Photos: Jane Hu SAN FRANCISCO — Electronic soul and folk band Alt-J took a quick break from two weekends of Coachella to make its way to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Wednesday. Drummer Thom Green, keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton and singer-guitarist Joe Newman each stood inside a stall-like formation, with…

Welcome, to my five-part series counting down what I believe to be the 50 best albums of 2017. I listened to an insane amount of new music during my first year as a staff writer with RIFF, nearly 150 album releases, in fact. With that in mind, when narrowing down all…

Cage the Elephant performs at Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands on Aug. 12, 2017. Photos: Alessio Neri It was not until I showed up at Golden Gate Park on Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. and walked the length of the Outside Lands Music Festival grounds that I fully grasped…

If you were violently put off by the sound of Joe Newman’s voice on the first two Alt-J albums, the band’s new release, Relaxer, might not change your mind. Newman’s vocals make the British band a “love them or hate them” prospect. You either can’t get past his nasally…

Last year I predicted I would never see as many concerts as I did in 2013, and I was right. Having two kids can do that to any guy, even a music journalist. From 64 shows the previous year, I was only able to attend 40 in 2014. That number…

Photos: Roman Gokhman The weather behaved and rain took the day off, saving event promoters from worry over attendance on the second night of the two-night event at Oracle Arena. The performances themselves were a bit uneven, but better than I’d predicted going in. The stars of the night…

Photos: Roman Gokhman Arcade Fire performs during Live 105 Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Dec. 7, 2013. Arcade Fire performs during Live 105 Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Dec. 7, 2013. Arcade Fire performs during Live 105 Not So…