There are only so many ways a band can reinvent itself before arriving full circle. That’s why it’s not surprising that the 12th studio album from U2, “No Line on the Horizon,” is not the great rebirth the band was promising. No Line on the Horizon U2 Interscope, March…

Franz Ferdinand performs at Outside Lands at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Aug. 12, 2012. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune. The lads in Franz Ferdinand don’t even know his (or her) name, but they know they owe a great deal to a…

Carrie Underwood performs at Oracle Arena in Oakland on May 17, 2019. Mike DeWald/STAFF. This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune. Wearing the same dress she donned at the 2006 Country Music Association Awards, Carrie Underwood poses for photographs with her fans at Madame Tussaud’s in New York.…

Keb’ Mo’, Wayne Shorter, Bono and others jam with B.B. King at an Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz event at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, 2008. Photos courtesy: Alexandra Wyman/Getty Images for Thelonious Monk Institute). This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune. Some of…

Kings of Leon perform at the Warfield in San Francisco on Oct. 18, 2008. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Many bands that are successful in other parts of the world fail to make it big in America. What makes the Kings of Leon — a quartet that’s huge in Europe…

The Presets, courtesy. SAN FRANCISCO — At last summer’s Download Festival, Australian electro-rocker trio Cut Copy overcame playing in the daytime and put up one of the best performances of the event. They worked the crowd into a tizzy for their entire 45-minute set. Sunday night at a sold-out show…

Torquil Campbell (center) and Stars, courtesy. SANTA CRUZ — There are so many possible uses for a rose at a rock show: Throw them into the crowd (less painful than drumsticks), use them as drumsticks (for the dramatic effect), or get them jammed in an adjustable microphone stand (which may…

Cut Copy, courtesy. This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune. Australian dance-pop trio Cut Copy has a secondary mission as it embarks on its largest headlining tour of America and Mexico: Drink as much good coffee at as many different coffee shops as possible. Cut Copy, the Presets…

The Dandelion War, courtesy. A few months ago, San Francisco post-rock band The Dandelion War were watching one of their idols, “Explosions in the Sky,” play the Great American Music Hall. The six members, keyboard player Dave Tran, singer Larry Fernandez, guitarists Jeff Kay and Mikey Fuson, drummer Julius…

Gnarls Barkley, courtesy. This story originally appeared in the Oakland Tribune. After a wildly successful debut album and insanely popular single, it’s no surprise that many fans expected an even crazier follow-up from Gnarls Barkley. That is, everyone except the Atlanta duo — soul singer/rapper Cee-Lo and multi-instrumentalist Danger…