show’s midway point. Having had a chance to listen to the new album in advance, I was a skeptical of what I was going to be in for with the new tracks. However, I am happy to report that experiencing the new music live was a wholly different experience. The band breathed new life and enough vibrancy into the material to cast away any doubts that I previously had. But three Eat the Elephant tracks in particular that stood out to me were “The Contrarian”, “Talk Talk” and “Hourglass” before they hit the road next month for an extended U.S. and European tour that’s scheduled to run through the end of the year.

Setlist:
Eat the Elephant
Disillusioned
Weak and Powerless
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Rose
Thomas
People Are People (Depeche Mode cover)
3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)
The Contrarian
TalkTalk
Hourglass
Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
The Outsider
The Doomed
The Package
Gravity
Feathers

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: A Perfect Circle, Autolux, Coachella, Coachella 2018, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2018, Event Center at San Jose State University, Failure, The Beta Machine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool

Diet Cig don’t let a fever get the best of them in SF

February 20, 2018 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

Diet Cig with Great Grandpa, The Spook School //
Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco
February 14th, 2018 //

A fever on Valentine’s Day couldn’t stop New York pop-punk duo Diet Cig from rocking out at Rickshaw Stop last Wednesday during their sold-out SF gig. Despite lead singer/guitarist Alex Luciano’s illness that night, she and her bandmate Noah Bowman on drums delivered one of their trademark, high-energy (and high-kicking) performances that featured songs from their 2017 debut LP Swear I’m Good at This.

Opening the show were Seattle’s Great Grandpa and Scottish four-piece The Spook School.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Diet Cig, Great Grandpa, Rickshaw Stop, Spook School

John Maus’ synth work captivates a sold-out Slim’s

February 1, 2018 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

John Maus //
Slim’s – San Francisco
January 27th, 2018 //

Synthpop auteur John Maus enthralled a sold-out crowd last Saturday at Slim’s as the Minnesota native and his band blazed through songs from his expanding discography, including several from 2017’s Screen Memories.

Maus is expected to release his fifth LP Addendum later this year, and while his current U.S. tour runs through the middle of February, he’s also slated to be back in California this April for the 19th edition of Coachella.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Coachella, Coachella 2018, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2018, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2018, John Maus, Slims

Wafia makes her Bay Area debut at Rickshaw Stop

January 31, 2018 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

Wafia with Jaira Burns //
Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco
January 26th, 2018 //

Australian singer-songwriter Wafia marked her Bay Area debut last Friday with an engaging performance at Rickshaw Stop. The buzzworthy 24-year-old vocalist signed to Future Classic performed standout tracks “83 Days” and “Bodies” from her recently released EP XIII.

Los Angeles-based pop singer Jaira Burns opened the evening with a fun and energetic set.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Jaira Burns, Rickshaw Stop, Wafia

Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band emanate plenty of positivity during their two-night run at The Fillmore

January 25, 2018 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band with The Dustbowl Revival //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
January 20th, 2018 //

SF welcomed Josh Ritter for a two-night run at The Fillmore last week. While Friday’s show featured Bay Area singer-songwriter Nicki Bluhm as opening support, the next evening saw one of Los Angeles’ finest, The Dustbowl Revival, showcase their vintage Americana sound.

Ritter & The Royal City Band subsequently hit the stage and flashed numerous smiles as they emanated a positive energy across the room. With this gig marking my first time seeing Ritter perform with his backing band, it proved to be a fun-filled night with a range of genres being blended together onstage. If you missed Ritter and his cohorts on this occasion, make sure to catch them the next time they come to town.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Josh Ritter, Josh Ritter and the Royal City Band, Nicki Bluhm, The Dustbowl Revival, The Fillmore

Phoebe Bridgers inspires a sold-out crowd in her hometown at LA’s Lodge Room

December 18, 2017 by Rochelle Shipman Leave a Comment

By Rochelle Shipman //

Phoebe Bridgers with Gold Star //
Lodge Room – Los Angeles
December 16th, 2017 //

Phoebe Bridgers’ debut LP came out in September, but her album release show got pushed back two months. But for the eager fans who attended her sold-out concert at Lodge Room, Highland Park’s newest venue, it was well worth the wait.

The praise for Stranger in the Alps has only gotten louder since it dropped, and the LA native’s debut has found its way onto — and at the top of — a handful of year-end lists. Bridgers’ songs revolve around her stark storytelling, in a way that comes off as deeply personal, yet still feels relatable to the listener.

