Author Archives: Roman Gokhman
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SF Symphony trombonist Nick Platoff on finding his voice in a pandemic, the departure of Michael Tilson Thomas
Nick Platoff of the San Francisco Symphony, Courtesy. By March 15, Nick Platoff had concluded the lease on his San Francisco apartment and had completely moved out. That day, he, along with dozens of other members of the San Francisco Symphony were to leave for a European tour. But…
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Q&A: Caroline Jones one of the ‘Boys’ with Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown and Kenny Chesney
Caroline Jones, Courtesy. Country singer-songwriter Caroline Jones has crisscrossed the country on tours with Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown and Jimmy Buffett, seeing bits here and there out of the bus window, yet she’s never been on a true coast-to-coast road trip. So when planning for the fictional car chase…
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Dixie Chicks the latest band to change their name, now known as The Chicks
The Chicks, formerly known as Dixie Chicks, perform at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Oct. 7, 2016. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. The Dixie Chicks, who’s awaited new album Gaslighter arrives on July 17, are the next band from the South to change their name, dropping the “Dixie.” They’re now known simply…
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INTERVIEW: Rufus Wainwright ready to open his next chapter
Rufus Wainwright. Courtesy. Rufus Wainwright got a dog. He’s not necessarily a dog person, but his 9-year-old daughter, Viva, wanted one, and the shelter-in-place order in Los Angeles was approaching two months, and, well, welcome to the family, Puccini the Australian shepherd. The name was a given, what with…
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COVID-19 pandemic forces Noise Pop from its Bryant Street home
Noise Pop office at 2180 Bryant St in San Francisco. Courtesy. Updated June 19. Noise Pop is leaving its home at 2180 Bryant St in San Francisco for 12 years, citing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The community is invited to participate in a garage sale Saturday where…
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Tribute bands draw hundreds to the Bay Area’s first drive-in concert of the COVID-19 era
Concertgoers gather at the first drive-in concert in the Bay Area at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif., on June 12, 2020. Steve Carlson/STAFF. Several hundred people who had been cooped up in their homes gathered at the Alameda County Fairgrounds on Friday at the first ticketed concert…
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Bay Area indy music clubs still struggling as national alliance reports many may close without federal help
Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Courtesy: Wikicommons A wave of independent concert venue closures swept through Texas this month, including the well-known Barracuda and four others in Austin and several in Dallas—all due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the closure of other clubs like the Great…
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First Bay Area drive-in concerts to include three tribute bands in Pleasanton tonight, Saturday
German Rapper Sido performs in Dusseldorf, Germany on April 26, 2020. Courtesy: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images. The Alameda County Fair will host the Bay Area’s first drive-in concerts tonight and tomorrow. For $100, you can bring a carload of family members and watch three tribute bands: Journey Revisited (Journey), Hot…
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PREMIERE: Blackout Balter finds its marching orders with “Wild One”
Blackout Balter, Courtesy. “Wild One” wasn’t even supposed to appear on the debut album from Nashville’s Blackout Balter. The band, which got its start in Massachusetts, had already finished recording the rest of the songs on Animal when singer-guitarist Philip Cohen went and recorded a demo. The band members got…
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INTERVIEW: Evie Irie up to the challenge, raises the stakes for her second EP
Evie Irie, Courtesy. Just a few years ago, when Australian soul-pop singer-songwriter Evie Irie was still in high school, it wasn’t music but sports on her mind. While she was always creative as a child, and loved crafts and music, sports gave her what she thought was the best…
