Author Archives: Daniel J. Willis
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REWIND: Five modern-ish songs that aren’t completely awful
Dua Lipa performs at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco March 17, 2017. Gary Chancer/STAFF. The worst part of getting your car stolen is the radio. OK, that’s not true. The worst part is no longer having a car, followed by losing the sentimental and practical items…
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The worst of 2021 in real life (with a soundtrack)
Lana del Rey performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2016. Adrian Jusue/STAFF, I used to do Worst of the Year in Music columns as a jokey little counterpoint to all the best of the year lists floating around. Then 2020 happened and I did the worst…
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RIFF REWIND 2021: Tom Morello, The Offspring and Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X. Let’s go over this again: The reason this column is called RIFF Rewind is because back in 2018 I listed my top five (or so) songs of every year from 1967 to 2018. I don’t know how I actually finished the project, but I did it.…
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INTERVIEW: Mongolian rockers The HU conquer the world, one festival at a time
The HU, courtesy. Performance photos and portrait: Adam Pardee/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Chances are, if you’ve never heard The HU, you’ve never heard anything like their music. The HU performs at Outside Lands in San Francisco on Oct. 29, 2021. Adam Pardee/STAFF. The band hails from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia…
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REWIND: Merry Christmas! We got you five more awful Christmas songs
Twenty One Pilots perform during radio station Live 105’s Not So Silent Night at SAP Center in San Jose on Dec. 7, 2019. Merry Christmas! I guess this means I have to write another Christmas music column. As I’ve expressed every year I’ve had a column, I hate Christmas…
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REVIEW: Metallica honors fans, history at first 40th anniversary show in SF
Metallica performs at Chase Center in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2021. Steve Carlson/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Metallica sure knows how to throw a birthday party. Tickets to the band’s two 40th anniversary concerts were offered to members of their fan club. At the first of those on Friday…
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REWIND: It’s their 40th anniversary, so let’s listen to Metallica
Metallica performs at Chase Center in San Francisco on Dec. 17, 2021. Steve Carlson/STAFF. When this column is published it will be the morning after Metallica’s first 40th anniversary show at the Chase Center. As of the time of this writing I am scheduled to cover it for this…
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REWIND: We honor Michael Nesmith with five songs he wrote
Michael Nesmith from the Monkees playing his guitar in the 1960s. Courtesy. Songwriter and Monkee Mike Nesmith died on Friday at the age of 78. I already dedicated a column to the underrated greatness of The Monkees, and you should absolutely read it because the Monkees are great and…
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REWIND: The new plan is to become an Excel influencer with these songs
Kat Norton, aka Miss Excel. TikTok screenshots. This week I learned that Excel influencers are a thing on TikTok. It’s possible all the youths know this but as I am brutally, cripplingly old and don’t have TikTok it was news to me that there’s a whole category of influencers…
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REWIND: Does Thanksgiving get you down? I have a solution
Chumbawamba circa 2000. Photo: Jill Douglas/Redferns. Thanksgiving is behind us for another year. For some that’s a sad thing, since Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness, family bonding, boundless gluttony and football. To those people, I’m glad you enjoyed your day. Of course, there’s another group, too. Those people…