During much of Bridgers’ show last Saturday, the intimacy weaved within her songs spread far throughout the crowd. Little else could be heard as she worked her way through most of the album, pausing every now and then to acknowledge her band or shoot fans a coy smile.

Even if she had been alone onstage the entire time, the audience’s rapt attention still wouldn’t have wavered, but halfway through her set, Bridgers brought out close friend Conor Oberst as the two delivered a transcendent performance of “Would You Rather”. Opening act Gold Star, the solo project of LA-based singer-songwriter Marlon Rabenreither, later joined Bridgers and Oberst onstage for a cover of “Christmas Song” by McCarthy Trenching, a band from Oberst’s native Omaha.

The only thing disappointing about Bridgers’ performance was being close enough to see the setlist. She was supposed to perform her devastating version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, but the guitar gods unfortunately threw a wrench in that. Instead, she ended the night quietly with just keyboardist/Stranger co-producer Ethan Gruska, performing a ringing rendition of “You Missed My Heart” by Mark Kozelek (aka Sun Kil Moon).

From the older couple right next to me to the 18-year-olds standing dead center, the eager eyes in the audience captured it best. Incredibly, Bridgers’ album release show will likely be one of the last times we’ll be able to catch her in such an intimate setting.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Gold Star, Lodge Room, Mark Kozelek, Phoebe Bridgers, Sun Kil Moon

Jessie Ware charms SF with an intimate show

November 8, 2017 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

Jessie Ware //
The Independent – San Francisco
November 1st, 2017 //

It’s a rare treat to catch one of today’s rising pop stars perform in an intimate setting like The Independent, but Jessie Ware made the most of it last Wednesday evening, delivering a truly special moment for her SF fans.

Showcasing some of the newest tracks off her recently released third LP Glasshouse, the UK pop-soul crooner breathlessly charmed the sold-out crowd with her grace, humor and vocal power. And while the gig marked only the second of three stops on Ware’s current U.S. tour, she promised to be back in the Bay Area (and the states) sometime again next year.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Jessie Ware, The Independent

After a long wait between albums, Mister Heavenly resurface at Resident DTLA

October 27, 2017 by Rochelle Shipman Leave a Comment

By Rochelle Shipman //

Mister Heavenly //
Resident DTLA – Los Angeles
October 21st, 2017 //

In 2011, indie-rock supergroup Mister Heavenly dropped a stellar debut album titled Out of Love, went on a quick tour and disappeared. Comprised of Honus Honus (Man Man), Nick Thorburn (Islands, The Unicorns) and Joe Plummer (Cold War Kids), the band members of Mister Heavenly have been understandably busy.

Now six long years later, they’ve given us Boxing the Moonlight, another perky, deeply fun entry into the discography of doom wop. They brought the new album on the road and hit Resident DTLA, where they earned more than six years’ worth of praise from an eager and lively audience. Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait another six for the next one!

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Cold War Kids, Islands, Man Man, Mister Heavenly, Resident DTLA, The Unicorns

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile aren’t there yet, but they could be on the verge of something great

October 24, 2017 by Pedro Paredes Leave a Comment

By Pedro Paredes //

Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile with Jen Cloher //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
October 18th, 2017 //

Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile have both released albums that I count among my favorites of the 2010’s, so when I heard they would be performing together at the Fox Theater Oakland, I made sure to quickly clear my schedule and get ready for a night out.

On tour in support of their new collaborative album Lotta Sea Lice, the duo took the stage to almost-packed venue. Australian singer-songwriter Jen Cloher (who is also Barnett’s partner and musical collaborator) opened the show and played a fantastic set that left the audience ready for the main act.

Around 9 p.m., the duo and accompanying band members (which included Sleater-Kinney’s Janett Weiss on drums) were eagerly received by the crowd. Their set included almost every song from the new album (sans “Peppin Tom”) and a few extras, such as a rendition of Kurt Vile’s “Pretty Pimpin” and Barnett’s “Avant Gardener”, which was among the best received songs. My personal favorite was “Continental Breakfast” (I recommend you watch the video clip here if you haven’t already).

As much as I enjoyed the show, I have to admit that the sensation I got was more like being a witness to the beginning of something great. Just like their album, their live show felt like two talented musicians still getting to know each other as they playfully experimented with their sound, but still not at the point of flowing as one cohesive unit. Although this union might be far from over, I can’t wait to hear what’s next.

