Posts by Jeffrey Taylor

Not quite full, but definitely buzzing, San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium once again welcomed Saint Etienne with enthusiasm, and Saint Etienne brought their trademark quirks with them.

Bottom line, Howard has a one-of-a-kind voice that we’ll be hearing for years to come if the band’s songwriting remains strong.

Anyone who goes to a They Might Be Giants show will be given a good lesson in not just how to be a good act, but how to be a class act.

Something, Brooklyn-based duo Chairlift’s second LP, and their first since signing with Columbia, is a masterful stroke of experiential alterna-pop that demonstrates the power that creative freedom and big label investment can provide for exceptionally talented musicians.

The band can program their technological flourishes and rock out on real instruments, making their hard work look easy and producing a sound that the band could easily convert to fill arenas and stadiums. If M83 keeps up their current progression, they may just do both.

The Beach Boys very well could have been the American equivalent of The Beatles had they found a way to be more steady and work well with each other. However, the set also reveals the band’s influence on the general rock and roll scene more profoundly than ever, while also unleashing potential for much more.

The Bangles aren’t just a group of cute girls singing “Walk Like An Egyptian;” rather, they’re seasoned pros, demonstrating their accomplished rock veteran status in an easygoing manner. What’s more — the Bangles made it abundantly clear that the they had nothing to prove.

However, even with the signs of wear, the spirited band and their energetic longtime local fans carried the day. The crowd remained enthusiastic and worked with the band to make the evening worthwhile.

Make no mistake, seeing a Foster The People show is definitely worth it. Any missteps are more reflective of the interesting and special problems that breakout bands face, and leads one to look forward to their next moves with suspense.

It was a banner week for Erasure’s Vince Clarke and Andy Bell when they arrived at Oakland’s Fox Theater for their sold out performance. Clarke, the strong-but-silent founding member of Depeche Mode, had just been pictured the day before celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Depeche Mode’s debut album Speak and Spell (1981) with co-founder Martin […]