Photos: Alessio Neri OAKLAND — If the story that Jack Antonoff told at his band Bleachers‘ concert at the Fox Theater was remotely accurate, the stars of the show were not the band members—though Antonoff, his two drummers and two multi-instrumentalists performed memorably—but their crew of sound techs, managers…

Photo: Chloe Catajan BERKELEY — Who knew that when Natalie Portman swore The Shins would “change your life,” her words would still ring true years later? The Shins not only became the anthem for 2004 film Garden State, but also the anthem for indie lovers. The Albuquerque band performed in…

Indie rock band Warpaint may be from Los Angeles, but singer-guitarists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman call Eugene, Oregon home. I asked to speak to them specifically, because I share their hometown. We’re about the same age, were there at the same time and went to competing high schools.…

Andrew W.K. photographed at a show in Boise, Idaho, on Aug. 7, 2006. Photo: Gary Chancer Last week we began a conversation with rock and roller—and serious partier—Andrew W.K. about his ongoing tour and upcoming album. In the course of our interview, we covered a lot more diverse topics, and…

Madeline Kenney, courtesy. When I catch up with Madeline Kenney, life is a little different for her than it was a year before, when we first chatted. In August 2016, the Bay Area singer-songwriter was focused on what she told me would be her last live show before pivoting to focus…

Ruth B. performs at Slim’s in San Francisco on Sept. 19, 2017. Photos: Alessio Neri SAN FRANCISCO — Only a couple of years ago, recent high school grad Ruth Berhe was posting six-second snippets of herself covering other people’s song on a keyboard from her parents’ home in Edmonton, Alberta.…

Photos: Alessio Neri MOUNTAIN VIEW — Muse continued their national tour Friday night with a nearly sold-out show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, and fans eagerly awaited their presence. Muse played hit after hit, each one with more energy. Muse opened up with “Dig Down,” which although it started off slow,…

Note from Managing Editor Daniel J. Willis: If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen anything from our Senior Reporter Brandi Smith lately, it’s because you’ve seen her everywhere else, because she’s a hero to journalists and to Houston. Brandi’s day job is reporter for KHOU 11 in Houston. In…

Jeffrey Krantz and his band, courtesy. Last year, between tapings of MTV Live TV show American Supergroup, Jeffrey Krantz hit the studio to write, record and self-produce his debut solo album. With rock band The Effects, Krantz toured with Kings of Leon, Shinedown and the Toadies, and he was…

Expect the next record from New York rock quartet Public Access T.V. to be less “boyish,” but not more mature. “I think that’s … a cop-out to say on any big follow-up record,” frontman John Eatherly said in a call recently. “Most of the time, when someone says that;…