Setlist:
Over Everything
Let It Go
Fear Is Like a Forest (Jen Cloher & The Endless Sea cover)
Out of the Woodwork (Courtney Barnett cover)
Continental Breakfast
On Script
On Tour (Kurt Vile cover)
Depreston (Courtney Barnett cover)
Life Like This (Kurt Vile cover)
Blue Cheese
Dead Fox (Courtney Barnett cover)
Untogether (Belly cover)

Encore:
Elvis Presley Blues (Gillian Welch cover)
Pretty Pimpin (Kurt Vile cover)
Avant Gardener (Courtney Barnett cover)

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Courtney Barnett, Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile, Fox Theater Oakland, Jen Cloher, Kurt Vile, Sleater-Kinney

Tank and The Bangas deliver thrills at The Chapel

October 10, 2017 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

Tank and the Bangas with Sweet Crude //
The Chapel – San Francisco
October 3rd, 2017 //

With a capacity crowd gathered and the anticipation running high after winning NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest this year, Tank and The Bangas put on a rousing, high-energy performance at The Chapel last Tuesday.

Led by the powerhouse vocals and animated presence of frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball, the New Orleans-based group had the sold-out crowd grooving to their genre-spanning set consisting of funk, soul, hip-hop, rock and R&B.

Fellow New Orleanians Sweet Crude, a six-piece that dropped their debut LP back in April, opened the show and were equally engaging.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Sweet Crude, Tank and the Bangas, The Chapel

Sheer Mag bring their feverish, high-spirited brand of rock ‘n’ roll to SF for a sold-out crowd at The Chapel

October 6, 2017 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

Sheer Mag with Tenement, Marbled Eye //
The Chapel – San Francisco
September 29th, 2017 //

Sheer Mag brought a sold-out crowd at The Chapel to its knees with a blazing set last Friday. Led by Tina Halladay and her piercing growl, the Philly-based rockers unleashed a feverish set that was highlighted by their latest LP Need to Feel Your Love for the first of two shows in the Bay Area.

Marbled Eye, the local boys from Oakland, set a raucous tone early in the evening and were followed by Tenement, a Wisconsin-based rock trio, which nicely amped up the energy just prior to Sheer Mag taking the stage.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Marbled Eye, Sheer Mag, Tenement, The Chapel

Jay 305 backs up his ‘more LA than the Rams’ claim in front of a hometown crowd at The Roxy

September 29, 2017 by Joseph Gray Leave a Comment

By Joseph Gray //

Jay 305 //
The Roxy Theatre – West Hollywood, CA
September 25th, 2017 //

South Central rapper Jay 305, as confident and animated as ever, proclaims that he is “more LA than the Rams,” and you’d be hard-pressed to find many fans of West Coast hip-hop who disagree with him right now.

Unlike LA’s two new NFL teams that continue to fight –- in half-filled stadiums — to find their footing, Jay 305 (born Jay Cummins) is a regional staple. That was pretty apparent during his headlining show at The Roxy Theatre on Monday, as fans shouted the aforementioned claim heard on his authoritative and fun Taking All Bets debut via Interscope Records.

Running through everything from standout tracks like “All Around the World” and “99” to his “Youzza Flip” hit, which ignited his buzz five years prior, Jay 305 has seemingly pushed legal troubles and album delays aside to focus on his craft — and it showed in his hometown.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Interscope Records, Jay 305, The Roxy Theatre

The eclectic sounds of Bonobo sweep through the Bay Area at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

September 29, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photos by Dace Hines // Written by Julie Mullen //

Bonobo (Live) with Bob Moses //
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco
September 23rd, 2017 //

British electronic musician Simon Green, aka Bonobo, stopped by the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for his “Migration Live Tour” last Saturday. With Bob Moses warming up the crowd, I found myself doubting how a solo artist like Bonobo could fill the immense and cavernous venue all by himself.

But shortly after Bob Moses’ opening set, he took the stage with the support of an impressive backing band. British singer Szjerdene then commanded the stage, adding calming vocals on tracks like “Breaking Apart” that soared over the crowd as five large video screens displayed stunning aerial footage of vast landscapes.

