Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen of “Portlandia,” courtesy. Imagine: Williamsburgia – a community of progressive, ecologically conscious, left-leaning DIY-ers leading kooky lives in a hyper-reality. When “Saturday Night Live” actor Fred Armisen and Wild Flag and Sleater-Kinney guitarist-vocalist Carrie Brownstein pitched a sketch comedy show about several sets of…

Billy West, courtesy. It doesn’t matter to Billy West that his name isn’t often recognized, even though anyone who grew up in the past 20 years has heard his many voices on TV. SF Sketchfest Jan 23 through Feb. 10 Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View Tickets: $10-$50. Note: “Futurama…

Brooke Waggoner, courtesy. Three years have passed since Brooke Waggoner released “Go Easy Little Doves.” In the interim, she toured with Jack White’s all-girl band, the Peacocks, and produced albums for other artists. The singer-pianist’s third album, “Originator” will be released March 5. Waggoner recorded “Originator” in her hometown…

Midnight Spin, courtesy. Released Thursday, Don’t Let Me Sleep by Midnight Spin is a rock and roll record. This is music carried by power chords and vocals not meant to be soothing. I’d never heard of Midnight Spin before, but I’m impressed with their debut album. Singer-guitarist Mike Corbett…

Tycho performs at the Independent in San Francisco on Jan. 19, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. There may be a misconception floating around that San Francisco’s Tycho, a graphic designer cum rising electronic ambient musician, has only two interests. Those people wouldn’t know about Scott Hansen’s other pursuit: cycling. “I’ve done…

M83 performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on April 17, 2016. I probably went to more shows this year than ever before. This year, artists such as Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, the Black Keys, Of Monsters and Men and the reunited Garbage didn’t even crack the ranks…

Imagine Dragons, courtesy. Dan Reynolds’ family always supported him, even while his seven brothers and one sister were becoming doctors and lawyers, and he was dropping out of Brigham Young University in Utah to start a band. “Back when we were playing a show to five people in a…

Metric, Courtesy. When Metric singer-keyboardist Emily Haines met legendary crooner and Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed a few years back, she was star-struck. But Reed was equally impressed with the Toronto alt-rock band’s body of work. Live 105’s Not So Silent Night  6 p.m., Friday, Saturday, Dec. 6-7 Oracle…

Duran Duran performs at Outside Lands in Golden gate Park on Aug. 5, 2016. Che Holts/STAFF. The members of Duran Duran are in a good place right now. Infighting, drug and sex addiction, and disappointing album sales previously derailed one of the biggest acts to come out of the…

Matt and Kim perform at The Warfield in San Francisco on April 3, 2018. Kate Vides/STAFF. Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino are animal lovers, but because they’re on the road nine months out of the year as indie pop duo Matt & Kim, the Brooklyn couple isn’t able to…