Bastille, with Dan Smith second from right. Courtesy photo. It’s appropriate that the popularity of a band with a song about the fiery destruction of an ancient city began to blossom during a storm. Londoners Bastille were playing at a 500-capacity tent at the U.K.’s Isle of Wright about…

Bastille, with Dan Smith second from right. Courtesy. Bastille has seemingly come out of nowhere in 2013, but band leader Dan Smith has been working on his project since 2010. Now the band has two Bay Area shows coming up. Monday, July 22 at Popscene and Sept. 19 at…

CHVRCHES perform at the Fox Theater in Oakland on April 18, 2016. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. How does a band I do not particularly care for endear itself to me? By covering a song from a band I do particularly like, of course! The cover of a Haim song by CHVRCHES…

K.Flay, courtesy. Chicago born and raised, Stanford-educated and Brooklyn-based rapper K.Flay is homeless. It’s a temporary predicament, but less than two years after moving to New York to pursue her career with RCA Records, 27-year-old Kristine Flaherty finds herself on the road through the end of September, touring in…

Beyonce performs at the HP Pavilion in San Jose on July 2, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. She may be a married woman now, with a child and a world tour named for her family name – Mrs. Carter – but Beyonce Knowles’ biggest hit is still about being jilted. The…

Glasvegas, courtesy. Glasvegas, the Scottish band for which you need a lyric sheet to understand song content (but once you read it and understand what frontman James Allan is singing, and it’s beautiful – really) has a new album coming out Sept. 3. Later… When The TV Turns To…

Royal Teeth performs at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco on June 29, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Louisiana’s rich musical history is packed with trumpets, washboards and accordions, and jazz, zydeco and blues are its mainstays. Southern Louisiana sextet Royal Teeth features none of those traditional elements. Royal Teeth,…

Stereophonics, courtesy. To be honest, I had written the Stereophonics off several years ago. They’d fallen into a rut and everything they released sounded the same. It turns out singer-guitarist Kelly Jones thought the band had fallen into a rut as well. Following the release of the band’s previous…

Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown. COURTESY. Before he was 22, guitar prodigy Tyler Bryant shared the stage with Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton. But it was a 63-year-old bluesman from Honey Grove, Texas, who inspired the musician when he was just a boy. Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown 9…

Midnight Cinema (formerly Thriving Ivory), courtesy. The last time I saw San Francisco band Thriving Ivory, it was at Outside Lands in 2008. That year their debut album reached No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and single “Angels on the Moon” was certified Gold (sold 500,000 copies). A second…