Dethklok performs at The Masonic in San Francisco on April 24, 2024. Chloe Catajan/STAFF. Wednesday night, for the first time since 2018, I paid money for a concert ticket and didn’t write about the show afterward. I’m spoiled. As a writer for RIFF, I can get press tickets to…

Babymetal performs at The Masonic in San Francisco on April 24, 2024. Chloe Catajan/STAFF. SAN FRANCISCO — Explaining Wednesday night’s bill at The Masonic to someone unfamiliar with the trio of metal acts performing would take some time. Babymetal, Dethklok and DragonForce each have a lore and backstory worthy…

“Danse Macabre” (1493) by Michael Wolgemut. Not pictured: Ghost’s “Dance Macabre.” OK, enough dancing around it. I’ve done three editions of my Halloween Month and basically none of them has been a legit Halloween list. I’m writing this in advance so there’s no telling what unspeakable horrors have befallen…

 Everyone manages stress differently. Some people use guided meditation, some people go with binge drinking and an underground fight club. There are as many coping strategies as there are people. Similarly, some people go for some mellow, soothing music. Most people really. But that’s not how I roll.…

“1, 2, 3, 4/ Get your wo”—oops; wrong song. Sorry, Feist. I’ve made abundantly and repeatedly clear that I’m not a fan of most music from the ’00s, especially the death throes of alt rock and hip-hop’s transition to being all about how rich rappers are. This is making…