Kurt Vile, “(watch my moves).” Kurt Vile’s music is anything but vile. If an artist’s surname were supposed to represent his musical style, then Kurt might change his to joy, because his latest effort is all beer and skittles. His ninth album, (watch my moves), is a consistent and effortless…

Dinosaur Jr., “Sweep It Into Space.” In the world of rock and roll, desire comes in two forms. First, in raunchy songs like Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” desire is instinctual, libidinous, and destined to be fulfilled. But among bleaker artists like The Cure and The Killers,…

Emmylou Harris performs at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2019. Photos: Martin Lacey. SAN FRANCISCO — Everything one could ask for from a music festival in Golden Gate Park was on display Sunday, as the 19th annual incarnation of Hardly Strictly…

Was Lin-Manuel Miranda a better Hamilton than the Founding Father? Discuss. We’ve got a few firsts this week. There’s the first song from a musical because I apparently forgot Rocky Horror back in 1975, the first cover of a previous Honorable Mention, and a new and novel way to cheat at…

Kurt Vile and the Violators perform at the Fox Theater in Oakland on Dec. 12, 2018. Photos: Chloe Catajan OAKLAND — Kurt Vile and the Violators stopped by the Fox Theater Wednesday and put on an impressive performance, stringing together a set brimming with long, melodic ballads that intermingled with waves…

Cheap Trick. Photos: Chloe Catajan and Paige K. Parsons SAN FRANCISCO — The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival brought out the “golden” in Golden Gate Park last weekend. Following a sullen week marked by the massacre at a Las Vegas country music festival and the death of rock icon Tom Petty,…