Franz Ferdinand performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on April 28, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. This is the fourth in a five-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts in PART 1, the runners-up in PART 2, and 15 through 11 in PART…

Garifuna Collective and Danny Michel perform at Brick and Mortar in San Francisco on Aug. 7, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Seven years after the death of its leader, the Garifuna Collective from Belize remains on track, with new recordings and a concert tour that brings the group to San Francisco…

Garifuna Collective, courtesy. Andy Palacio was one of the most interesting musicians I’ve spoken to. I was interested in his Central American culture and people, the Garifuna, because I previously traveled to Honduras and Belize several times. The Garifuna are an indigenous minority, the descendants of African slaves who…