Features
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Introducing Lauren Ruth Ward: L.A. rocker shreds on guitar and with shears
Courtesy: Damian Borja Cutting other people’s hair uses a different part of the brain than cutting one’s own. So says indie rocker Lauren Ruth Ward, for whom cutting hair is a passion equal to making music. Ward’s first customer was herself, and over more than a decade, she learned…
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Introducing CYN: Songwriter finds success with a little help from Katy Perry
CYN, courtesy. The last two years could have seemed like a blur to Cynthia Nabozny, who went from writing songs in a notebook to performing in front of pop star Katy Perry in her home, but for the Michigander, time seemed to drag as the itch to release her…
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Interview: First Aid Kit returns ready to rebuild from ‘Ruins’
First Aid Kit, courtesy. After touring the critically acclaimed third album, Stay Gold, in 2014 and 2015, sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg—First Aid Kit—burned themselves out. The duo, which rose above the indie circuit for the first time, had been writing, recording or touring its songs for years. And…
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SF Sketchfest: Cruises, comedy, music and the busy ‘state’ of Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton, courtesy. These days, Jonathan Coulton is a busy man. When we spoke to the New York-based singer-songwriter, he was on a cruise ship docked in Cabo San Lucas on what is ostensibly a business trip to prepare for the JoCo Cruise, then soon he’ll be in San Francisco…
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SF Sketchfest: ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Kiss My Ass’ with actor-comedian Josh Fadem
“Who killed Laura Palmer?” The question, like much of cult TV hit Twin Peaks, set the tone for serialized television for decades. Its mysteries, shrouded in both mind-expanding, often head-scratching twists, and the lush vegetation and shadowy, dreamlike fictional town in which the show is set, captivated many during…
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INTERVIEW: W. Kamau Bell shares his playlist with the Oakland Symphony
W. Kamau Bell is a man of many talents, from stand-up comic to Emmy-winning television host, but he never expected the symphony to come calling. Other than listening to the classical music station on AM radio in the car with his mom when he was a kid, classical music…
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Introducing Lizzy Farrall: Welsh songwriter leaves the hobbit forest
Lizzy Farrall, courtesy. Lizzy Farrall spent much of her childhood among the hilly valleys of rural Wales. Her mother homeschooled her and her five siblings until Farrall was 16 years old, and the teen spent much of her time outdoors. One of her fondest memories is of her and…
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INTERVIEW: Roxiny does music and activism her way
Roxiny does things her own way. When she first arrived in the United States from the Dominican Republic to pursue a music career, she signed a deal with Sony but soon bought her way out of it. “I think that they were looking for a Latin pop star; kind of…
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Newly-married Chelsea Lankes returns with new songs, dreams
Pop singer-songwriter Chelsea Lankes has lived through more than her share of highs and lows in the last three years. In 2014, TIME featured the then-obscure musician’s song “Secret,” jumpstarting what Lankes thought she wanted in a music career. Spurred on by the attention paid to the guitar-driven slow…
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Nicole Atkins finds the soul inside her sound with Goodnight Rhonda Lee
Courtesy: Anna Webber Three albums into an acclaimed music career, and unable to enjoy making music anymore, New Jersey singer-songwriter Nicole Atkins decided to face her demon—alcohol—head-on. She checked into rehab, where among her peers she met a music producer. Nicole Atkins Lauren Ruth Ward, Thayer Sarrano 9 p.m.,…