President Donald Trump has been hard at work in the past two weeks shouting at world leaders and saving America from Syrian children. As his approval rating sinks, the tension in the country is heating up. We wanted to capture the mood, so we asked some of our staff…

L to R: Buckwheat Zydeco, Prince Buster, Phife Dawg, Jean Shepard, Don Buchla. Art: Roman Gokhman It’s safe to say that 2016 has been something of an all-around dumpster fire, especially when it comes to the sheer volume of iconic artists we’ve lost. The list of familiar and life-changing…

Let’s admit that 2016 was a rough year. But one of the bright spots was great music. Here’s our top 5 music moments of 2016. 1. Hip-hop artists dropped surprise albums The year was full of surprise, especially politically, socially and globally. Music, on the other hand, had some of the best surprises, particularly in…

I simultaneously dread and eagerly anticipate the end of each year and its obligatory best-of selections. This year more than any other I tried to force myself beyond my comfort zone of indie rock and indie pop, with surprisingly pleasant results. My Top 5, listed below in no particular…

The year may only be halfway through, but it’s already had a number of quality albums worth a spin. RIFF Magazine‘s Nick DeCicco counts down 10 of his favorite of the year to date: Beyoncé Lemonade April 23 | Columbia 10. The Queen’s sixth studio album stands as her most powerful…

David Bowie. Courtesy. Editor’s note: I never had any David Bowie memories. By the time I moved to the Bay Area in 2005 and learned to appreciate all that he influences, he was one year away from playing his final show in New York. I had patiently been waiting…