SAN FRANCISCO — “You must have really good taste in music,” said Preservation Hall Jazz Band bassist and tuba player Ben Jaffe shortly before midnight as the group and the remaining members of a second line parade that had just marched through the Fillmore to the stage synched up…

Lil Nas X performs during WiLD 94.9’s Jungle Ball at The Masonic in San Francisco on Dec. 8, 2019. Photos courtesy iHeartRadio. SAN FRANCISCO — Rapper Lil Nas X has had a breakout 2019. Thanks to “Old Town Road” and debut album 7, he racked up a bevy of award…

The Raconteurs perform during radio station Live 105’s Not So Silent Night at SAP Center in San Jose on Dec. 7, 2019. Photos courtesy RADIO.COM. SAN JOSE — Some of the biggest names in alt-rock descended on the SAP Center on a soggy Saturday night in the South Bay…

PORTLAND, ORE. — While the impending bomb cyclone was the popular topic of conversation Tuesday in western Oregon, New York musician Cautious Clay tempered worries, at least temporarily, with a simmering set of electronic soul, rock and blues-inflected R&B. The singer-producer-flautist-saxophonist-guitarist, who headlined the Fillmore in San Francisco the…

Peter Hook and the Light perform at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 8, 2019. Photos: Martin Lacey. SAN FRANCISCO — Since 2010, Peter Hook has been bringing New Order and Joy Division albums back to life by playing them in their entirety on tour with his band…

SAN FRANCISCO — Although popular K-pop group Girls’ Generation never officially disbanded, it’s been on hiatus since 2017, when several members went on to pursue solo careers. One member best-poised to succeed in America is homegrown Tiffany Young, who not only grew up in Southern California but was born…

Tool performs at the Aftershock Festival on Oct. 13, 2019. Courtesy of Aftershock. SACRAMENTO — Northern California’s annual hard rock festival, Aftershock, continued its upward trajectory as one of the premiere national events for heavy music. What began back in 2012 as a one-day and one-stage event has ballooned…

Jonas Brothers perform at Chase Center in San Francisco on Oct. 8, 2019. Photos: Joaquin Cabello. SAN FRANCISCO — Conventional wisdom would say that the first time Chase Center would truly shake and rumble would be caused by Steph Curry draining a 3-pointer or Draymond Green blocking a dunk.…

Lana Del Rey performs at the Hearst Greek Theatre in Berkeley on Oct. 6, 2019. Photos: Roman Gokhman. BERKELEY — In what is likely to be known as the show of the 2019 season at the Hearst Greek Theatre, in terms of attendance, Lana Del Rey delivered even more…

Death Cab for Cutie performs at Sonoma Harvest Music Festival in Glen Ellen, Calif. on Sept. 22, 2019. Photos: Martin Lacey/Staff. GLEN ELLEN, Calif. — Alt-rock was on the menu for Sunday’s fourth and final day of the second annual Sonoma Harvest Music Festival. Bands brought riffs, urgency, energy…