Con Brio is a hard band to pin down. Known for its energetic (to say the least) live shows, the San Francisco septet is part funk and part rock, compared to everyone from Sly and the Family Stone to Prince to James Brown. Blue Bear School of Music 11th Annual…

Dreamcar. Courtesy: Steve Erle. If it took you this long to piece together that new wave and synth rock band Dreamcar is actually comprised of members of No Doubt and AFI’s frontman, Davey Havok, and then cruise over to the Great American Music Hall website to buy tickets to…

In a world that seems to becoming increasingly isolationist (i.e. Brexit and President Trump), U.K. singer-songwriter Frances is trying to create unity with her music. She just released her debut album, Things I’ve Never Said, which includes the single “No Matter.” Written after the small-town girl moved to London, Frances…

Jamie Stewart started Xiu Xiu 15 years ago and has been going strong with the project ever since. Just last month, Xiu Xiu released new album Forget, which is gaining critical praise and is generally considered to be the band’s more accessible albums yet. Where before Stewart was not bound to…

M. Lockwood Porter photographed before a concert at the Independent in San Francisco on Jan. 28, 2017. Photo: Amanda Limond SAN FRANCISCO — The sound of singer-songwriter M. Lockwood Porter is a finely mixed blend of alt-country, Americana and indie rock sensibilities. But despite having such a strong country sound,…

The Regrettes perform at the Mezzanine in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2016. Photo: Ian Young High school junior Lydia Night and her friends started their garage-punk and rock band, The Regrettes, in January 2016. By November, they were signed to Warner Bros. Records and opening for Sleigh Bells.…

As a teen, Adia Victoria loved Nirvana and Fiona Apple. It wasn’t until she left South Carolina for New York that she discovered the blues through Caucasian, male-led bands like The Black Keys and The White Stripes. Adia Victoria, Madi Sipes and the Painted Blue 7.30 p.m., Saturday Bottom…

Max Berga is Swedish-born, and he believes that because of that, he is ingrained with the Swedish Hit Factory-centric determination to build the perfect pop song. His biggest challenge, at least initially, was find a cast of characters to fill a band—and then to stick around long enough to…

Esmé Patterson is excited to finally be striking out on her own—musically speaking, that is. The singer-songwriter was producing solo work for the past few years and making a name for herself as a critically adored, indie rock darling, all while fronting Paper Bird, the indie folk band she formed with…

New York-born, Ireland-raised, singer-songwriter Sally Ó Dúnlaing battles doubts and insecurity on “Feed You Lies,” the new track off forthcoming debut EP Conversations. Ó Dúnlaing, who records and performs under the name Ódú, explained that she began writing “Feed You Lies” about a friend who had seemingly lost his…