Halsey, “The Great Impersonator.” Halsey is nothing if not adventurous on their fifth album, The Great Impersonator. The record opens on six-minute acoustic ballad “Only Living Girl In LA,” filled with quiet introspection and self-doubt that accelerates into a fuzz-toned wall-of-sound in the final moments. The Great Impersonator Halsey…

Margo Price performs during the Mill Valley Music Festival at Friends Field, Mill Valley, Calif. on May 12, 2024. Courtesy Jay Blakesberg/Mill Valley Music Festival. The two-day Mill Valley Music Festival will return to Friends Field for its fourth year next spring. Produced by Noise Pop Industries and presented…

Bishop Briggs, courtesy Nick Walker. Bishop Briggs’ third record, Tell My Therapist I’m Fine, became its own vehicle for therapy and the rollercoaster that took her from grief to love. Weary from pandemic doldrums, Sarah Grace McLaughlin needed a spark, which she found by returning to songwriting and a…

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis, “Warriors.” It’s not a stage show—at least not yet—but the latest project by Lin-Manuel Miranda is shaping up to be as ambitious as “Hamilton.” On Warriors, Miranda teams with playwright Eisa Davis to create a concert album adaptation of 1979 cult-classic film “The Warriors.”…

Mötley Crüe performs during Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 13, 2024. AFTERSHOCK 2024: • Slayer reunites for explosive Thursday headlining set • Slipknot rocks like its 1999 on fest’s second day • Iron Maiden, Judas Priest lead British invasion on day 3 SACRAMENTO —…

Iron Maiden performs during Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 12, 2024. Photos courtesy Aftershock Festival. AFTERSHOCK 2024: • Slayer reunites for explosive Thursday headlining set • Slipknot rocks like its 1999 on fest’s second day SACRAMENTO — Saturday night’s Aftershock headliners were proof that…

Slipknot performs during Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 11, 2024. Photos courtesy Aftershock Festival. AFTERSHOCK 2024: • Slayer reunites for explosive Thursday headlining set SACRAMENTO — Aftershock Festival’s second day featured a variety of punk icons and modern rock heavyweights. The crowds felt bigger…

Jerry Cantrell, “I Want Blood.” Few hard rock musicians carry the torch for the authentic Seattle sound of ‘90s grunge like guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The Alice In Chains founder understands the assignment of riff-laden, harmony-rich heavy rock and roll. That’s exactly what Cantrell offers on I Want Blood, his…

Slayer performs during Aftershock Festival at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif. on Oct. 10, 2024. Photos courtesy Aftershock. SACRAMENTO — Aftershock Festival returned to Discovery Park bigger than ever on Thursday, the first of four days. The addition of a fifth stage for the first time created a Warped-Tour-esque environment…

Green Day performs at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2021. Steve Carlson/STAFF. Bay Area punk rock legends Green Day are offering a “demaster” of their seminal album Dookie in 15 unconventional, and in some cases, obsolete or highly inconvenient formats. Anybody have a phonograph lying around?…