Tove Styrke, courtesy: Emma Svensson. Nearly a decade has passed since Tove Styrke finished third on Swedish Idol, without a trophy but with a record contract launching her to pop stardom in her home country. At that time, in 2009, Styrke had not released a single song of her…

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…

Photo: Jay Demetillo Welcome, once again, to my annual countdown of my most entertaining music experiences of the year. I attended 54 concerts this year, up from 51 last year and 41 the year before. In compiling this list, I’m not trying to scientifically list the best or most technically proficient…

The Who performs at Golden Gate Park at Outside Lands on Aug, 13, 2017. Photos: Alessio Neri SAN FRANCISCO —The weather forecast was calling for Sunday to be the one sunny day at Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park. But by the time headliners The Who took the stage,…

Producers of the 10th annual Outside Lands announces the daily lineups of the festival that runs from Aug. 11 to 13. English electronic band Gorillaz and hip-hop icons A Tribe Called Quest headline Friday. Rockers Metallica and Queens of the Stone Age take center stage on Saturday. Classic rock band The Who and pop singer-songwriter…

Every week there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips. Artists on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does! We’ve pooled our resources to find some of…

Jack White performs at Bill Graham Civic Auditorim on Aug. 23, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. This is the second in a five-part series. Read how I’m scoring my list and find out about my “special consideration” acts HERE. 10 – JACK WHITE at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – Aug. 23…

Lorde performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on March 27, 2014. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Photos and a video from the March 27 Lorde concert at the Fox Theater in Oakland. Lorde performs at the Fox Theater in Oakland on March 27, 2014. Lorde performs at the Fox Theater in…

Arcade Fire performs during Live 105 Not So Silent Night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Dec. 7, 2013. Roman Gokhman/STAFF. Photos and videos of Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Alt-J, Lorde, Bastille, NONONO, The Neighbourhood and The Colourist. Arcade Fire performs during Live 105 Not So Silent Night at Oracle…