The show began to take flight across fields of flowers and crashing waves on coast lines — and then the drums kicked in. Booties quickly started shakin’, and vertical chasing lights accented the audience’s feet contacting the floor. Eventually the lights dimmed, the string musicians left the stage and the many sounds of Bonobo stepped forward and proved me wrong once again. Despite what I thought at the onset, Green’s downtempo jams and his undeniably mesmerizing visual effects were able to fill the venue with warmth and light.

Bonobo broke it down and then put it all back together again for “No Reason”, closing the night with the full band and his awe-inspiring light show that sliced through the room and created a false sky with fluffy, floating clouds. At that point, it was clear the magic behind Bonobo’s live performances is a combination of unique sounds, soaring vocals, uplifting drum beats and string musicians, producing something that feels whole and cohesive.

Setlist:
Migration
7th Sevens
Break Apart
Towers
Kiara
Kong
Surface
First Fires
Bambro Koyo Ganda
Cirrus
Outlier
We Could Forever
No Reason
Sapphire
Ontario
Figures
Samurai
Kerala

READ OUR REPORT FROM THE LOS ANGELES SHOW.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Bob Moses, Bonobo

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas dial it in at Rickshaw Stop on their ‘Telephone’ tour

September 19, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Gina Lopez //

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas with The Tambo Rays //
Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco
September 12th, 2017 //

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas performed at Rickshaw Shop last Tuesday as part of their North American tour to promote their bilingual double LP Telephone/Teléfono, which was released in June. For Telephone/Teléfono, Hernandez did more than just translate the words; she translated her emotive poetry, ensuring that both albums enlivened the meaning behind the lyrics.

Also promoting new music were The Tambo Rays, who served as the show’s opener on this night. Performing songs from their latest album Recharge, they kicked things off with a high-energy set featuring lead singer Sara DaMert on the mic and brother Brian DaMert on guitar. Hailing from Oakland, these lofi indie rockers perfectly complemented Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas’ Detroit gothic pop-punk style with their alternative chill-pop sound.

The sound of Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas is certainly a “one-of-a-kind soundclash.” But on a personal note, what makes the band more unique is the fact that Hernandez is the only Latina-fronted indie-rock band that I have had the pleasure of seeing. As a Latina myself, I consider their new album a milestone in indie rock.

Not only did Hernandez sing songs in both English and Spanish, she performed while being five-and-a-half months pregnant and in a bright, floral maternity muumuu and black high-top Vans, exhibiting just as much expressive energy and stage presence as ever along with a style that was as unique and unapologetic as her music.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Jessica Hernandez, Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas, Rickshaw Stop, The Tambo Rays

Deep Purple, Alice Cooper shake a sold-out crowd at LA’s Greek Theatre

August 18, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Alice Cooper

By Christina Badalian //

Deep Purple & Alice Cooper with Edgar Winter Group //
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles
August 13th, 2017 //

The Greek Theatre in LA was packed last Sunday for a sold-out show featuring legendary artists Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and the Edgar Winter Group.

Alice Cooper, known as “The Godfather of Shock Rock,” excited the audience with a visually stunning, theatrical show involving dolls, fake blood, a giant Frankenstein doll and macabre-costumed actors. We also saw Cooper get electrocuted and later get his head chopped off in a guillotine for murdering a woman.

Deep Purple

The crowd sang along as Cooper performed his biggest hits, including “Poison”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “I’m Eighteen” and the best for last, “School’s Out”. He also played tracks from his new LP Paranormal, including the album’s lone single “Paranoiac Personality”. At the age of 69, the dark and ghoulish Cooper proved that he is a true master of his craft.

British heavy metal pioneers Deep Purple closed out the night as part of their “Long Goodbye Tour”. They got the audience pumped as they opened with their hit “Highway Star” before the group continued to perform such hits as “Strange Kind of Woman”, “Space Truckin'”, “Smoke on the Water” and “Hush”.

DEEP PURPLE

Setlist:
Highway Star
Fireball
Strange Kind of Woman
Uncommon Man
Lazy
The Surprising
Keyboard Solo
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin’
Smoke on the Water

Encore:
Time for Bedlam
Hush

ALICE COOPER

Setlist:
Brutal Planet
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
Paranoiac Personality
Woman of Mass Distraction
Guitar Solo (Nita Strauss)
Poison
Halo of Flies
Feed My Frankenstein
Cold Ethyl
Only Women Bleed
Killer
I Love the Dead
I’m Eighteen

Encore:
School’s Out

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Edgar Winter, Edgar Winter Group, Greek Theatre

Circles Around the Sun take us on a long, strange trip back to 1967 at Terrapin Crossroads

August 3, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Gina Lopez //

Circles Around the Sun with Mapache //
Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA
July 29th, 2017 //

Psychedelic rock, a liquid light show and tie-dye-clad fans … “Was this the ‘Summer of Love?'” I asked myself last Saturday night at Terrapin Crossroads.

