Q&A
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Thirty years on, The Proclaimers build off “that 500 Miles” song
When Scottish duo The Proclaimers take the stage of Great American Music Hall on Oct. 19, expect the vibe to be very different from the last time they played the historic room. “It was just Craig and I with a guitar,” explained Charlie Reid, Craig Reid’s twin brother and one half…
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Q&A: All hail Christine and the Queens
Christine and the Queens. Courtesy. It’s been a busy couple of years for Heloise Letissier, a French singer-songwriter-dancer who began the span by setting aside her dreams of Broadway stage production in favor of a career as Francophile synth-pop musician who has successfully crossed over to an Anglophile pop…
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Q&A: The Return of The Joy Formidable
The Joy Formidable. While Welsh rockers The Joy Formidable toured their 2013 sophomore album, Wolf’s Law, singer-guitarist Ritzy Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd, a long-time couple, broke up. The trio, which included drummer Matt Thomas, spent the following three years out of the public eye. They finally resurfaced in…
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Q&A: MUNA — Music from the heart, filtered through the head
How does a pop band balance growing popularity and attention with schoolwork and all its demands? That’s a question Los Angeles trio MUNA no longer has to answer. Vocalist Katie Gavin, and guitarists Josette Maskin (22) and Naomi McPherson (23) met while attending USC. Maskin, the last remaining student,…
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Q&A: St. Lucia two-steps with inanimate magic
Jean-Philip Grobler of St. Lucia at Outside Lands on Aug. 7, 2016. Che Holts/STAFF. As a successful Emeryville-based studio knows all too well, it’s possible to take an inanimate object, give it life and make children and adults alike laugh and cry by telling a good story. That was…
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Q&A: ‘Onward forever’ with ZZ Top
ZZ Top. Courtesy. For nearly 47 years, prospector-bearded guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill, along with ironically clean-shaven drummer Frank Beard, have been uniting catchy blues rock and boldly humorous lyrics with raunchy innuendo as ZZ Top. ZZ Top 7 p.m., Saturday Mountain Winery in Saratoga Tickets: $69.5-$229.50. 8 p.m., Sunday…
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Q&A: Enjoy the ride with Catfish and the Bottlemen
Catfish and the Bottlemen. Courtesy photo. Growing up in coastal Wales, a 90-minute drive from Liverpool, Van McCann fell in love with Britpop and garage rock, the kind that was coming from the U.K. in the form of Oasis, the Arctic Monkeys, the Stereophonics, the Kooks and the Fratellis.…
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Joseph spreads roots beyond Oregon with ‘I’m Alone, No You’re Not’
Allison, Meegan and Natalie Closner Schepman of Joseph. Courtesy photo. To outsiders, Oregon is a bit of a mystery. Portland is the land of fancy, sugary doughnuts and hipsters, with their organic pickle farms. Hippies and Nike got their start in Eugene, and Animal House was filmed there. Then,…
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DIIV’s Cole Smith and Colin Caulfield on redefining guitar rock, inspirations
Portrait photos: Che Holts Cole Smith is not a fan of the popular perception of guitar rock. He and his bandmantes in New York rock band DIIV stray as far as possible from blues-heavy chugging guitar chord that lean on the contributions of others during the past five or six…
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Q&A: Tastemaking with St. Lucia’s Jean-Philip Grobler
St. Lucia frontman Jean-Philip Grobler chats with RIFF at Outside Lands on Aug. 7, 2016. Photos: Che Holts Midway through Brooklyn synthpop band St. Lucia’s set at Outside Lands last week, frontman Jean-Philip Grobler lied down on the stage, collecting his breath. But within seconds, his band launched into ’80s-drenched,…
