Jacob Lauing in The Night Prior. Courtesy of the artist. After three years of writing, recording, tracking and producing, Bay Area native Jacob Lauing has released his first album as The Night Prior, bookending a journey that has helped him hone in on his own sound. The Night Prior’s sound…

San Francisco Ballet performs “Nutcracker” on Dec. 11, 2019, the 2019 premiere of the production. Performance photos courtesy of San Francisco Ballet. SAN FRANCISCO — “Welcome to ClaraCon!” says Kelly Tweeddale, the new director of the San Francisco Ballet. It’s the opening night of the company’s annual production of “Nutcracker,”…

Jewel Kilcher. Courtesy: Brendan Walter. Having lived out of her car and on the street when she was a teen, it’s understandable why Jewel carries  the issue of homelessness—particularly homeless children—close to her heart. The singer-songwriter, born Jewel Kilcher, started a nonprofit in Las Vegas working with at-risk youth…

Duncan Nielsen, Andrew St. James and Cody Rhodes comprise new band Fast Times. Years of past collaborations, national tours and musical experimentation carried three friends to the start of a new journey earlier this year. The birth of Fast Times came about as Bay Area natives and veteran musicians…

Maisie Peters. Courtesy Elektra Records. SAN FRANCISCO — Maisie Peters and her touring team left Los Angeles at 6 a.m. to make the trek to San Francisco, where Peters recently had a show the same day. Presumably, the Brit had no part in driving the van straight to Rickshaw Stop.…

Dinah Jane. Photo courtesy of the artist. With pop juggernaut Fifth Harmony, Dinah Jane already had plenty of experience traveling the world and playing arenas on the back of massive hits like “Worth It” and “Work From Home.” But for the past year she’s been working hard to kickstart…

Anthony Ramos. Courtesy: Eric Johnson.  A packed crowd sold out Lincoln Hall in Chicago earlier this month to help former Hamilton star Anthony Ramos celebrate his 28th birthday and kick off a new journey: his first headlining show supporting debut album The Good & The Bad. Anthony Ramos Elliott Skinner…

Tsunami Bomb. Courtesy of the artist. MOUNTAIN VIEW — Tsunami Bomb founding bassist Dominic Davi had a very specific and audacious goal for the band: an immersive project fusing music and art. Tsunami Bomb Arnocorps, World Inferno, Host Jello Biafra 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22 Cornerstone Berkeley Tickets: $25.…

Jared James Nichols. Photo courtesy of the artist. Being good enough at guitar to get into prestigious Berklee College of Music, ironically, almost ruined Jared James Nichols’ musical career. The then-17-year-old kid from Wisconsin was convinced by his mom to try a four-day camp at the Boston institution. He…

Derek Smalls really would appreciate you giving him some more of your money. You may not have heard much from Derek Smalls, bassist of the legendary band Spinal Tap, aside from the occasional reunion concert when enough of the band members simultaneously run out of money. But that doesn’t…