After all, it has been 50 years since the summer of 1967, when San Francisco turned into the epicenter for America’s counterculture movement, but that was the scene at the well-known San Rafael restaurant and music venue founded by former Grateful Dead member Phil Lesh, where headliner Circles Around the Sun turned up the heat for a stellar performance.

Hailing from Los Angeles, Mapache kicked things off with an opening set reminiscent of the great folk-rock bands from the 60’s. Using just steel and acoustic guitars and delivering some earnest vocals, the long-haired duo successfully set the tone for the night.

Mapache

Fronted by Neal Casal, who serves as the lead guitarist for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Phil Lesh, Circles Around the Sun appear to be setting out on their own orbital path as they passed through the zodiac of Terrapin Crossroads. The quartet took the sold-out crowd on a far-out trip around the sun and back with its extended, wah-inflected and entrancingly rhythmic jams.

It was as though Circles’ sound encapsulated the universe, with the soundwaves of distant galaxies reverberating within the intimate venue, all while fans swayed and grooved to the music’s gravitational pull and splashes of color swirled, pulsated and amalgamated across the stage in patterns as unique and unrepeatable as your fingerprint. The atmosphere was so groovy that it felt like we had actually time-traveled back to 1967, circling around the distant sun and back.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Chris Robinson, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Circles Around the Sun, Mapache, Neal Casal, phil lesh, Terrapin Crossroads

Get ready for the world to fall in love with 23-year-old rising star Amber Mark

August 2, 2017 by Rochelle Shipman Leave a Comment

By Rochelle Shipman //

Amber Mark //
Hammer Museum – Los Angeles
July 27th, 2017 //

Amber Mark has been one of the most optimistic voices to come out of the dumpster fire that so far is 2017. Her colorful debut EP titled 3:33 (and unrelated to Jay-Z’s 4:44) sees her taking a tragedy and using it as motivation to live and believe again. She’s quickly setting her mark as a worldly pop star in an industry that is generally otherwise anything but.

During her show last Thursday at the Hammer Museum near UCLA, the 23-year-old manned the stage with grace and gratitude, if not a shred of shyness that will surely disappear in the near future as the world falls in love with her.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Amber Mark, Hammer Museum, KCRW

PLANETARIUM send fans at Fox Theater Oakland on an emotional journey to the cosmos

July 28, 2017 by Norm de Veyra Leave a Comment

By Norm de Veyra //

PLANETARIUM with Thao Nguyen //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
July 21st, 2017 //

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens, guitarist Bryce Dessner of The National, classical music composer Nico Muhly and drummer James McAlister brought the lush and eclectic sounds of their collaborative, celestial-themed project PLANETARIUM to a sold-out crowd of 2,800 fans at the Fox Theater Oakland last Friday on the final stop of their very brief tour that spanned only four dates.

PLANETARIUM’s music, which channels Stevens’ reflections on astronomy, science and even the intricacies of human consciousness, is a fusion of styles from all four band members that evokes feelings of unity. The group’s performance was accompanied by otherworldly visuals that filled the backdrop as it traversed the Solar System with quite a few emotionally charged songs inspired by the planets and other celestial bodies like “Neptune” and “Jupiter”.

Stevens often spoke during the performance, charming the audience with his aforementioned reflections. The night closed out with a spirited tribute cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” that felt like an appropriate and poignant cap to the night as the audience contemplated the cosmos and its place within it.

Opening the evening was Thao Nguyen, sans her usual support from Thao & the Get Down Stay Down. Nguyen’s blistering performance was rife with experimentation and playfulness as it featured tracks such as “Astonished Man” and “Slash/Burn” off her latest album A Man Alive, which was recorded at SF’s Tiny Telephone Studios. Produced by tUnE-yArDs founder and bandleader Merill Garbus, the album was released back in March via Ribbon Music and explores some darker and more personal territory as it relates to Nguyen’s relationship with her estranged father, unlike her earlier songwriting.